Nine Wins Lead To Jockey Of The Week Title For Manny Franco

Franco started the race week on Thursday winning race five for trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci on Cinderella’s Cause in a claiming event. Trainer Carlos David gave a leg up to Franco in the sixth race, also a claiming race, aboard Khozy Colby and Franco ended his three-win day aboard Asset Purchase for trainer Chad Brown in an allowance race.

With no wins on Friday, Franco got off to a fast start on Saturday’s card with a win in race five for trainer Chad Brown aboard Grayosh in a maiden special weight. Riding for trainer Linda Rice, Franco won race six with Upside Potential in a starter allowance. He then made it three wins in a row in race seven, an allowance optional claiming event, again for trainer Chad Brown aboard Blazing Sevens.

Franco added his fourth straight win piloting Spirit of St. Louis to a win for Chad Brown in the day’s feature race, the Danger’s Hour Stakes for four-year-olds and up at one mile on the turf.

Breaking from post position three in the field of eight, Spirit of St. Louis settled near the back of the field heading into the first turn. Franco gave the dark bay gelding his cue around the far turn and swept past the leaders Masen and Heaven Street to take the lead going on to win by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:33.57, setting a new track record.

“I just moved a little bit on him and he let me know that I had horse under me, so I just was waiting for the right moment, the right time to move, and he got it done,” Franco said.

Not quite done for the week, Franco added two wins on Sunday including a claiming race aboard Run Devil in race three for trainer Rudy Rodriguez and a maiden special weight with Risk Tolerance (IRE) for trainer Chad Brown.

Franco’s statistics for the week included a 45 percent win rate and 70 percent in-the-money, with total purse earnings of $435,575. A multiple leading rider on the NYRA circuit, Franco, 29, is currently in third place in the Aqueduct jockey standings.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week included Jose L. Ortiz who won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, Flavien Prat with two graded stakes wins at Keeneland, Jorge Ruiz with two stakes wins at Laurel, and Hall of Famer Mike Smith with a graded stakes win at Santa Anita.