Frost King Stakes

Purse $150.00 – For Two Year Olds Foaled In ON

7 Furlongs – Dirt

Woodbine – October 18, 2026

Axeman’s Lil Gangster brought the most experience into the 17th running of the Frost King Stakes and put it to good use, unleashing an impressive closing kick to win with ease! The son of Lil Pink Panther has kept his winning streak rolling since adding Lasix back in August and now has three consecutive victories to his name. This stakes victory lifted Lil Gangster’s career bankroll to $125.87 after just six starts. It was a milestone for owner Axeman as his homebred gave him his first Frost King Stakes win and secured his place on the race’s owner leaderboard after seventeen editions. Lil Gangster covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.83 and missed the stakes record set in 2014 by less than a tenth of a second. His time was also the second-fastest ever recorded by a two-year-old at that distance at Woodbine. That kind of performance deserves to be celebrated, especially with being put in rare company. It’s going to be interesting to see where connections put this colt next. Well done Axeman!

Winner: Lil Gangster – (Axeman, E J. Wilson) Breaking from the gate, this colt ended up settling four lengths behind the early leaders while Blame The Whiskey took command and opened a clear advantage. He remained down on the rail saving ground through the first half-mile and was starting to make a move passing the 5/16 pole. From there Lil Gangster began to build momentum on the outside and moved into second as the field approached the final furlong. The grey finally caught Blame The Whiskey inside the 1/16 pole and drew away in the closing stages to score by one length. With winning experience on both surfaces, Lil Gangster looks to have a bright future. He’s certainly one to put on your watchlist. Congratulations!

Second Place: Blame The Whiskey – (Nakamura Stables, S. Civaci) Blame The Whiskey wasted no time taking control from the gate and quickly put daylight between himself and the other four runners. He set the pace with a three-length advantage through an opening quarter in 23.07 and reached the half-mile mark in 46.53 with what seemed like some run left in reserve. This gelding’s lead began to shrink as the field approached the top of the stretch but he still led into the final furlong. Lil Gangster came after him on the outside and swept past inside the final 1/16. Blame The Whiskey could not answer that late burst but kept going to hold second over Pterodactyl. It was a strong effort from a runner who had done all the work up front.

Third Place: Pterodactyl – (Mb Stables, R M. Hernandez) Pterodactyl went all the way back to last leaving the gate with about a four-length gap between Blame The Whiskey who dictated the pace up front. He got into a comfortable rhythm as jockey Rafael Hernandez was praying for some fast early fractions. The son of Killer Instinct started to make his move around the far turn while being pushed out four-wide. Pterodactyl kicked it into high gear on the outside and worked his way past two rivals as they reached the stretch. He moved into third inside the final furlong and continued to gain on Blame The Whiskey. The wire came before he could reach the runner-up but his late run secured third. Not bad at all.

Fourth Place: Carbine – (Mo Mentum Farm, D. Moran) This chestnut colt came into the Frost King Stakes with only one career start. Carbine settled three lengths off the early pace with the group chasing Blame The Whiskey. He gradually improved his position down the backstretch and moved into second as the field passed the 5/16 pole.  That gave him a chance to challenge the leader two lengths back on the outside as he was well within striking distance at that point. However, Lil Gangster and Pterodactyl were gathering momentum behind him at the top of the stretch. Carbine could not match their late runs and slipped to fourth in the final furlong. He kept going to hold that position at the wire.

– AJM

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded