Frostmourne back in Hill Prince

ELMONT, N.Y. – When last seen on the track, Frostmourne was rolling to a sixlength victory in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes on July 15 at Delaware Park, a performance that had many thinking he was on his way to becoming an elite member of the 3-year-old male turf division.

Unfortunately, Frostmourne’s season got sidetracked, and on Saturday he makes his first start in 12 weeks in the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park. Frostmourne takes on eight rivals, led by Bricks and Mortar, Hieroglyphics, and Yoshida in the 1 1/8-mile turf race.

Following the Kent, Frostmourne was being pointed to the Grade 1 Secretariat at Arlington Park on Aug. 12. But trainer Christophe Clement was not satisfied with the way the colt was training, so he stopped on him and gave him a little break. Frostmourne was off the work tab for six weeks and re-routed to the Hill Prince.

“I just hope we got him tight enough,” Clement said. “I would have loved to have him have a prep race, but he didn’t. If he’s good enough, he’ll have to overcome [not having] a prep race.”

Bricks and Mortar won the first four races of his career – including both starts at Belmont Park – before finishing third to Voodoo Song in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga. His trainer, Chad Brown, felt Bricks and Mortar was up against it having to chase a loose-on-the-lead and in-form Voodoo Song.

“We probably moved a little earlier, taking our horse out of his game, and that was probably a mistake,” Brown said. “We were trying to adapt to the circumstances. Hopefully, he just runs his race this time. I feel he’s a top colt and hopefully he gets back to his winning ways.”

Hieroglyphics and Small Bear ran 1-2 in the Better Talk Now Stakes going a mile at Saratoga. Hieroglyphics has now won three of his last four starts.

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart was very high on the performance of Small Bear, whom he trains for Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells.

“Of all my races in Saratoga this year, even though he didn’t win, I was kind of impressed with his race the most,” Englehart said. “It was going a flat mile on a turf course that was really unfavorable to closers at the time.”

Englehart believes the extra furlong of the Hill Prince “would be beneficial to him.”

Yoshida finished second to Voodoo Song in the Grade 3 Saranac and was 1 1/2 lenghts ahead of Bricks and Mortar.

Rocketry, stepping up from a first-level allowance race, finished fourth in the Saranac in a race trainer Jimmy Jerkens felt was better than it looks on paper.

“He was closer to the pace than he usually was and ended up a little wide,” Jerkens said. “I was thrilled that he came back on and got his head down for fourth. I thought he was going to suck out of there, but he made another effort, which was great to see.”

Jerkens will also run Secretary at War, who beat Frostmourne in the Woodhaven at Aqueduct in April but who hasn’t won since.

Lucullan and Ticonderoga complete the field.