Frosted breezes 5f for BC Classic; Wedding Toast, Cavorting post half-mile moves

Edited Press Release

Preparations continued on Thursday and Friday for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin's Breeders' Cup string, which is led by Grade 1 winner Frosted, who breezed five furlongs in :59 Friday morning at Greentree Training Center in Saratoga ahead of the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on October 31.

"He worked great," McLaughlin said of Frosted, who won the TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial earlier this year and Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby in his most recent start. "He couldn't have gone better in :59 flat and up (six furlongs) in 1:12. We're excited.

"We wanted a good work this week," McLaughlin added. "He's put weight on since the Pennsylvania Derby. We were looking for something fast and next week he'll go (four furlongs) in :48 or :49."

Frosted will log his final breeze for the 1 1/4-mile Classic, in which he will face Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who has gotten the better of him in three meetings this year, next Friday at Greentree, according to McLaughlin.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Wedding Toast kept up with her Breeders' Cup training regimen on Thursday at Greentree, going four furlongs in :49.60 in advance of the Breeders' Cup Distaff on October 30 at Keeneland.

"She came out in great shape and looked great this morning," McLaughlin said. "We didn't want too much from her because she's been going all year. We'll work her again on Thursday and just try to keep her happy and healthy."

Wedding Toast, a five-year-old daughter of Street Sense, has won three graded stakes this year, all at Belmont Park, including a pair of Grade 1 races in her two most recent starts: the Beldame Invitational and Ogden Phipps.

"I'm not concerned about shipping to Keeneland," McLaughlin said of his star mare tackling a Grade 1 field away from Belmont. "She's doing great and she's a filly beat."

Cavorting, targeting the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, also breezed on Thursday, working four furlongs in :49.54 on the fast Belmont training track. Though the move didn't go exactly as planned, McLaughlin was pleased with what the Bernardini three-year-old filly showed.

"The pony let her go a little bit early and she was pulled up a little quick, but we were happy with the way she trained," McLaughlin said of Cavorting, who has won three straight races including the Test S. at Saratoga.

McLaughlin added that multiple Grade 2 winner Sentiero Italia is now considered likely to enter the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, while Tamarkuz has been withdrawn from consideration for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

"Sentiero Italia is back up at Greentree and looked happy and in good shape this morning,” he said. “We'll let her stretch her legs soon. She doesn't need much, she's fit and ready."

Frosted photo courtesy of NYRA/Susie Raisher/Adam Coglianese Photography
Wedding Toast photo courtesy of NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography