KIARAN McLaughlin paused and thought about the question.

“I hope one day,” McLaughlin said. “I can say he’s the best horse I ever trained. It’s close.”

Frosted is inching closer to the likes of Invasor, Alpha, Questing and other superstars trained by McLaughlin. Godolphin’s four-year-old son of Tapit dominated the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga last Saturday.

He continued his four-year-old arrival, adding the $1.25 million Whitney score to a $1.25 million Met Mile romp back in June.

Breaking sharply from stall four, Frosted led for the first few strides. Joel Rosario sat still, allowing the hand to be played but ready to make a move if allowed.

Julien Leparoux aboard Noble Bird to Frosted’s outside, opted to stay wide and stalk. Inside Frosted, Irad Ortiz slapped Upstart on the shoulder four times to grab to the lead. Into the turn, Ortiz tapped on the brakes and the light turned green for Rosario.

“There was a moment, ‘should I take back or go forward?’ But he was there, he was a little sharp, I didn’t want to drag him back, if the other horse kept on going, I would have tracked him,” Rosario said.

“When he decided to take back, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll go.’ I thought he was the best horse in the race, just let him be happy, wherever he was.”

Initiative taken, Frosted was in control.

Through a quarter mile in 23.11ses and a half in 46.42secs, Frosted loped on the lead. Noble Bird eyed him from the outside, Upstart retreated to third, Effinex galloped along on the outside in fourth, Comfort and El Kabeir trailed.

Frosted ticked off three-quarters of a mile in 1m 09.65sec, which sounded taxing but looked relaxing for the free-wheeling grey colt.

Turning for home, Rosario sat as still as a stone, eventually, passing the eighth pole, Rosario moved his hands lightly, threw one tepid cross, looked under his right arm, shook his whip once, looked again, looked yet again and then folded up quicker than a picnic before a storm.

Two lengths

Frosted won by two lengths, finishing nine furlongs in 1m 47.77secs as Comfort picked up the pieces for second and Upstart nosed out Effinex for third.

Walking down the steps to the winner’s circle, McLaughlin shrugged off the change in tactics.

“It is what is, we got there,” McLaughlin said. “I was afraid after the Met Mile he would be a lot closer, but we have a great rider and he knows what to do. He’s doing so well, a little bit different style today but we left it up to Joel to do what he needed to do. It’s great. He’s a special horse.”