NEWS: RACING

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

Sunday, June 23rd, 2019

Coglianese Photos

By Sarah Mace

Kelly Mitchell’s Kid Is Frosty gave New York sire Frost Giant 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.

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]

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 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.

 

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