2025 Frizette Stakes Preview

Key takeaways:

• The 1-mile Frizette offers Kentucky Oaks points and Dirt Dozen perks, spotlighting the East Coast’s best juvenile fillies.
• Recent winners like Just F Y I, Echo Zulu, and Jaywalk used it as a springboard to Breeders’ Cup glory.
• Five Bars overcame a rough trip to win on debut, draws well, and should relish a hot pace under red-hot Manny Franco.
• Chopsticks is a two-time winner with versatility, proven class, and pedigree to handle the one-turn mile.
• Icecreamforevryone nearly beat Five Bars on debut, handled adversity, and owns a strong late kick for this setup.

The most important East Coast race of the juvenile fillies’ season happens Saturday, October 4, at Aqueduct Racetrack, with the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes at a mile on the dirt. The race is traditionally run at Belmont Park, but with the New York Racing Association’s rebuilding project continuing until fall of 2026, it will happen at the Big A for one more year.

The 2025 Frizette Stakes drew a field of 11 promising juvenile fillies. Two of the entrants have already proven themselves at the stakes level: Chopsticks won as the odds-on favorite in the Debutante at Churchill Downs, while Iron Orchard romped against New York-bred fillies in the Seeking the Ante. Rileytole, third behind Tommy Jo in the Spinaway (G1), is the only one with graded-stakes experience. However, horses are liable to improve quickly, and any of the horses coming from maiden company could move forward on this stage.

In addition to the purse, the race offers 10-5-3-2-1 qualification points for the Kentucky Oaks to its top five finishers. Although the race does not offer an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar in 2025 as it has in the past, it does offer travel and registration incentives to the winner through the Dirt Dozen program.

The Frizette is traditionally still a live prep for the Breeders’ Cup, especially in recent years. 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. Though 2024 winner Scottish Lassie was only fourth behind Immersive in the 2024 edition, she came back to win the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course this year.

Frizette Information

• Race Date: Saturday, October 4
• Track: Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York
• Post Time: 2:49 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

2025 Frizette Stakes Draw and Odds

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

Frizette Prep Race Results

The 11 contenders in the Frizette come out of 10 different races, all at shorter distances than the one-mile trip of the Frizette.

Three runners were last seen in stakes company. The only one coming out of graded-stakes company is Rileytole, who was a well-beaten third behind likely Alcibiades (G1) favorite Tommy Jo in the Spinaway (G1) closing weekend at Saratoga. Two others come out of ungraded stakes wins. Chopsticks stalked and pounced in the Debutante on August 10 at Ellis, while Iron Orchard wired New York-breds in the Seeking the Ante on August 22 at Saratoga.

The rest of the runners come out of maiden special weight races on dirt, with all but one of them running at Saratoga Race Course most recently. One of those races has two last-out runners: Five Bars rallied from well off the pace to overhaul Icecreamforevryone by half a length in a 6 ½-furlong sprint at Saratoga on August 23, and both horses in that exacta step up for the Frizette. Steer Clear comes out of a seven-furlong win at the Spa on August 29, Carmel Coast won there at 6 ½ furlongs on August 10, and Lovely Christina won a six-furlong sprint there on August 31. The only maiden in the field other than Icecreamforevryone, Jetty’s Home, was second as the favorite in a six-furlong sprint at Saratoga on August 21.

Rina’s Revenge is the only runner coming out of a state-bred maiden race. She rallied from well off the pace to dominate by 4 ¾ lengths in a six-furlong sprint at Saratoga.

The only horse coming out of a maiden race somewhere other than Saratoga Race Course is Secane. She led at every call in a seven-furlong sprint at Gulfstream Park on August 15, drawing off in the lane to win by 7 ¾ lengths.

Frizette Stakes Contenders

These runners, in order of post position, are entered for the 2025 Frizette.

