Jockey Manny Franco balances a Aqueduct race track record, winning on 6 of 7 mounts on a nine-race card on January 6.
“An unbelievable day. I’m so grateful to have a day like this. We’ve had a good start to the year and hopefully we can keep going,” Franco said. “I don’t have all the favorites, but every day I feel positive and I just want to do well. Today, I really feel like I could have a big day and I’m so excited about it. there. The horses are running for me today.”
Franco joins a select group of drivers who have claimed six of the day at the Aqueduct, including Hall of Famers Ron Turcotte, Angel Cordero Jr., Steve Cauthen, Mike Smith and Javier Castellano. Jockey Dylan Davis, the NYRA’s overall lead driver last year, claimed two days and six wins at the Aqueduct, both in February 2018.
“I’m very proud to be on that list,” Franco said. “When I graduated from college, I wanted to do something so people could remember who I was when I rode. It was a dream come true.”
Franco, 28, started his day in Race 1 with an impressive score against the Chad Brown-trained driver uncorrelated (No. 1, 6.10) in the inaugural race of the day, the six-feather special weight class on the sophomore main track.
The Carolina, Puerto Rican native passed the Race 4-6, which started with Quick chaos (No 7, $12.20) for special weight Jorge Abreu conditioner for 3-year-old babies in New York.
I follow the instructions Vallarand (No. 4, $4.70) with a score of 3 1/4 on the $25,000 Rob Atras conditioner claim and completing Card Choice between 3 with The Baron’s Legacy (No. 6, 18.80), who won $40,000 in the state-bred maiden claim event 6 1/2 to trainer Horacio De Paz.
Franco got his fifth win of the day driving the small car coached by Christophe Clement Kant love rush (Number 3, $6.60) to win over New York hybrid winners in Race 8 before winning a late double in a train mile-long option claimant Bourbon call (No. 10, $13.40) in Race 9 for coach Antonio Arriaga.
What a day for Manuel Franco! He won the last race at the Aqueduct with #10 BOURBON CALLING ($13.40) to help him take 6th place of the day. congratulation @jockeyfranco! pic.twitter.com/nmoHBTf6eB
– TVG (@TVG) January 6, 2023
“This horse was outside all the way, and it took me all the way and it got the job done,” Franco said of the record equalizer.
Live racing continues Saturday at the Aqueduct with a 10-race pass, including $150,000 in Jerome Shares in Race 8, providing 10-4-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying scores for the top five finishers and -plan $150,000 Queens County in Race 9. Franco has eight day trips, including neural network in Jerome and law professor in Queens County.
This press release has been edited by BloodHorse Staff for content and style.
