Frank Fletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Frank’s Rockette Just Misses Track Record In Victory Ride

Frank's Rockette fended off longshot Reagan's Edge by a head in an exhilarating stretch-drive finish in the Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride to start the stakes action on a packed Runhappy Met Mile Day at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 18th running of the Victory Ride, contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast main track for 3-year-old fillies, was carded as Race 3 on the Independence Day card.

Frank Fletcher Racing's Frank's Rockette, last year's runner-up in the Grade 1 Frizette over this track, went off as the 2-5 favorite by virtue of some strong sprint performances early in her sophomore year. Ridden again by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard her for the Frizette and her winning 2020 debut at Gulfstream Park, the daughter of Into Mischief broke well from the rail and allowed Reagan's Edge to set the tempo in the very early stages of the race.

Reagan's Edge, whose only wins came in a maiden race at Indiana Grand and an off-the-turf affair at Churchill Downs in her most recent outing, proved to be a stubborn foe at 13-1. She broke the sharpest of all under Jose Lezcano, and after briefly controlling the early lead ceded it to Frank's Rockette, who moved up the inside to gain control.

Trainer Chad Brown's Center Aisle, meanwhile, assumed a stalking position just to the outside of the top two, and the three fillies proceeded to run in carousel fashion around the racetrack. After a leisurely opening quarter-mile in 23.11 seconds, the pace picked up considerably with Frank's Rockette posting a half in 45.52, as the top trio continued to roll along around the turn.

In the stretch, Frank's Rockette's maintained the edge to the inside, with Center Aisle to the outside, and Reagan's Edge battling on between horses. In the final sixteenth, an intransigent Reagan's Edge was all out, but Frank's Rockette hit the wire in 1:14.47, just a hundredth of a second off the track record recorded by Bear Fan in June 2004.

Reagan's Edge bested Center Aisle by three-quarters of a length for second. Up in Smoke and Miss Peppina completed the order of finish.

“She broke well enough, but not as quick as I thought she would,” Velazquez said. “Little by little, she got into the battle and I let her do what she wanted to do. At the end, she put in a really good fight. At the wire, I thought I had it. But right before the wire, I wasn't sure we were going to hold on.”

With the victory, Frank's Rockette improved her lifetime record to 4-4-0 from eight starts and increased her earnings to $413,603. She returned $2.90 on a $2 win wager.

“When you looked at the race on paper, it looked like we'd be the clear speed and probably be a length or two in front on the backside,” said Frank Rockette's Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott. “There was a horse hanging right with her. She didn't break quite as sharp as I've seen her in the past, but she was able to open up a bit when she turned for home and had enough courage to hold them off. She had to work at it a little bit. It was not an easy win.”

While Mott added another graded stakes tally to his illustrious resume, he denied Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Reagan's Edge, her first. Despite the near miss, DeVaux was very pleased with the effort of her tenacious filly.

“She's just got a lot of fight in her. It's so nice to have a horse like this in the barn that goes out and just tries every time we ask her,” DeVaux said. “She just played the break. In her maiden, she broke on top and went with it. Jose [Lezcano] did the right thing. He didn't take it away from her, he didn't try to get her to do something else. I'm happy with him, he made a really good decision.”

Mott said he could target the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course as Frank's Rockette looks to break through at racing's highest level. In 2019, Frank's Rockette finished second in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga before playing bridesmaid again in the Frizette.

“That's what I've had my eyes on,” Mott said of the Test. “It's a big challenge. The Test is a great race. We've won it a couple of times and it's a very important race for 3-year-old fillies. If she's doing well, I'd like to give her a try in there.”

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card. First post is 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

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Into Mischief Filly Finally Makes the Grade in Quickly Run Victory Ride

TDN Rising Star Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) wasn’t given the easiest of tasks in the early going of Saturday’s GIII Victory Ride S., but she showed her grit and class late with a hard-fought head score over the well-meant Reagan’s Edge (Competitive Edge).

