Renaisance Frolic threads needle to become Paynter’s first stakes winner

Renaisance Frolic found his way through a narrow opening at the top of the stretch to capture Saturday’s $75,000 Armed Forces S. at Gulfstream Park to become freshman sire Paynter’s first stakes winner.

Paynter has 75% stakes horses from starters this year, the highest percentage of any First-Crop Sire standing in Kentucky.

Renaisance Frolic, who broke his maiden on the Gulfstream turf in mid-August, was between horses for the first six furlongs of the Armed Forces before he slipped past Bon Raison along the rail and pulled away to win by three lengths in 1:39.09 for the mile on the main track.

The winner is a Stride Rite Racing Stable homebred and first foal out of the unraced Frolic Away, who is a half-sister to $1.5 million earner Smok’n Frolic.