Frolic’s Revenge shows that she can win on turf

In her turf debut, Frolic’s Revenge got a savvy ride from Paco Lopez and beat Ready Signal by a neck in the Ginger Brew Stakes.

Starting with an impressive debut win in a sprint in May, Frolic’s Revenge established herself as one of South Florida’s top 2-year-old fillies in dirt races.

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But based on her breeding, trainer Milt Wolfson always thought some of the best races for Frolic’s Revenge might come on turf.

On Saturday, she proved Wolfson right and gave some Gulfstream Park long-shot bettors an early Christmas present when she beat Ready Signal by a neck in the $60,000 Ginger Brew Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

The final time was 1:42.84 — solid for 2-year-old fillies.

The victory was the third in eight starts for Frolic’s Revenge and her second in a stakes.

She is owned and was bred by Stride Rite Racing Stable, a partnership of South Florida residents who have had several stakes winners trained by Wolfson and his assistant, Kathy Davey.

Because the Ginger Brew was her turf debut, Frolic’s Revenge went off at 16-1 in a 12-horse field that had several fillies who had won turf races at major tracks.

Ready Signal was a 25-1 shot — the third-highest price in the field. Ann of the Dance, at 5-1, finished third, followed by Welcome Dance at 7-2.

The results produced $2 payoffs of $1,079.20 for the exacta, $5,732.10 for the trifecta and $38,569.60 for the superfecta.

“I was surprised at how [the bettors] overlooked her,” Wolfson said in the winner’s circle.

He said he was not surprised by Frolic’s Revenge or by the ride she received from Paco Lopez, who led Gulfstream jockeys in wins in 2010 and in its 2011 meet from January through April.

“I didn’t have to tell Paco anything other than to get her near the lead and to keep her on the inside,” Wolfson said.

Lopez, riding Frolic’s Revenge for the first time, stuck to those instructions in a race where jockey Juan Leyva and Ready Signal used catch-us-if-you-can tactics.

Ready Signal, trained by Amy Tarrant, was in the far outside post, with Frolic’s Revenge just inside her.

Frolic’s Revenge shot out to the lead until Ready Signal moved in front around the first turn.

Ready Signal led Frolic’s Revenge by 2 1/2 lengths after a half mile and by the same margin after three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.08.

Lopez angled Frolic’s Revenge outside coming around the far turn and caught Ready Signal about 200 yards from the finish. They dueled to the wire, with Frolic’s Revenge winning in a photo finish.

Frolic’s Revenge began her career on May 1 by winning at 4 1/2 furlongs at Calder Casino & Race Course. On Aug. 27, she won the one-mile Lindsay Frolic Stakes at Calder.

Stride Rite owned and Wolfson trained multiple-stakes winners Lindsay Frolic and Stormy Frolic, the mother of Frolic’s Revenge.

Steve and Anne Friedfertig of Aventura and Norman and Carol Thaw of Weston own Stride Rite.

The sire of Frolic’s Revenge is Vindication, a son of Seattle Slew.

Racing schedule
In observance of Christmas, Gulfstream will not have racing Sunday.

On Monday, usually a dark day, Gulfstream will have 11 races, with the first post time of 12:35 p.m.

Gulfstream’s next stakes will be over the New Year’s weekend, with two Grade 3 stakes and the new Gulfstream Park Derby that it is billed as the “first Derby of the year.”

On Saturday, Gulfstream will have the $100,000 Mr. Prospector, at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up.

On Jan. 1, it will have the $100,000 Old Hat, at six furlongs on dirt for newly turned 3-year-old fillies.

The $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby, for newly turned 3-year-old males, also will be on New Year’s Day. Entries will be out Thursday for the 1 1/16-mile dirt stakes.

It will be the first in a series of preps for the $1 million Florida Derby (Grade 1) at Gulfstream on March 31.

• Fort Loudon, this year’s top 2-year-old in South Florida, is healthy but will not be in the Gulfstream Park Derby or the Holy Bull Stakes (Grade 3) at Gulfstream on Jan. 29, his trainer, Stanley Gold, said Saturday.

Fort Loudon swept this year’s three-race Florida Stallion Stakes series at Calder.

On Nov. 5, he finished seventh in a 13-horse field in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs. He had post 12 and was on the outside during most of the race.

“He is back in training and is fine,” Gold said. “But we are going to give him a little more time.”