Confidently-spotted maiden Rinaldi delivers for team Bond in NYSS Spectacular Bid

By Sarah Mace

The only non-winner in the field of nine sophomores signed up for the $150,000 Spectacular Bid Division of the New York Stallion Stakes (NYSS), Rinaldi broke his maiden with flair when he scored a convincing three-quarter-length win in the 7-furlong turf stakes in his second career start.

A keen-eyed Jimmy Bond, who owns and trains the gelded son of former New York sire Posse, picked him out as weanling at the Fasig-Tipton New York fall mixed sale in Saratoga for only $5,000. Rinaldi has now earned $91,140.

When Rinaldi was unveiled at Belmont just 17 days ago, the bay gelding was able to recover nicely after being pinched back at the break and finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner at longshot odds of 29-1 going six furlongs on the grass. Given his maiden status and relative lack of experience, bettors also kept him at relative arm’s length in the Spectacular Bid, letting him go at 10-1.

Off to a good start from post five under Luis Saez, Rinaldi settled in second at the flank of pacesetter Thorny Tale, pressing the leader through early splits of 22.58 and 45.73.

Shadowing Thorny Tale through the turn, Rinaldi engaged him fully in upper stretch, dueled and got past with a little more than a furlong to go.

Digging in to preserve the lead, Rinaldi crossed the finish line three-quarters of a length ahead of NYSS Times Square winner Funny Guy (Big Brown), stopping the clock in a sharp 1:21.30. Thorny Tale hung on for third another 2 1/2 lengths back, followed by Smooth Tales, who completed the superfecta. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

Said Saez, who also had the call for Rinadi’s debut, “It was amazing. He broke so sharp and he was way better in the clear. When we came into the straightaway, I was asking pretty hard, and he responded.”

A little more than an hour before post time, the complexion of the Spectacular Bid got a makeover when Linda Rice scratched morning line favorite Blindwillie McTell. The three-time stakes winner on dirt was slated to make his turf debut in the race, but Rice’s Newly Minted, who outworked Blindwillie McTell on grass when preparing for her own grass debut, could do no better than third in the NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy three races earlier. The conditioner opted to wait and fight another day – on dirt.

Bred by Barry Ostrager, Rinaldi is one of six winners from eight foals to start out of Kentucky-bred mare Dynamite Cocktail, a six-figure earner by Dynaformer. She has produced two other stakes horses, led by Hollinger (Black Minnaloushe), 2009 Sovereign Award Champion 2-year-old colt and earner of over $700,000. Rinaldi is Dynamite Cocktail’s last reported foal.

Posse, who stood at Rockridge Stud in Hudson and shuttled to Haras Rapetti in Uruguay, stood his final season in New York in 2016 before relocating permanently to the Southern Hemisphere.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/06/23/rinaldi-n-nyss-spectacular-bid/

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Kid Is Frosty takes to the grass in NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy

By Sarah Mace

Kelly Mitchell’s Kid Is Frosty gave New York sire Frost Giant[2] the bragging rights for this year’s Cupecoy’s Joy, the filly division of a pair of $150,000 New York Stallion Stakes (NYSS) for eligible New York-sired 3-year olds co-featured at Belmont Park on Sunday.

Rallying in the stretch to capture the 7-furlong turf contest at odds of 6-1, the chestnut aced her grass debut while tacking on an extra half-furlong to her longest previous distance.

As has become familiar in recent years, ambitious New York-sired sophomores of all stripes – including maidens and dirt runners – will throw their hats in the ring for this pair of NYSS races. The lucrative purse is a draw, as is the opportunity to experiment with a grass start before Saratoga. Kid Is Frosty was one of four horses in the field of seven trying turf for the first time.

The most seasoned of the group, Kid Is Frosty had never missed the board in in seven prior starts, with one win, four seconds and two thirds. She also posted a pair of half-mile works on the grass in preparation, including a bullet move on June 9.

Forwardly placed after the bell, Kid Is Frosty raced inside in the early stages, a length behind longshot pacesetter Parton (Honorable Dillon) through a quarter in 23.15 and a half in 46.69. Undefeated 3-5 favorite Newly Minted (Central Banker), also debuting on turf and sporting a bullet work on the green, chased another length back in third.

[3]Kid Is Frosty switched out a path in the turn, hooked up directly with Parton and straightened away for the stretch drive in the lead, while Newly Minted inherited second and Niko’s Dream (Central Banker), who broke her maiden on turf at a mile last out on May 19, rallied from five lengths back into third.

Kid Is Frosty kicked away to a 2 1/2-length lead, but had to dig in late to turn back pressure from Niko’s Dream before crossing the finish line a neck to the good in a strong final time of 1:21.49. Newly Minted had to settle for third in her first taste of defeat, while Plink Freud completed the superfecta. Next in order were Sterling Beauty, Parton and Sweet Meadow Mist. [VIDEO REPLAY[4]]

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who also had the call from trainer Brad Cox for Kid Is Frosty’s runner-up finish in the NYSS Park Avenue two starts back, reported, “I got a good feeling about her on the grass. I rode her one time before and she was going so comfortable and showed so can do it on dirt, so I thought she’d be all right on the turf.

“[Brad Cox] has been working her here and saying she’s been doing fine on the grass, so I rode her with confidence. She’s good. She always tries. On dirt, she couldn’t really show what she has. She improved, but on the turf, she improved a lot.”

Bred by Bad Boy Racing, Kid Is Frosty is the first foal out of Murmure, a placed runner by Lemon Drop Kid who last changed hands at public auction when purchased for $20,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale by Cecil Seaman. Her most recent reported foal is a 2-year-old full to Kid Is Frosty sister named She’s Grrreat.

Frost Giant, currently fourth in the New York sire rankings, stands for a 2019 stud fee of $2,500 at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions[5] LLC in Stillwater.

Cupecoy’s Joy was the second New York-bred in the modern era (following the lead of Fio Rito) to win a Grade 1 contest, taking the Acorn Stakes in 1982. In her next start she won the Grade 1 Mother Goose.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/06/23/kid-is-frosty-cupecoys-joy/

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