Adam Coglianese
Robert and Peter Rosenthal’s homebred Frosty Bay, a daughter of New York’s top second crop sire Frost Giant (Keane Stud), made a winning bid in the turn to take the wide-open $100,000 Cupecoy’s Joy at Belmont on Sunday, the first of paired NY Stallion Stakes series races for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on turf.
A two-time winner making her stakes debut in her ninth career start for trainer Dominick Schettino, Frosty Bay went to the post at to 8-1 in the wide-open 10-horse field under Javier Castellano.
After breaking from post seven, Frosty Bay settled in sixth, while Saropia (Utopia) set the pace through an opening quarter in 23.47 and half in 47.04.
Frosty Bay began to move up in earnest three-wide in the far turn and pulled even with Saropia and fellow-challenger Stellerite (Freud) before taking over at the furlong marker. Continuing on with good energy, despite drifting out several paths in the final stages, Frosty Bay crossed the wire with a one-length margin of victory, leaving Image of Noon (Disco Rico) and Fantastic Eyes (Midas Eyes), who finished heads apart in second and third, to close with intent, but to no avail. The final time for seven furlongs on the firm Widener turf course was 1:22.61. [VIDEO]
Jockey Javier Castellano said, “She broke sharp today. I just covered her up a little bit. I saved ground and then swung her out a little bit, and when I asked her she responded. She held on at the end and it worked out perfectly.” Added Castellano, “She gave me a good run today. I rode with a lot of confidence. I never rode that filly before and Dominick Schettino gave me a lot of tidbits about her. She would get a little nervous before her races, but she saddled beautifully today and was calm and laid back.”
Schettino said, “She’s really found a home on the grass. Her mother was strictly a turf horse too—Baymont. She was training very well leading up to this race. She really dug in at the end to hold the others off. We’ll see she how she comes out of this race before deciding on a next start.”
Foaled at Indigo Farm in Stanfordville, Frosty Bay (9-3-1-2, $152,579) is one of three winners from three starters out of Baymont, a five-time winner (four on turf) by Wild Again campaigned by the Rosenthals and trained by Schettino ($189,256). Baymont currently has a 2-year-old filly by Posse named Missy Bay, who has not yet started, and a weanling filly by Golden Missile.
