Bank Frenzy runs win streak to four with $125K Haynesfield score
LSU Stables’ Bank Frenzy added a fourth stakes triumph to his resume and extended his win streak to four in-a-row in Sunday’s $125,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for older New York-breds, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Rudy Rodriguez and expertly piloted by regular rider Manny Franco, Bank Frenzy utilized a change in his typical rallying tactics with a prominent trip to notch the 2 1/4-length victory, his first wire-to-wire win since a state-bred optional claiming romp in May. The 5-year-old Central Banker gelding adds to previous state-bred stakes success in the Evan Shipman Handicap in August at Saratoga Race Course and the Alex M. Robb in December here, as well as a local open-company triumph in the Listed Stymie last out on March 1.
The Dexter Haddock-ridden Just Step On It broke sharply from post 6 and quickly made the lead in the field of seven – who have earned more than $3.2 million combined – to mark the opening quarter-mile in 24 seconds flat over the muddy and sealed footing. Bank Frenzy broke a step slow and was hustled into contention by Franco, tracking closely to Just Step On It through the early stages before taking charge midway down the backstretch with Radio Red stalking on the outside.
"He’s not the quickest out of there [gate],” Franco said. “He’s getting better every race, and I saw he’s cruising there with the field, I thought they were going to give some separation from me, but I was on the best horse. I just let him pass the chute and I ended up on the lead. It was easy enough. He was doing it the right way, so I was happy where I was.”
The half-mile elapsed in a quickened 47.10 and Just Step On It tired, leaving the Luis Rivera, Jr.-piloted General Banker on the inside and Radio Red on the outside as the main challengers to the favored Bank Frenzy. Franco shook his reins at the quarter pole and Bank Frenzy dug in for the stretch drive as Radio Red was in pursuit and General Banker was all-out in the middle of the course after three-quarters in 1:10.97.
Radio Red tired while General Banker and the late-running Locke and Key crept closer in the final sixteenth, but Franco gave one left-handed tap of the crop and Bank Frenzy maintained a comfortable advantage to cross the wire first in a final time of 1:35.83.
“He did it on his own,” Franco said of Bank Frenzy opening up into the stretch. “By the quarter-pole, I asked him to go, and he was there. He’s a really nice horse and he loves to win.”
Multiple graded stakes-placed General Banker finished a neck in front of Locke and Key for place while Radio Red finished another 2 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Sheriff Bianco, Wynstock and Just Step On It completed the order of finish.
Rodriguez said he was content to let Franco engineer the trip that he saw fit.
“I told Manny, ‘good luck,’ and let him take it from there,” Rodriguez said. “He can do whatever Manny wants him to do and the pace was slow – 24 [seconds], so Manny took advantage of [that]. I was a little concerned because sometimes he can get a little lazy when he’s on the lead, but Manny said they let him take it, so he took it. He’s won on the lead before.”
Bank Frenzy has won around both one turn and two turns, over three different track conditions and is 5-for-5 over wet tracks, a usefulness that Rodriguez said is admirable.
“He’s as game as they come. You put him in the right spot, he shows up,” Rodriguez said. “He doesn’t need to take his track with him – he can run in the slop, on fast dirt, maybe even on the grass, who knows! [laughs]. He’s a solid horse.”
Rivera, Jr. said the Jimmy Ferraro-trained General Banker was second best today.
“I saw number six [Just Step On It] trying to go, I saw Dexter with the Parx horse trying to go. I let him go,” Rivera, Jr. said. “I was following the number one the whole way because he was the favorite. He just had more horse than me. I couldn’t do better than that."
Bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman, Bank Frenzy has finished first or second in each of his seven starts since being purchased privately and moving to Rodriguez from the barn of Lisa Lewis. The $68,750 winner’s share of the purse brought his total career earnings to $575,420 through a 16-8-5-0 record. He returned $3.10 on a $2 win ticket.
Live racing resumes Thursday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
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