Fans standing at the rail will see a myriad of people working around the racing ovals before them. Outriders on their mounts will stand by the rail as they wait for the field for the next race. Assistant starters will mill around the starting gate as the field comes on to the track for their warmups. As those professionals work, another group takes up position at certain vantage points around the racetrack. Laden with a camera or two and maybe a sizable telephoto lens as well, these pros find the right spot, their focus on this all-important task: getting the right shot.
Month: March 2023
Franco, Rice Take Aqueduct Winter Meet Titles
Jockey Manny Franco captured his fourth winter meet riding title at Aqueduct Racetrack, posting 63 wins at the meet that ran from January 1 to March 26. Linda Rice paced all trainers with 37 wins, while Windylea Farm secured their first New York Racing Association-circuit owners title with 12 wins.
Franco, who rode a pair of winners on Sunday's closing day card, finished three wins ahead of runner-up Dylan Davis and 20 wins clear of third-place Jose Lezcano.
“It means a lot to me. This is what we're here for,” said Franco, who is represented by agent John Panagot. “I want to be one of the top riders here on the New York circuit, and I work hard to make it happen. I want to thank all the trainers and owners that support me during the year. I'm happy to be back on top again.”
The 28-year-old native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, who equaled a NYRA record by winning with 6-of-7 mounts on January 6 here, completed the meet with a record of 246-63-42-32 for total purse earnings of $3,297,246.
He also added a five-win day on March 10 as part of a tremendous winter meet that included a win with Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Hit Show in the Grade 3 Withers. Franco's other stakes winners at the meet were Law Professor [Queens County], Dr Ardito [Haynesfield], Neural Network [Gander], Rossa Veloce [Correction] and Looms Boldly [Damon Runyon].
“Hit Show was one of the biggest wins, but every win here is important. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to ride for everybody here in New York,” Franco said. “Every day you learn something new. You have to have the right horses and make the most of them. When you get that opportunity, you have to make it happen.”
Franco, who was the NYRA circuit leading rider from 2018-19, has won six previous meet titles, including 2018 Aqueduct winter and fall; 2019 Aqueduct winter and spring; 2019 Belmont Park fall; and 2020 Aqueduct winter.
Rice, 59, won her third Aqueduct winter meet title following past success in 2019-20. She sent out 37 winners, 14 wins more than second-place trainer Rob Atras and 21 ahead of third-place finisher Chad Brown.
Meet highlights for Rice, who saddled seven straight winners in mid-March, include stakes triumphs with Betsy Blue [Interborough] and Downtown Mischief [Cicada], who was a perfect 3-for-3 at the meet.
Rice has also enjoyed meet leader success in 2009 at Saratoga Race Course in addition to topping the tables at 2011 Aqueduct spring [tie]; 2011 Belmont spring/summer; 2012 Aqueduct spring; 2017 Aqueduct spring [tie]; 2019 Aqueduct winter; 2020 Aqueduct winter; and 2022 Aqueduct fall.
“It's been a really good winter,” Rice said. “We've had a good fall and we had a good meet before that as well. Then to come back and have a really good winter meet was great. We had a couple stakes winners, Betsy Blue and Downtown Mischief. But, in general, the whole barn and my entire staff has been working real hard and it showed up in the afternoon.”
Rice started 142 horses for a record of 37-30-27 and $1,952,790 in earnings. Her runners posted a win rate of 26.06 percent and a 66.20 in-the-money percentage.
Windylea Farm led all owners with a record of 31-12-5-10 and total purse earnings of $473,760. A trio of horses posted a pair of wins for Windylea Farm at the meet, including Super Quality, Jake Rocks, and Ouster, who garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in a state-bred optional-claimer on March 18.
“It's very gratifying that we're seeing the fruits of our labor come to fruition,” said Windylea Farm's Kip O'Neill. “We really started to invest more heavily, both from a time and a financial standpoint, in late 2018 into 2019. We've seen a nice growth in our program from a breeding and racing standpoint.”
It was a three-way tie for second between Michael Dubb [31-10-5-5, $537,377], Winning Move Stable [27-10-4-6, $445,590], and Linda Rice [35-10-2-7, $334,740].
Live racing continues Thursday at Aqueduct, opening day of the 19-day spring meet, which runs through April 30. First post for Thursday's eight-race card is 1:20 p.m. (ET).
The post Franco, Rice Take Aqueduct Winter Meet Titles appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Munnings Filly Munnys Gold Sets Tampa Bay Track Record While Winning Stakes By Eye-Popping Margin
Munnys Gold, a Florida-bred 3-year-old filly by Ashford Stud sire Munnings, romped to a 17¼-length victory in the $110,000 Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes on Florida Cup Day Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs, setting a track record for seven furlongs in the process.
Entering unbeaten in two starts and sent off the 2-5 favorite, Munny Gold was trying seven furlongs for the first time and dueled with Pretty'n Awesome down the backstretch before moving to lead under Irad Ortiz Jr. and drawing off down the lane for the eye-popping win in 1:20.09, a new track standard for the distance. The previous track mark of 1:20.89 was set in the 2019 Pasco Stakes by Win Win Win.
Trained by Todd Pletcher for Lawana and Robert Low, Munnys Gold has won her three career starts by a combined 38 lengths. The Nickstar Farms-bred filly was a $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling sale purchase from consignor Four Star Sales.
“That was a pretty impressive performance,” Pletcher said of Munnys Gold via telephone. “She's handled each step up in class and each increase in distance without any problem. You don't see horses do what she's done very often. She broke her maiden going five furlongs by 15 lengths and she won by even more today, so this is very exciting.
“We'll see how she comes out of it and maybe take a look at the Eight Belles at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs on (Kentucky) Oaks Day (May 5). Hopefully, she'll keep stepping up.”
On breaking the track record at seveb furlongs, Pletcher said: “I didn't see too many other races there today, so I don't know if the track is really fast or not, but regardless, that's a crazy fast time on any surface.”
Munnys Gold, who returned $2.80, was produced by the Medaglia d'Oro mare Haraawa.
The post Munnings Filly Munnys Gold Sets Tampa Bay Track Record While Winning Stakes By Eye-Popping Margin appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Wild On Ice Rallies to Post Upset in Sunland Park Derby
After stalking just behind wicked-fast early fractions, Texas-bred Wild On Ice surged in the stretch to post a 35.40-1 upset in the $600,000 Sunland Park Derby March 26 at the New Mexico track.
