Triple Crown contenders Upstart (Flatter) and Frosted (Tapit) took the track
Holy Bull (G2) winner and Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Upstart recorded the
The bay recorded his first split in :12 4/5 before being asked to pick up the
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“He felt great,” King said. “He felt really good. He’s done everything right.
He went the right time — everything, the fractions were perfect.
“He’s push-button. He’s really a nice ride,” she added. “If he messes up,
it’s the rider’s fault, because he does anything you ask him to do!”
King said having difficultly pulling up is the norm when riding the eager
bay, noting he has great endurance.
“He’s always like that — before and after the breeze,” she said. “He’s just
wants to go around again. He’s happy to keep going.”
Trainer Rick Violette was similarly very pleased with Upstart’s work, noting
the ease with which he carried his speed.
“It was kind of typical (for him), very professional,” he said. “He looks
like he’s two-minute licking but he’s going in 12 (second-intervals). He didn’t
want to pull up. He did it easily, and it basically was a typical Upstart work,
which is what we were looking for.”
Violette said he’s learned that his trainee excels when racing off fast
works.
“All (Vicki King) has to do is move her hands a little bit and he
accelerates,” he said. “He likes to work fast going into his races. His best
races have come off fast workouts. When I toyed with that and toned it down a
little bit, he didn’t run his A-race, which is kind of my program, but it was
also something we’ve learned (about him) as a two-year-old and three-year-old.
He wants to zip a little bit, and we try to keep our horses happy.”
Following the work, Upstart cooled out when walking Violette’s shed row
before being led to the turnout ring and taking a routine roll on his back. Upon
rising, the ridgling let out a playful buck, seemingly full of energy after the
serious exercise. Violette said his trainee has thrived since missing a
scheduled workout about two weeks ago due to a spiked fever.
“He looked like he just walked out of his stall,” Violette said. “It’s pretty
cool. We’ve had one little bullet that we dodged, and it doesn’t seem to have
had any after effect, that’s for sure. He’s had two good breezes and a
two-minute lick, and now we’ll just let him feel like King Kong for a week and
head him over there (to Louisville) and see what happens.”
Upstart will return to the track Sunday to gallop before traveling to
“He’ll leave Tuesday. He’ll gallop a little bit tomorrow and Monday. Tuesday
Wood Memorial (G1) winner Frosted, who finished second and fourth,
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“We had a great racetrack today,” McLaughlin said. “We wanted to see a
maintenance work, and we’re all systems go. He worked great — went in 1:01 —
and it was very similar to last week. We’re very happy with it.
“We didn’t want to see any changes, and we’re just happy to keep seeing the
same, seeing him work well and within himself,” he added. “He’s gone perfect.”
After training up to the Wood Memorial at Palm Meadows, McLaughlin elected to
return the colt to South Florida to keep things status quo. Under a sunny sky on
a warm, picture-perfect morning, McLaughlin said the weather also played a role
in his decision.
“Going into the Wood, he worked every week here and flew up there and won,”
he said. “Weather was a big thing. It looked rainy in Kentucky, and it has been,
and in New York, too. It just looked like it was the right move. He’s trained
great here.”
Frosted will depart for Louisville on Tuesday and spend the rest of the week
galloping up to a start in the Run for the Roses.
“On Tuesday he flies at noon. He’ll train here (at Palm Meadows) Tuesday
morning, fly up, and train thereWednesday, Thursday, Friday, and maybe Saturday,
too. We’ll also go through the paddock, but not in the afternoon.”
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