LAUREL, Md.–Gerald Grabcheski and Renate Jackson’s improving colt Majestic Frontier, riding a two-race win streak, make his eighth career start and first in stakes company in Saturday’s $100,000 Miracle Wood.
A New York homebred son of Keen Ice, who upset 2015 Triple Crown champion in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga, Majestic Frontier went winless in four starts before being moved to trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb last fall. Stretched out around two turns for the first time, he ran second in a Dec. 19 maiden claimer at Laurel in the first race for his new barn.
Majestic Frontier has been perfect in 2022, graduating in a 1 1/16-mile maiden claimer by 9 ½ lengths Jan. 22 and coming back with an equally impressive 4 ½-length optional claiming allowance score Feb. 10 going the same distance.
“He’s doing great. He came out of his last race like a monster. He knows he’s getting better, that’s for sure. He’s very proud of himself,” Robb’s assistant trainer Jessica Lindsey said. “The step up from the maiden to the allowance race was huge in our books and he ran like that’s where he belonged all along. He ran an amazing race. He was so patient. He ran up the rail and just kept ticking. He ran like he belongs there, so I feel like the next step is [to] keep going up the ladder until we have a reason not to.”
Majestic Frontier will have stable rider Xavier Perez in the irons from Post 5. They are one of three horses among nine in the Miracle Wood listed at 6-1 in the program.
“I just feel like as long as we get a clean, fair trip he’s pretty placeable in the race and when Xavier tells him to fire, he fires,” Lindsey said. “As long as everyone stays in their path and minds their business, I think the race should set up fine. A couple of those horses that were in that allowance race were also nominated to the stake and he put them away, so hopefully we belong.”
Though he hasn’t been there long, Lindsey said it didn’t take much time for Majestic Frontier to find a special place in the barn.
“This horse is a clown. He’s a lot of fun. He’s definitely a barn favorite,” she said. “He’s pretty high strung when it comes to training, but he loves his job. He loves his groom, he loves his people. He’s a very friendly horse and we’re super fortunate that the owners gave us this opportunity with him because we really like him.”
Maryland Jockey Club Press Release
Photo: Majestic Frontier wins an AOC at Laurel Park handily by 4 1/2 lengths under Xavier Perez on Feb. 10, 2022. (Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club)
