NYRA Photo

Manny Franco leading jockey at Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet; Chad Brown leading trainer

by Mary Eddy

Jockey Manny Franco earned his 12th New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) meet riding title when coming out on top at the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet that ran from May 2 through July 7.

The 35-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet statistics include the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival conducted at Saratoga Race Course, where Franco posted four wins.

Franco, 29, topped the table on the heels of a prosperous Aqueduct spring meet where he won the title with 28 wins. He built upon that number at the Belmont spring/summer meet, visiting the winner’s circle 41 times as part of a 210-41-41-25 record with $3,148,141 in earnings. The title marks the first at the Belmont spring/summer meet for Franco, who was the leading rider on the NYRA circuit in 2018-19 and 2023.

“It’s special. I have never won this one before, so it’s amazing,” said Franco. “I’m so happy to have the opportunity from the owners, trainers, and my agent John Panagot. He’s the man behind the scenes. We just hope to keep this momentum going into Saratoga and hopefully, we get some more winners.”

Leading Franco’s wins were a pair of state-bred stakes conquests at two different racetracks with the New York-bred Spirit of St Louis, who won the off-the-turf Kingston at Saratoga and the Hudson Valley on Closing Day at Aqueduct Racetrack. Franco also notched stakes scores aboard Dancing Buck in the Listed Elusive Quality, with Drake’s Passage in the state-bred Commentator, and with Rotknee in the state-bred Affirmed Success.

“Spirit of St Louis is a special one. I won twice on him at the meet and he’s just an amazing horse,” said Franco. “All the wins mean a lot to everyone. I’m just happy to be in this position and to ride horses day in and day out. Here in New York, it’s the toughest rider colony, and to be at the top is unbelievable. I’m still in the clouds.”

Franco completed the meet with a win rate of 19.52 percent and in-the-money rate of 50.95.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. finished second with 37 wins while Flavien Prat was third with 34.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown earned his eighth training title at the Belmont spring/summer meet when posting 32 wins.

Brown, who earned his 31st training title at a NYRA meet, was also the circuit’s leading trainer from 2015-22. His performance at the Belmont spring/summer meet, where he posted a record of 130-32-21-19 with $4,007,955 in earnings, was his first at NYRA since taking the Belmont at the Big A fall meet last year.

Brown completed the meet with a win rate of 24.62 percent and in-the-money rate of 55.38 percent. His wins were led by Grade 1 triumphs at Saratoga with Randomized in the Ogden Phipps presented by Ford and Chili Flag in the Just a Game. Brown enjoyed additional top-level conquests in the Grade 2 Wonder Again [Segesta], Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses [Accede], Grade 3 Sheepshead Bay [Royalty Interest], Grade 3 Dwyer [Domestic Product], Listed Wild Applause [Oversubscribed], and state-bred triumphs with Spirit of St Louis in the Kingston and Hudson Valley.

Linda Rice finished second with 22 wins while Christophe Clement finished third with 17 wins.

Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables claimed their 27th owners’ title at a NYRA meeting with 14 wins, posting a record of 54-14-7-8 and $1,571,023 in earnings to notch their fifth Belmont spring/summer title. Their wins were led by stakes scores with Brown-trained color-bearers in the Ogden Phipps with Randomized, the Sheepshead Bay with Royalty Interest, the Dwyer with Domestic Product and the Wild Applause with Oversubscribed. Klaravich Stables has been the leading owner on the NYRA circuit since 2019.

Michael Dubb finished second with 12 wins while Linda Rice and Sanford Goldfarb tied for third with 8 wins each.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga Race Course with an 11-race card to kick off the Saratoga meet, featuring the listed $175,000 Schuylerville in Race 10. The 40-day meet runs through September 2. First post on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays is 1:10 p.m. Eastern while Saturday cards feature a 12:35 p.m. first post. For the meet’s full stakes schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/stakes-schedu....

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.