Off a hair slow, the Bill Mott trainee raced out to take an early advantage from her inside draw and was closely attended by Reagan’s Edge, an allowance winner at Churchill in May, and Center Aisle (Into Mischief), a $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Florida sale graduate who scored first out at Gulfstream in March before finishing fifth in a Churchill allowance May 22.

Pursued by those rivals through initial fractions of :23.11 and a half in :45.52, Frank’s Rockette maintained a comfortable edge turning for home, and while her two rivals gave it their best shot, the 2-5 favorite held on to post the narrow victory over Reagan’s Edge, with Center Aisle 3/4 of a length third. The final time of 1:14.47 was 0.01 off the track record for 6 1/2 furlongs.

“When you looked at the race on paper, it looked like we’d be the clear speed and probably be a length or two in front on the backside,” said trainer Bill Mott. “There was a horse hanging right with her. She didn’t break quite as sharp as I’ve seen her in the past, but she was able to open up a bit when she turned for home and had enough courage to hold them off. She had to work at it a little bit. It was not an easy win.”

Mott indicated the Aug. 8 GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga might be next.

“”That’s what I’ve had my eyes on,” Mott said of the Test. “It’s a big challenge. The Test is a great race. We’ve won it a couple of times and it’s a very important race for 3-year-old fillies. If she’s doing well, I’d like to give her a try in there.”

A runaway first-out winner at Churchill Downs last term, Frank’s Rockette recorded a pair of runner-up finishes at Saratoga behind Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) in the GII Adirondack S. in August and the GI Spinaway S. the following month before playing the bridesmaid once again, this time to Wicked Whisper (Liam’s Map), in the GI Frizette S. in October. An easy front-running seven-length winner in her sophomore debut in Gulfstream’s Any Limit S. Feb. 22, she was second to Kimari (Munnings) in Oaklawn’s Apr. 4 Purple Martin S. before returning to the winner’s circle following a May 25 optional claimer in Louisville.

Pedigree Notes:

With the win in the Victory Ride, Frank’s Rockette becomes the 30th graded stakes winner for Spendthrift marquee sire Into Mischief. Rocket Twentyone, a $300,000 OBS March purchase who evolved into the winner of the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie S., is also responsible for the stakes-placed duo of Firewater Rocket (Macho Rocket) and Rocknroll Rocket (Curlin). This represents the family of 2-year-old champion filly and champion female sprinter Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie).

A half-sister to graded-placed Bear’s Conductor (Congaree), the 11-year-old mare hasn’t produced a foal of record over the past two seasons and was bred to American Pharoah earlier this spring.

Saturday, Belmont Park
VICTORY RIDE S.-GIII, $97,000, Belmont, 7-4, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:14.47, ft.
1–FRANK’S ROCKETTE, 120, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Rocket Twentyone (GSW, $136,149), by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Symphonic Lady, by Blare of Trumpets
3rd Dam: Wavering Lady, by Wavering Monarch
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. TDN Rising Star O-Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-John R. Velazquez. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 8-4-4-0, $413,603. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Reagan’s Edge, 120, f, 3, Competitive Edge–Dayienu, by Sunday Break (Jpn). ($45,000 Wlg ’17 FTKNOV; $30,000 Ylg ’18 FTKJUL; $77,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR). O-David Ingordo; B-Mauk One Farm (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $20,000.
3–Center Aisle, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Specification, by Empire Maker. ($165,000 Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo ’19 FTFMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $12,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.45, 13.10, 4.10.
Also Ran: Up in Smoke, Miss Peppina.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Fletcher Looking For Homebred Filly To ‘Rocket’ To Lead In Victory Gallop

In seven starts, owner Frank Fletcher said he has been impressed with what he's seen out of his homebred filly Frank's Rockette but is hoping she becomes a graded stakes winner in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Victory Ride at 6 1/2-furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“She's on the top of her game right now,” Fletcher said. “She's a small horse, but she's grown and gotten stronger. She ran very well in a couple of Grade 1 races last year as a 2-year-old and I've been pleased with each race.”

