April 16, 2026 
The gorgeous roan who single-hoofedly gave rise to a love of the grey among racing fans a decade ago is gone.
Everyone’s favorite and favoritely named grey, Frosted has passed at age 14. Darley America, Godolphin’s U.S. breeding farm, reported he was humanely euthanized following an episode of acute onset laminitis.
Godolphin’s Dan Pride reported Frosted’s loss, saying “Our team is deeply saddened by Frosted’s passing, but it was our only option given the dire circumstances. Frosted was an exceptional and exciting racehorse and an accomplished sire.”
Perhaps unfortunately foaled the same 2012 year as eventual Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Champion American Pharoah, the fan-favorite calmer son of Tapit (out of Fast Cookie by Deputy Minister) was as talented as he was beautiful, especially as a miler.
A Godolphin homebred, Frosted was an immediate sensation as a 3-year-old, winning the 2015 Wood Memorial (G1) and the Pennsylvania Derby (G2), earning second in the Holy Bull and Jim Dandy Stakes (both G2), while also finishing runner-up to American Pharoah in the G1 Belmont and 3rd in the G1 Travers Stakes races.
Frosted’s biggest moment on the racetrack came as a 4-year-old on June 11. Carrying highest weight and jockey Joel Rosario, Frosted set time, margin and speed records in the 132-year-old Metropolitan Handicap, aka the Met Mile (G1) at Belmont Park.
Frosted’s record 1:32.73, 14 1/4-length victory that day sent a chill through a stunned Belmont crowd. His 123 Beyer speed figure in that race remains the highest ever recorded at a distance of one mile.
“That was unbelievable,” said gobsmacked trainer Kiaran McLaughlin after Frosted’s performance of a lifetime. “That was a wild, wild race.”
Journeying to Dubai and adding a G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 victory to his resume, Frosted returned to the U.S. to claim that year’s G1 Whitney Stakes (G1) and a third in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga in addition to his historic Met Mile. Known for his grit as well as his looks, Frosted ended his racing career in 2017 with an impressive 19: 6-6-2 record. He scored three G1 victories and amassed $3,972,800 in earnings.
Frosted was a successful sire with Darley America following his retirement. He boasted 36 black-type and 14 graded-stakes winners, including 2021 Canadian Champion 3-year-old male Frosted Over and last year’s Panamanian Horse of the Year, Senescal.
Beloved by visitors, Frosted has been laid to rest at his home at Jonabell Farm near Lexington, KY, where he stood at stud since 2017, while also shuttling to Darley Australia.
It’s Springtime in Kentucky, where the bluegrass is at its brightest two weeks before the Kentucky Derby. But for the worldwide legion of fans of the great grey Frosted, it’s a cold winter…mourning.
