Iron Orchard has a perfect record, a grade 1 win, and a newfound ability to rally from off the pace.
Will it be enough to propel her into the Breeders' Cup?
That's the question trainer Danny Gargan and the ownership group will ponder over the next few weeks after the New York-bred daughter of Authentic rallied from sixth to capture the $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) by a nose over Rileytole Oct. 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"Right now, we'll just be happy and enjoy this," Gargan said. "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."
The Frizette is a Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen stakes, which means the owners get a $30,000 credit toward starting fees for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), while the second- and third-place finishers are awarded credits of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively. Yet Gargan did not seem upset with the idea of missing the World Championships at Del Mar.
"It's not hard for me to skip the Breeders' Cup," he said. "I don't know about the owners."
Iron Orchard came into the Frizette off a pair of easy, state-bred wins, taking the Seeking the Ante Stakes and a maiden race by a combined 12 1/4 lengths while leading at each call of the 6-furlong and 5 1/2-furlong races.
Trying to harness her speed for longer races, Gargan wanted jockey Joel Rosario to stay off the pace but was surprised when she was back in sixth after a half-mile. Helping her cause, 2-1 favorite Carmel Coast was aggressive on the lead, carving out a :44.84 half-mile on the fast track. She battled to the eighth pole of the one-turn mile stakes, when fatigue set in and she faded to sixth.
Iron Orchard ($6.90) and Rileytole, who raced in second early before dropping back to fourth, forged to the front near the sixteenth pole and battled to the wire with the New York-bred narrowly prevailing in 1:35.97 as the 2-1 second choice.
Owned by CSLR Racing and R. A. Hill Stable, Iron Orchard was bred by Pine Ridge Stable out of the Brethren mare Onebrethatatime. She was bought for $500,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Rileytole, a Mitole filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., was second by 4 1/4 lengths over Stuart Janney III's Five Bars, a Maxfield filly trained by Shug McGaughey.
The Frizette also is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) series and awarded qualifying points for the 2026 Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.
Iron Orchard is the first grade 1 winner by second-crop sire Authentic, whose son Rodriguez won this year's Wood Memorial Stakes (G2). Authentic stands at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, where his stud fee was $15,000 during the 2025 breeding season.
Video: Frizette S. (G1)
Another longshot win for Ground Support
After posting a 100-1 upset in her debut, winning at 12-1 odds was a rather subdued accomplishment for NBS Stable's Ground Support.
But when that second win awards you a free spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), it's a cause for a wild celebration.
"I told (jockey Adam Beschizza) yesterday when he was breezing horses for me at Churchill, 'Don't forget, I really want to go to Del Mar,'" trainer Kelsey Danner said. "It will be fun and I think she should handle everything well. She's been really straightforward."
A daughter of Army Mule , Ground Support ($26.86) secured her Breeders' Cup spot by posting a 2-length victory Saturday in the $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) for 2-year-old fillies at Aqueduct, a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In stakes for the Oct. 31 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. She covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.32 on a firm course.
She was bred by Champion Equine in Florida out of the Arch mare Arch Support and was bought for $80,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Deep Learning was second by a half-length over Quiet Street.
Video: Miss Grillo S. (G2T)
Asbury Park takes Jockey Club Derby
The "other" Chad Brown starter prevailed in the $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G2T) as Asbury Park ($6.96) registered a 2-length win in the 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds.
The race marked the graded stakes debut for the Frankel colt owned by Peter Brant and breeder St. Elias Stable.
Noble Confessor was second by a half-length over 6-5 favorite Hill Road, who also is trained by Brown. The final time was 2:14.45.