1. Jetty’s Home: One of two maidens in the field, she is also the most experienced horse in the field, with three trips to the starting gate already. She was favored last out at Saratoga after moving from the barn of Jose Delgado to that of Saffie Joseph, Jr. She prompted the pace but was no match for the winner and had to settle for second, 2 ½ lengths back. Now she is hemmed in at the rail in a big field, and must both take a step up speedwise and learn how to win against the toughest field she has seen yet.
2. Carmel Coast: She impressed on debut, bouncing to the lead under Kendrick Carmouche and rolling on to win by 5 ½ lengths in her 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight debut. The effort has been franked since, as second-place Lovely Christina returned to score on August 31 in a maiden special weight. Carmouche has started Aqueduct hot, and trainer Whit Beckman shines with horses stretching out. However, this will be a tougher assignment: not only is it a bigger field, but there is plenty of other speed drawn inside her, and she’ll have to either work hard for her trip or prove she can rate.
3. Rileytole: A debut win at 5 ½ furlongs at Gulfstream in July earned this Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee a ticket to the big time: the Spinaway Stakes on August 30. She worked the same kind of trip, settling midfield and trying to make a race of it in the lane, but she was no match for either Tommy Jo or Percy’s Bar that day and settled for third. The good news is, both of the horses who beat her are going to Keeneland for Friday’s Alcibiades. This race also has plenty of speed, so she could get her setup. The bad news is, she still has to take a sharp step forward in terms of speed, and there are several others who have already shown better late pace.
4. Rina’s Revenge: She beat New York-breds decisively in her debut August 28 at Saratoga, but now this Kenny McPeek trainee jumps straight into the deep end. McPeek has no qualms about starting good horses in restricted maidens: after all, he debuted eventual Oaks winner and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in an auction maiden at two, not an open one. However, Rina’s Revenge needs a sharp step forward, and even though she could get a nice setup pace-wise, others have shown sharper late pace than she has so far.
5. Secane: Her debut at Gulfstream was as straightforward as it comes: she showed early speed, she led at every call, and she cleared off to win by 7 ¾ lengths. She did so in fast enough fashion to suggest she has a shot here if she can reproduce it. However, she now has to face a field where she’s drawn both inside of and outside of more speed, and she has to prove that she’s not just a Gulfstream Park horse. Even with plenty of upside over the longer distance, she needs to be a price to be worth considering, given the much tougher conditions.
6. Iron Orchard: One of two two-time winners in the field, she faces open company for the first time: she graduated in a restricted maiden special weight ($60,000 auction price or New York-bred; as a $500,000 buy, she qualified under the state-bred condition), and then beat New York-breds in a stakes race next out. Both times, she led at every call. Unlike some of the speed in here, she was at least able to take some pressure early before blowing things wide open in the lane. She is bred to handle this step up in trip, as well, but she has yet to try a distance longer than six furlongs, and she’ll have even more company up front than she ever has before. In short, she has the quality to try this, but it’ll be tough, and she may be an underlay as one of only two dual winners in the field.
7. Chopsticks: The other two-time winner in the field, she beat open maidens at six furlongs at Churchill Downs and then stretched out nicely for the seven-furlong Debutante last out at Ellis. That showed an ability to handle an extended one-turn trip. She has also run two different running styles—she came from midpack and rallied into a torrid pace in her debut win, but then tracked in closer range with success in her stakes victory. The Brad Cox trainee keeps jockey Florent Geroux from both of those starts. She breaks from a decent middle gate, and her versatility means she should be able to find the right place to settle and then make a rally into fractions that will be somewhere between honest and hot.
8. Icecreamforeveryone: One of two maidens in the race, she still made good account of herself on debut—she was bumped early, but settled and conserved enough energy to muster a good stretch rally and miss by only half a length. She’ll need to take a step forward speedwise, but a better start could help with that, and the fact that she can muster a sharp late run should help, given the likely setup in this spot. The stretch out is a bit of a question. The underside of her pedigree is sprint-oriented, but Gun Runner is a great source of stamina, though the good debut at 6 ½ furlongs suggests some promise at the one-turn mile. In short, watch the price: there’s some long shot potential, but the fact that she is trained by Todd Pletcher could make her overbet.
9. Five Bars: She comes out of the same race as Icecreamforevryone, and is the one who tagged her in the final stages. She needs to improve as well, but after being bumped early and having to check hard, she still settled well enough to make not just a good late run, but a winning one. That shows she can handle adversity, and a better start could leave her with more tactical options early and possibly more late energy. With an appealing pedigree for the step up to a mile as well as a likely sharp pace to rally into, there is plenty of upside for this Shug McGaughey trainee.
10. Steer Clear: She has acquitted herself well in both starts so far, battling on the pace and getting caught on debut, and then moving forward to wire the field second out. A win at seven furlongs is always a positive, going the one-turn mile. However, the early-speed running style could be a liability. There’s a significant amount of other speed in the race, including yet another horse outside of her who is liable to show pace. She also stands to be overbet because of the Todd Pletcher factor.
11. Lovely Christina: She was no match for Carmel Coast on debut, but battled on the pace and ran on to win her next race. There is plenty of pace in this race, and she’ll have to either show she can rate and win or be ready to set faster fractions this time than last. However, at least she showed last out that she could keep on going after fighting a protracted duel in a big field, and she gets a clean outside draw. That still may be too much to ask, especially since she needs a serious step forward to match what several in this field have shown already.

