NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Gabrielle Farm homebred Frosty Margarita (Frost Giant), dominant frontrunning winner of Aqueduct’s Key Cents stakes on November 22, won Sunday’s Park Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Stakes series for New York-sired juvenile fillies with a determined effort, overhauling Peter Kazamias’s brilliant New York-sired, Pennsylvania-bred Behrnik’s Bank (Bank Heist) in the stretch.
It seemed that Frosty Margarita was slated to have quite a bit to handle in the speed department in the Park Avenue. Behrnik’s Bank had opened eyes as the wire-to-wire winner of her first two starts at Penn National Race Course by a combined 31 1/2 lengths and was heavily favored to win the Park Avenue at odds of 1-4. Frosty Margarita, drawn immediately to her outside in post five of five, was the 5-2 second choice. The brothers Ortiz had the riding assignments: Irad on Frosty Margarita and Jose on Behrnik’s Bank.
What promised to be an entertaining match-up on paper began with a hearty tussle for the lead. Behrnik’s Bank won the first round, moving up in-between horses and taking control, posting early fractions of 23.37 and 46.96, while Frosty Margarita settled in second the best part of a length back.
As the pair separated themselves by five lengths from the rest of the field on the backstretch, Behrnik’s Bank still led Frosty Margarita by a half-length going into the far turn, but by the quarter pole Frosty Margarita had advanced onto nearly even terms.
Behrnik’s Bank opened up a little daylight in upper stretch, but Frosty Margarita never threw in the towel. Wearing the leader down, she poked a head in front within the furlong grounds and fought on doggedly to repel her tenacious rival.
Inching forward in the final sixteenth, Frosty Margarita garnered the victory by a neck. Following the top pair across the line twelve lengths back were Taken by Surprise, Trulamo and Crazy Love and the final time for six furlongs was 1:12.24. [VIDEO]
Winning Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. said, “The way the track was playing today, you could see all the horses were close. I didn’t want to be too far back. Last time, my filly won on the lead [but] she will let me do whatever I want to with her. I wanted to be close to [Behrnik’s Bank]. My filly is a nice filly and she showed up today.”
Rudy Rodriguez, who conditions Frosty Margarita for Gabrielle Farm, said, “She’s been very, very good. It’s a plus with us, running right from home. She’s been training lights out over here. To beat that favorite [Behrnik’s Bank] is extra special for her. We were concerned about the favorite, that’s for sure, but Irad seemed very comfortable.”
Rodriguez also sounded very upbeat about his filly’s prospects. “She ran very good today and hopefully she will keep improving a little bit and go to the next level. Hopefully she can stretch out a little bit. That’s where the money is.”
A maiden breaker in her second start at Saratoga on August 24, Frosty Margarita is now a two-time stakes winner and twice stakes-placed. Never out of the exacta in six career races, the homebred has earned $285,800 for owner/breeder Chip Acierno of Gabrielle Farm.
Frosty Margarita was foaled at Saratoga Glen Farm in Schuylerville and is a daughter of top-five New York sire Frost Giant. Her dam Mango Margarita, an unraced daughter of Not For Love also bred by Gabrielle Farm, has produced two winners from two starters and currently has a yearling filly by Freud and a weanling colt by Teuflesberg. She was bred this year to Central Banker.
