Late Frost has run some really good – and some not so good – races in her career. The four-year-old Frosted filly’s resume includes a terrific third in last year’s Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks and a second, last out, in the Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park.

It also included a couple of puzzlingly bland outings in which she was nowhere at short odds.

Under jockey Angel Cruz, Late Frost put it all together in Saturday’s $75,000 Shine Again Stakes at Timonium, inching away to a 2 1/4 -length victory in 1:16.71 for 6 ½ furlongs on a fast main track.

Despite a modest purse and conditions that restricted the race to non-winners of an open stake, the Shine Again attracted a surprisingly salty field that included two other graded stakes-place runners in Discreet Ops, third in this spring’s Grade 3 Miss Preakness at PImlico, and Yesternight, third in last fall’s Grade 3 Dogwood at Churchill Downs.

As the race began, Cruz quickly put Late Frost in good position, pressing the pace of Yesternight, who led the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.92 seconds, with Late Frost a head back and just outside. Hot Fudge warrior, a last-out winner at Delaware Park, was another length-and-change back in third.

Late Frost put a nose in front as the field traveled the backstretch, wresting a length lead from Yesternight after a half-mile in 46.41 seconds with Hot Fudge Warrior another length back.

“We broke good, and I saw [Yesternight] on the inside, so I took a hold and we settled on the  outside,” Cruz explained. “And then she kicked on.”

Late Frost paid $8.60 to win as the second choice in the 10-horse field. Hot Fudge Warrior picked up second, and 26-1 Mattitude was along for third. The exacta returned $35.10 on a one-dollar wager.

Cruz won the riding title at Timonium two years ago, piloting Ain’t Da Beer Cold to a closing day allowance victory to secure the championship. Cruz, who is named to ride six more Sunday at Timonium, lost with his first 11 mounts at the Big T Friday and Saturday.

So the stakes win tasted pretty sweet.

“It feels good to win at Timonium. This is a special track for me,” Cruz said. “When I was young, I started here. It’s my first stakes win at Timonium, and it’s good to have it, you know?”

Late Frost now has four wins from 11 career outings, and the winner’s share pushed her bankroll to nearly $350,000. She is a homebred for Greg and Carolina Bentley’s Runnymoore Racing LLC and is trained by Michael Matz.

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