Frizette Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2025 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack:

1. Five Bars (5-1)

With a lot of speed entered in the race, this looks like a good spot for a horse who has proven they can pass foes. Five Bars has done exactly that. Despite a rough beginning in her debut August 23 at the Spa, as well as a pace in front of her that was modest enough for the distance, she turned on the afterburners in the lane and finished with a flourish, getting up by half a length to win.

This time, she should get an even sharper pace ahead of her, meaning she can use that late kick to good effect again. And, if there’s less chaos in the early stages, she could find even more late. With plenty of pedigree to get the mile as well as an experienced trainer, Shug McGaughey, who knows how to get the best out of a horse stretching out for the first time, she should be ready for this spot. And, though she loses jockey Joel Rosario to last-out stakes winner Iron Orchard, she gets Manny Franco in the irons—and there may not be a hotter jockey at the Big A right now than Franco. All in all, there’s a world of upside at what is likely to be a square price.

2. Chopsticks (8-1)

One of two last-out stakes winners in the field, and the only one with a stakes win against open-company fillies, Chopsticks steps up to graded-stakes company for the first time. This looks like a good spot in which to do it. The Brad Cox trainee took a nice step forward between her debut and her second start. She has shown some versatility, rallying from midfield into a sharp pace on debut and stalking closer next out. With a sharp pace likely in this spot, the midfield spot may be the right choice, though, depending on any track biases that emerge on race day, she can adapt if she needs to sit closer.

The step up to a mile should also be a good move for her. Her sire, Essential Quality, was a precocious juvenile champion who graduated at a sprint before winning a pair of two-turn Grade 1 races that year, while her dam, Miss Southern Miss, won a one-mile turf stakes as a juvenile. All this adds up to a horse with a lot of promise both on the page and, from two starts, on the track.

3. Icecreamforevryone (12-1)

One of two maidens in the field, Icecreamforevryone comes out of the same race as Five Bars, missing by only half a length to that foe. The beginning of that race was a mess, meaning she was able to handle in-race chaos, gather herself together, and regroup to run well. A lightly-raced horse already showing that ability is a plus—as is the fact that she mustered a good run down the lane, since this race appears to have a surfeit of speed and therefore a nice setup for later-running fillies. This is a step up in trip, as her debut came at just 6 ½ furlongs, but even though her dam was a sprinter, this dam has produced a filly who was graded-stakes placed at one turn and two, and sire Gun Runner is one of the leading distance dirt sires of the current time.

One of three from the Todd Pletcher barn, there is always some worry that she’ll take a little too much money on that trainer angle, but that is significantly allayed by the fact that both her entered stablemates are winners, and that there are others likely to be bet as well, such as the pair of stakes winners. In short, both the pace scenario and her pedigree suggest some upside, and she has upside at a price.

Frizette Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Frizette Stakes?

A: The Frizette Stakes will be run on Saturday, October 4, at Aqueduct. Post time is scheduled for 2:49 p.m. EDT, and the race is the sixth of 12 on the Saturday card.

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

A: The late D. Wayne Lukas leads all trainers with seven wins in the Frizette between 1983 and 1999. Among trainers with horses entered in 2025, Shug McGaughey leads with five wins, though his most recent came in 2002 with champion Storm Flag Flying. McGaughey can win his sixth with Five Bars.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Frizette Stakes?

A: Iron Orchard is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Frizette off of a pair of blowout wins in New York-bred company. They were impressive and she should take money off them, but it would be no surprise if Chopsticks (8-1) or Carmel Coast (7-2) vies for the top spot in the market. Chopsticks is trained by Brad Cox and comes in off of a stakes win in Kentucky, while Carmel Coast romped in her maiden special weight debut at Saratoga.

Q: Who is the best Frizette Stakes 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 not riding in the race this year. Among jockeys entered in the 2025 Frizette, Junior Alvarado and Joel Rosario lead with two wins each. Alvarado can win his third with Lovely Christina, while Rosario has the call on Iron Orchard.

Q: Who won the Frizette Stakes in 2024?

A: Scottish Lassie broke her maiden in the 2024 Frizette Stakes, winning impressively for trainer Jorge Abreu and jockey Jose Lezcano. Neither Abreu nor Lezcano returns to the race for 2025.

New to FanDuel Racing? Place your first bet up to $500 and get it back in Racing Bonus if it doesn’t win! Valid in participating states. See here for full terms and conditions. Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.

Looking for more horse racing betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.