2024 Frizette Stakes Preview

Ten promising juvenile fillies line up Saturday at Aqueduct for the Frizette (G1). The one-mile race, part of the Belmont at the Big A meet due to a New York Racing Association construction project at its usual Belmont Park home, is a fixture of the fall racing season. The spoils are rich: a $400,000 purse, 10-5-3-2-1 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points for the top five finishers, and an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for the winner.

Ten 2-year-old fillies have entered for their chance at moving up the juvenile filly ranks. They include two-time Saratoga stakes winner The Queens M G, Astoria winner Whatintheliteral, impressive Sorority winner Social Fortress, and Icona Mama, a close third in the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs.

In recent years, the Frizette has been a live prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Just F Y I (2023), Echo Zulu (2021), Jaywalk (2018), My Miss Aurelia (2011), Indian Blessing (2007), and Storm Flag Flying (2002) have all swept the pair in the 21st century.

Frizette Information

• Race Date: Saturday, October 5
• Track: Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York
• Post Time: 1:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 mile on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, Fox Sports 2
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Frizette Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the ten entrants in the Frizette, along with post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Frizette Prep Race Results

The ten entrants in the Frizette come out of eight different races. A pair last raced in the Spinaway (G1), though both will need to bounce back from subpar efforts in the mud that day: The Queens M G was fifth behind Immersive and Pondering was seventh. The only other runner coming out of a graded-stakes race is Icona Mama, who finished just ¾ length short when third in the Pocahontas, behind La Cara and Alcibiades entrant Liam in the Dust.

Two others come out of ungraded stakes races. Social Fortress led at every call of the Sorority at Monmouth on August 24, proving herself at a two-turn mile. Whatintheliteral, who struggled in two Saratoga starts after winning the Astoria on Belmont Stakes weekend, was most recently a chasing second in the Hallandale Beach, going the one-turn mile at Gulfstream.

The other five runners come from maiden special weight company. Three are last-out maiden winners: Paradise City graduated going 6 ½ furlongs at Gulfstream on September 6, Another Cleeshay broke her maiden at the same distance at Saratoga on August 30, and Senza Parole impressed going six furlongs at Saratoga on August 23. The other two runners come out of the same race: Snowyte and Scottish Lassie finished second and third in a seven-furlong maiden race at Saratoga on September 1. They were both beaten by Quickick, a well-regarded contender for Friday’s Alcibiades at Keeneland.

Frizette Stakes Contenders

These ten runners, in order of post position, are entered for the 2024 Frizette.

1. Snowyte: Snowyte was forward on the inside in her seven-furlong debut at Saratoga, just getting overhauled late by Quickick but holding for a clear second. Blinkers should sharpen her speed even further, though this will be a tougher test in all possible ways: she has to break from the rail, she tries a mile for the first time, and she faces winners, including some proven stakes horses.
2. The Queens M G: This two-time stakes winner is cross-entered in this spot and the Alcibiades on Friday at Keeneland. Things are feast or famine with her: she has three smart victories and two double-digit defeats. The near-inside post is a drawback, though her pedigree gives her every chance to like the one-turn mile, she will get fast ground (unlike the mud on Spinaway day), and she has tactical speed.
3. Pondering: She looked good on debut at Ellis, disputing the pace before opening up in the lane to win a 5 ½-furlong dash. However, she was nowhere near the front in the Spinaway and ended up a well-beaten seventh. A fast track could help her get back on the right track, though she is drawn inside of several others who will show speed, making this a challenge from a pace perspective.
4. Whatintheliteral: With six starts, she is the most experienced horse in the field. It took her three tries to get off the mark, though she did so in stakes company, winning the Astoria on Belmont Stakes day. The dark bay then basically no-showed in a pair of stakes during the summer Saratoga meet, though a second-place outing last out at Gulfstream suggests she may be rounding back into form. It is a concern that her only win came on the lead, though that last-out race suggests she could clunk on for a piece if the pace falls apart.
5. Scottish Lassie: The second maiden in this field, she was a well-beaten third behind Quickick and Snowyte on debut September 1 at the Spa. The extra furlong suits her pedigree, and she is lightly-enough raced to improve, but she is going to have to move forward a lot to contend here.
6. Paradise City: She won her debut at Gulfstream on September 6 in stalk-and-pounce fashion, and now steps up to face the big girls. The tactical speed she showed on debut is a plus, though she still has to prove she can show up on a surface that’s not Gulfstream, and she will have to more forward from a speed perspective against these winners. That said, if she’s a price, there is some upside.
7. Another Cleeshay: She bounced out to the lead and set the pace at every call when breaking her maiden at Saratoga on August 30. Trainer Gary Contessa can pop at a price in a graded-stakes race. Though jockey Junior Alvarado is running a bit cold right now, he is doing good work with Contessa lately and has experience in big New York races. The question is how she will handle more pace pressure than she had on debut, especially drawn inside of Social Fortress.
8. Senza Parole: She has run just once, but her stalk-and-pounce maiden win at Saratoga on August 23 came back so fast that it got more buzz than many stakes wins this year. And, the race was franked when second-place Stunner came back in a maiden special on September 26: at odds-on, she was bet like a stone-cold lock, and she won by 6 ¼ lengths. With a relatively outside draw, a perfect pedigree for a mile (and longer), and high-percentage connections, the sky’s the limit for this daughter of Gun Runner.
9. Social Fortress: She has gotten her career off on the right foot in the mid-Atlantic, wiring a washed-off maiden special at Delaware and then beating actual dirt horses in the Sorority at Monmouth next out. She won both races by gaping margins, but the waters get deeper here. The relatively outside draw is a plus, but it won’t be easy with frontrunning Another Cleeshay, as well as several others who should be right in range.
10. Icona Mama: She broke her maiden on debut over Tapeta, though her pair of dirt efforts in stakes races have been credible. She is one of only two (alongside Whatintheliteral) who has tried a one-turn mile, and she boxed on to be defeated only ¾ length in that race, the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs. The outside post can be tricky, but she does have a long way to find a spot before running into the turn, and can at least work a clean stalking trip.

Frizette Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Frizette?

A: The Frizette Stakes will be run on Saturday, October 5, at Aqueduct. Post time is scheduled for 3:17 p.m. EDT, and the race is the seventh of 12 on the Saturday card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Frizette?

A: D. Wayne Lukas leads all trainers with seven wins in the Frizette between 1983 and 1999. Lukas is still active, but does not have a starter in the race this year. Among trainers with entries in 2024, the only one who has won it before is Chad Brown, who trained Separationofpowers in 2017. He can win it for the second time with Senza Parole this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Frizette?

A: Off of her impressive maiden win, Senza Parole has been named the 3-5 morning-line favorite. Though she lacks stakes experience, the race did come back fast and the second-place finisher Stunner returned to win impressively, so she should hold as the chalk come post time.

Q: Who is the best Frizette jockey?

A: Jerry Bailey, Laffit Pincay, Jr., and John Velazquez have all won the Frizette four times, most of any rider. Velazquez is still active, but he rides at Keeneland on Saturday. Among jockeys entered in the 2024 Frizette, Joel Rosario (Snowyte) and Junior Alvarado (Another Cleeshay) lead with two wins each.

Q: Who won the Frizette in 2023?

A: Just F Y I won the Frizette in 2023 for trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado, and then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Mott does not have an entrant in 2024, though Alvarado rides Another Cleeshay for Gary Contessa.

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