Kiaran McLaughlin stays hot on Frosted’s Kentucky Derby chance

After a disappointing run in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin changed jockeys on Frosted, who also underwent a soft palette operation, then went out April 4 with new jockey Joel Roario to win the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York. Laughlin now has him aimed at the Kentucky Derby. AP PhotoShow less

Godolphin’s Frosted made the journey from Florida to Louisville on Tuesday ahead of his bid to become the first of nine runners from the international stable to prevail in the Kentucky Derby.

Trained at the Palm Meadows training centre in Boynton Beach by Kiaran McLaughlin, the grey colt ran just over 2,200 metres on Monday and was scheduled to undergo a similar leg-stretch before flying to Churchill Downs.

Godolphin’s last runner in the Kentucky Derby was Alpha, who McLaughlin saddled to finish 12th in 2012, but there will be few excuses on Saturday should Frosted draw well in tonight’s post-position draw.

“Everything has gone perfectly,” McLaughlin said. “It’s going to be a tough race.

“I just hope he draws a decent post position, but he couldn’t be doing any better.”

In what is almost universally acknowledged to be one of the deepest fields in recent times, Frosted comes in to the “Run for the Roses” with a real chance.

He has won twice from seven starts and finished as the runner-up four times.

His only poor run was a fourth in the Fountain Of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in February.

In that race he led the field in the stretch but he then slowed markedly.

McLaughlin made several adjustments after that lacklustre performance that included a soft palette operation and a change of jockey from Irad Ortiz to Joel Rosario.

The result was a dominant win in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct this month, a race won by his sire Tapit in 2004 and last used as a springboard to Kentucky Derby glory by Fusaichi Pegasus 15 years ago.

“We weren’t sure what happened in the Fountain Of Youth,” McLaughlin said. “I thought, like everybody else, that he was going to win easy.

“When Irad asked him to go, he put his head up and he stopped. We were frustrated and tried to change everything that we could.

“Whatever it was, it worked out great.”

Dubai World Cup winner McLaughlin trained for 10 years in the UAE before he returned to his native America for good in 2003. He had his first Kentucky Derby runner in 2005 when Closing Argument, the outsider of the field, pushed winner Giocomo to within half a length. Jazil was fourth in a dead-heat the following year, but Flashy Bull finished down the field in 14th the same year.

With Soldat coming 11th in 2011, and Alpha making no impression, McLaughlin is desperate to make his mark.

“The race is priceless,” McLaughlin said. “You can’t put a price on winning the Kentucky Derby. I would love to win it myself, and I would love to win it for Godolphin.”

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa’s Mubtaahij, the UAE Derby winner, arrived at Churchill Downs from Arlington Park late on Monday and settled in to Barn 42 under the guidance of Mike de Kock.

In England, California Chrome will no longer have a run in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury next month and instead will be aimed at Royal Ascot in June.

America’s Horse of the Year finished second in the World Cup last month to Godolphin’s Prince Bishop, who has been retired.

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