Franco Equals Aqueduct Record With Six-Win Day

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/06/2023 - 13:01
Link: 
Franco Equals Aqueduct Record With Six-Win Day
Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Coglianese Photos
Jockey Manny Franco celebrates his 6th win of January 6, 2023 at Aqueduct

Jockey Manny Franco equaled an Aqueduct Racetrack record, winning aboard 6-of-7 mounts on the nine-race card Jan. 6.

"Unbelievable day. I'm just grateful to have a day like this. We started the year off on the right foot, and hopefully we can just keep going," Franco said. "I didn't have all favorites, but every day I come in feeling positive, and I just want to do well. Today, I really felt like I could have a big day and I was excited about it. The horses were running for me today."

Franco joins a select group of riders to have posted a six-win day at Aqueduct, including Hall of Famers Ron Turcotte, Angel Cordero Jr., Steve Cauthen, Mike Smith, and Javier Castellano. Jockey Dylan Davis, NYRA's overall leading rider last year, earned one six-win day at Aqueduct in February 2018. 

"I'm so proud to be on that list," Franco said. "When I graduated from school, I wanted to do something, so everyone can remember who I was when I was riding. It's a dream come true."

Franco, 28, kicked off the day in Race 1 with an impressive maiden score by the Chad Brown-trained Uncorrelated  (No. 1, $6.10) in the day's opening race, a six-furlong maiden special weight over the main track for sophomores.

Sign up for

The Carolina, Puerto Rico native swept Races 4-6, beginning with Quick Chaos  (No. 7, $12.20) for conditioner Jorge Abreu in a one-turn mile maiden special weight for 3-year-old New York-breds.

He followed by guiding Vallarand  (No. 4, $4.70) to a 3 1/4-length score in a $25,000 claimer for conditioner Rob Atras and completed the mid-card Pick 3 with Baron's Legacy  (No. 6, $18.80), who captured a $40,000 state-bred maiden claiming event going 6 1/2 furlongs for trainer Horacio De Paz. 

Franco earned his fifth win of the day when piloting the Christophe Clement-trained filly Kant Hurry Love  (No. 3, $6.60) to a triumph against New York-bred winners in Race 8 before securing the late double in a one-mile optional-claimer aboard Bourbon Calling  (No. 10, $13.40) in Race 9 for trainer Antonio Arriaga. 

"This horse was outside the whole way, and he took me the whole way around and he got the job done," Franco said of the record-equaling score. 

Live racing resumes Saturday at Aqueduct with a 10-race card, including the $150,000 Jerome Stakes in Race 8, which offers 10-4-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the top-five finishers, and the re-scheduled $150,000 Queens County in Race 9. Franco has eight rides on the day, including Neural Network  in the Jerome and Law Professor  in the Queens County.