Blinkers for Frosted in FOY

Godolphin’s Frosted (Tapit) will wear blinkers for the first time Gulfstream’s GII Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 21, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Last seen finishing a distant second to expected Fountain of Youth entrant Upstart (Flatter) in the GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S. Jan. 24, the homebred fired a four-furlong bullet in :47.55 at Palm Meadows Feb. 8. “We put some blinkers on him to work last week and he worked very well,” McLaughlin said. “We’re going to work him back on Saturday or Sunday, maybe with blinkers and maybe not, but he will run with them.” Frosted broke his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths at the Big A Oct. 30, and finished a solid second after a wide journey in Aqueduct’s GII Remsen S. Nov. 29. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has been aboard for the grey’s last three starts. “Irad and I had talked about it two races ago,” McLaughlin said of the decision to add the hood. “In the Holy Bull, when he hit him right-handed, he ducked over a path and a half or so. When he hit him left-handed he was OK. He just thought blinkers might not hurt us at all and might help him, so we worked him in them and he worked very well. We’re going to go ahead and try them.”