By Alan Carasso
New York-bred Iron Orchard (Authentic) pounced on the leaders four off the inside entering the final eighth of a mile and outslugged longshot Rileytole (Mitole) to take out Saturday's $400,000 GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct. The Frizette is part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen series.
A four-time veteran of sales rings, second betting choice Iron Orchard–who most recently fetched $500,000 at OBS April–was one of the first to break the line, but was eased back off the early tempo as impressive Saratoga debut winner Carmel Coast (Omaha Beach), favored by less than $600 when the gates flew, sped through and made the running in advance of Steer Clear (Street Sense) and Rileytole through enervating splits of :22.49 and :44.84.
Shuffled back to about sixth for the run around the turn, Iron Orchard was consigned to a wide trip around the bend, but nevertheless had the leaders in her sights as she came with a four-wide bid into the lane. Steer Clear assumed command from a spent Carmel Coast approaching the final furlong and Iron Orchard soon swept in front, looking all over like she'd run up the score. But Rileytole, who was under a heavy ride prior to the quarter pole and looked to be going in the wrong direction, found a second wind, advance inside with time ticking away and made it very close in the end. 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Five Bars (Maxfield) lagged well back early, but weaved her way between horses in the lane to finish a promising third.
Iron Orchard was running her record to a perfect three-from-three in the Frizette, having broken her maiden as an overwhelming favorite in an auction-price restricted maiden that was open to New York-breds on July 3 and followed up with a 6 3/4-length success at 3-4 in the Aug. 22 Seeking the Ante Stakes over six furlongs.
If considering an ante-post bet on Iron Orchard in the Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31, it might be wise to exercise some restraint.
“Right now, we'll just be happy and enjoy this,” said winning trainer Danny Gargan. “She's done a lot this year. I told the guys before, we'll see how it goes. There's next year–she's a young filly. I think with the way she ran today, maybe in the future she might be able to go two turns, but I'm just happy with how it went today. I feel blessed. It's the first horse I've trained for the Childs, so to win a Grade I with the first horse that you train for them [is special].”
As for the race itself, Gargan added: “We changed the training on her–we've been training her a little harder, a little further. I'm not going to lie, I thought the first 200 yards into the race, 'man, I've done a bad job training this filly,' because she relaxed more than I wanted her to and I was a little nervous, but you've just got to look back and say 'God, what a good ride.'”
Pedigree Notes:
Iron Orchard is the second graded winner and first to succeed at the elite level for Spendthrift Farm's Authentic. She is the second graded winner and first Grade I scorer out of a daughter of Brethren and is therefore bred on a variant of the Into Mischief cross over Distorted Humor responsible for the likes of fellow Grade I winners Life Is Good, Practical Joke, champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams and Tappan Street.
Pine Ridge Stables acquired the twice stakes-placed Onebrethatatime for $150,000 in foal to the Into Mischief son Audible at Keeneland November in 2020 and Iron Orchard is the second of two winners for the mare. Onebreathatatime is a half-sister to GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes victress Wonderlandbynight (Sky Mesa) and Iron Orchard is her last listed produce.
New York-bred IRON ORCHARD is now 3-for-3 as she gets up to win the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes with @JRosarioJockey aboard for trainer @GarganRacing. pic.twitter.com/P1Gt6pigo5
— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) October 4, 2025
Saturday, Belmont at the Big A
FRIZETTE S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-4, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:35.97, ft.
1–IRON ORCHARD, 122, f, 2, by Authentic
1st Dam: Onebrethatatime (MSP, $133,283), by Brethren
2nd Dam: Onemiracleatatime, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Katie Love, by Manila
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($140,000
Wlg '23 KEENOV; $97,000 RNA Ylg '24 SARAUG; $78,000 Ylg
'24 FTKOCT; $500,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). O-CSLR Racing
Partners and R. A. Hill Stable; B-Pine Ridge Stable LLC (NY);
T-Danny Gargan; J-Joel Rosario. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
3-3-0-0, $352,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
*2nd graded winner for sophomore sire (by Into Mischief).
2–Rileytole, 122, f, 2, by Mitole
1st Dam: Picolata, by Bellamy Road
2nd Dam: North East Star, by Siphon (Brz)
3rd Dam: North East Dancer, by Far North
($50,000 Ylg '24 OBSWIN). O-L. William and Corinne
Heiligbrodt; B-Don Duppenthaler, Jackie Duppenthaler,
Wade Russell & Donna Russell (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$80,000.
3–Five Bars, 122, f, 2, by Maxfield
1st Dam: Secure Connection, by Data Link
2nd Dam: Mata Mua, by Arch
3rd Dam: Impressionism, by Broad Brush
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R.
McGaughey III. $48,000. 'TDN Rising Star, presented by
Hagyard'
Margins: NO, 4 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.45, 34.99, 4.51.
Also Ran: Steer Clear, Lovely Christina, Carmel Coast, Jetty's Home, Rina's Revenge, Chopsticks, Icecreamforevryone. Scratched: Secane.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV .
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