Let a fast horse be fast worked out perfectly for debutant Frostnip at Caulfield Heath with the filly showing great speed to lead throughout.
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained two-year-old took out the MRC Foundation Gala May 8 Plate (1000m) on Wednesday in a brilliant display of speed.
Despite being a little slow into stride under Blake Shinn, Frostnip ($3.60) quickly recovered to cross and lead before holding on to score a half-length win from Sassy For Sure ($16) with the $2.35 favourite Wiltshire Square a further three-quarters-of-a-length away third.
Price explained to Shinn pre-race that Frostnip was a fast two-year-old and asked the jockey how he planned on riding the two-year-old who had drawn gate nine in the nine-horse field.
“In his usual fashion he shrugged his shoulders,” Price said.
“If she jumps, we’ll go with her, if she doesn’t, and I have to ride a race, I’ll ride a race.
“He went with the horse, and he was right, but she’d had enough on the line. For a horse that doesn’t know much, she had to do plenty, so she did a good job.
“She is specifically a sprinting filly, so that’s what we’ll keep her to.”
Price said at some stage in the remainder of the filly’s two-year-old season, or early three-year-old year, he would like to find a race that carries Black Type.
“I think if you had the right race for her, for the rest of her two-year-old year and early in her three-year-old year, you would be able to get a bit of Black Type with her somewhere,” Price said.
“I don’t know about 1200 metres, but certainly 1000 or 1100 metres.
“Maybe the Lightning Stakes in Adelaide, that is something I would be having a look at as she’s smart and fast and 1050 metres at Morphettville, it could be ideal.”
Price paid the connections of Frostnip a compliment for securing the filly for $28,000 at the Magic Millions Sale in Adelaide as a yearling.
“I think a bloke by the name of John Sutherland might have bought her,” Price said.
“He’s a Stock and Station agent and buys cows, so he might want to change professions.”