The Victory Ride, slated as Race 3 at 2:24 p.m. Eastern, is the first of five graded stakes on Saturday's Runhappy Met Mile Day card. The stakes-laden 11-race showcase is headlined by the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile, open to 3-year-olds and up and offering a berth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland; and also features the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/4-miles on turf; the Grade 2, $200,000 Suburban, a 10-furlong test for 4-year-olds and upward; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Poker, a one-mile turf test for older horses.

The Runhappy Met Mile will feature live on NBC from 5 – 6 p.m. Eastern with the entire Runhappy Met Mile Day card available on America's Day at the Races on FS1 beginning at 1 p.m. First post Saturday is 1:15 p.m.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Frank's Rockette has been favored in each of her career starts and has never finished worse than second. Although winless in both of her Grade 1 starts, which took place on the NYRA circuit in the Spinaway at Saratoga and the Frizette at Belmont Park, the Into Mischief bay filly has displayed top quality talent with her consistent record.

Frank's Rockette kicked off her career with an 8 3/4-length triumph at Churchill Downs en route to three placings against graded stakes company, including a second in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga.

Fletcher recalls watching her career debut noting that she displayed an almost too laid back demeanor in the paddock.

“I remember the first time I saw her running at Churchill Downs and watching them saddle her in the paddock,” Fletcher said. “She had her head down and it looked like she was going to sleep. I said to the assistant, 'Was she up all night last night?' She does the same thing every time, but as soon as she gets to the track she's focused and ready to run. She's got a great personality. She's real sweet and easy to be around but once she goes to the track, she's all business.”

With no other bona fide frontrunners in the Victory Ride field, Frank's Rockette is likely to lead the early charge. Fletcher said the early gate speed can be worrisome.

“She scares me sometimes,” Fletcher said. “She gets out there and runs so fast at the beginning that I get worried she's going to be done at the end. Every time, she seems to find a new gear and finishes up strong.”

Following a runner-up effort in the Frizette to Wicked Whisper to close out her juvenile campaign, Frank's Rockette returned to action in style making her 2020 bow a winning one in the Any Limit on February 22 at Gulfstream Park. Sent to post as the even-money favorite, she took command and strolled to a seven-length victory while producing a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Frank's Rockette arrives at the Victory Ride off a 3 1/2-length win in an allowance optional claiming event going six furlongs at Churchill Downs, which came after finishing second in the Purple Martin at Oaklawn Park to Kimari, subsequent Group 1 Commonwealth Cup runner-up at Royal Ascot.

Fletcher, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, who owns Fletcher Auto Group, said he was hoping to see his special filly get a stakes win at his home track.

“I really wanted to win that race because it was at my home track, but the horse that beat us that day looks like a really nice one,” Fletcher said.

Frank's Rockette is out of the graded stakes-winning Indian Charlie broodmare Rocket Twentyone, who won the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie as a 2-year-old and was trained by the late Tom Howard, whose wife Kathy serves as Fletcher's racing manager.

Howard said she sees a lot of similarities between Frank's Rockette and Rocket Twentyone.

“They look so much alike it's uncanny,” Howard said. “She's had foals before this one and I never saw any similarities, but this one was different. I remember watching her run in her first race and she did things just like her mother.”

Howard, a former jockey, has been acquainted with Mott for many years, having ridden horses for the trainer and relishes the opportunity to work with the horseman in a different role.

“Billy Mott is just a really good guy,” Howard said. “He's a true and solid individual. He was good to me back then and put me on some winners and he's still a good guy today.”

Fletcher names all of his horses to honor his longhaired German Shepherd named Rocket.

“I'm currently on Rocket number three,” Fletcher said, adding that his prior two dogs named Rocket each lived to be 11 years old. “I've probably had hundreds of horses over the years with the name 'Rocket'. Years ago, I had a nice one named Son of Rocket who ran third in the [2001] Arkansas Derby and won the Southwest and we had some fun with him. But this one's a filly, so now we have a Rockette.”

Listed as the 3-5 morning line favorite, Frank's Rockette will blast out of the inside post under Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the Victory Ride.

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