Frost King Stakes ($125.000 Purse)
WO- For Two Year Olds Foaled in ON
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
November 18, 2017

For the first time in three years, the Frost King took place at WO, a long sprint for Ontario breds. The virtual equine version of Rod Steiger does indeed fit into that category, and followed up running against some of the best in the Grade 1 Champagne, to scoring a win here. It ended up being a field of six as the race proved to be too frosty to catch fire, leading to the scratch of Catch Fire. After an valiant stretch run, with Kendra King doing well in a supporting role, the colt by Rod of Asclepios earns the win for trainer, Asgar. The victory was produced by the riding of L Contreras, as both trainer and jockey win the stake for the first time. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:22.60, making it the second quickest running of the race. Let’s take a look!

(1/4 Mile- :22.97)- Breaking sharply out of the gate would be both Kendra King, for Crocker Ggs, and our pre-race pick, Sun Tzu, for Barcelona Farms. The two of them battle briefly to see which one will take the early advantage, and eventually that would be Kendra King, doing so just as they hit this marker. Sun Tzu remained a length back. Behind him by a length and a half were our two stalkers, Pound The Monkii, for John Henry and the eventual winner, Rod Steiger, from Asgar. They exchanged third a couple times as they ran down the backstretch. The previously unbeaten Senator, from Glorify Stables, ran a length behind them, while the trailer would be Lord Of Castamere, from Mb Stables.

(½ Mile- :46.01)- The second quarter does not produce much change in the order, but we do see the field become a little more single file at this point, with relatively even spacing between the front five with Lord Of Castamere more interesting in a closing bid. It’s still Kendra King out in front of Sun Tzu, but the plot would be thickening soon.

(Top Of Stretch-1.5 F To Go)- The most ambitious horse as the field moved around the turn would be Senator, methodically passing Pound The Monkii as he looked to make it three wide as they hit the top of the stretch. One of the others he was looking to pass was Rod Steiger, but on exit of the turn, that one began to put together a bid of his own. All of this was going on as Kendra King still length, and Sun Tzu would try to hang on in second. Lord Of Castamere still had five lengths to make up.

(Finish- 1:22.60)- With a furlong to go, Kendra King still looks to be in good shape, but as they approached the wire, he looked like he began to get a little leg weary. Rod Steiger had been to his outside, and had been gaining, but it did not seem like he was making quite enough progress to get there in time until Kendra King began to tire out. The persistence of Rod Steiger is what paid off here more then anything else, as he prevails in a photo over both Kendra King and Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu ran consistently in the stretch, but his trainer had to be hoping for just a little more spark out of him, too. Senator was less then a length back in fourth, and Lord Of Castamere got closer as well, but conceded too much ground early. Pound The Monkii rounds out the order.

About The Winner: Rod Steiger, trained by Asgar and ridden by L Contreras, is a two year old colt by Rod Of Asclepios, and out of Movie Star. He was bred in Ontario by Asgar as a yearling, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in eight starts, and it brings his career earnings up to $135.800.

Track: Fast
Time: :22⁴  :46   1:09⁴  1:22³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 6 Paid 25.20
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 6 – 4 Paid 49.40

Scratched: Catch Fire(L)

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded