Frank's Rockette Cruises by Seven Lengths in Any Limit
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Frank's Rockette wins the Any Limit Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Frank's Rockette ran to her odds Feb. 22 at Gulfstream Park, where she took the $75,000 Any Limit Stakes by daylight as the even-money favorite with a wire-to-wire score.
Frank Fletcher's homebred 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief returned from a 4 1/2-month layoff in the six-furlong test. She cruised through fractions of :22.76, :46.14, and :57.60 under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez before galloping away to win by seven lengths in a final time of 1:09.51 on a fast track.
Sound Machine was second, and Fujairah was 5 3/4 lengths back in third in the field of six sophomore fillies.
Frank's Rockette broke her maiden by 8 3/4 lengths in June going five furlongs at Churchill Downs, then ran second in a trio of graded events. She missed the Adirondack Stakes (G2) by half a length to Perfect Alibi in August at Saratoga Race Course and finished 1 1/4 lengths behind that rival in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) in September at the upstate New York track. She was 2 3/4 lengths behind Wicked Whisper in the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park in October, her final start of 2019 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
"She's been training well," Mott said. "We just wanted to freshen her up and get her feet under her. Looks like she bounced back well."
A winner of two of five starts, Frank's Rockette has not raced longer than the mile distance of the Frizette.
"She's pretty effective at those one-turn distances, and there's a lot of opportunities for her up to a mile, I would say," Mott said. "Just sitting here and thinking, you have the Acorn (G1). Is she that good? Well, we could always find out. You've got some nice races at Saratoga. She could have a nice year at six and seven furlongs even if you didn't stretch her out."
Frank's Rockette was bred in Kentucky out of the Indian Charlie mare Rocket Twentyone and is the third foal and first stakes winner produced by her dam. She is also the most recent reported foal for her dam, who was sent to American Pharoah for 2020.
Frank's Rockette improved her earnings to $290,883.