After slow start to meet, jockey Franco finds winning touch

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a slow start to the Saratoga meet, jockey Manny Franco has turned his summer around, riding 10 winners from 44 mounts over a seven-day period capped by his victory aboard World Approval in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap.

It was the first Grade 1 win at Saratoga and third overall for the 22-year-old Franco, who last year won the Grade 1 Vosburgh and Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park in a one-week period.

Franco came here off a solid Belmont spring-summer meet in which he finished third in the standings behind Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz. Franco had hoped to build on the momentum from that meet, but won with only four of his first 85 mounts at Saratoga.

“I was a little bit down, but my agent told me that’s okay, it happens, just keep doing what I’m doing, don’t change anything,” Franco said.

Franco’s agent is none other than the Angel Cordero Jr., the King of Saratoga, who won 11 straight meet riding titles here and 14 overall. Cordero said before the meet he was concerned about how well Franco would do at Saratoga because he was not supported by any particular barn. His other client, John Velazquez, is supported by Todd Pletcher.

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With many riders out of town last Saturday for Arlington Million Day, trainer Mark Casse was in need of a rider for World Approval. He settled on Franco, who had one win from just four previous mounts for Casse.

“He played in a basketball charity game last week and he had so much drive and he’s so athletic and we’ve got some luck with him, so let’s ride him,” Mark Casse said he told his son and assistant Norm. “You couldn’t have asked him to ride a horse any better.”

Earlier on Saturday’s card, Franco rode Stainless for Todd Pletcher in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes. Stainless stumbled badly at the break and rallied from last to finish fourth.

“If that didn’t happen I would have finished second easy,” said Franco, noting that Pure Silver won the race by 9 1/2 lengths.

“A lot of guys would have fallen off after the start she had,” Pletcher said. “He’s not only a talented rider, but a solid athlete as well, which I’m sure helps him in some of those cases.”

Franco won 22 races last summer at Saratoga but went 0 for 29 in stakes. Entering Monday’s card he had 14 wins with 19 cards remaining and had captured his first graded win at Saratoga.

Franco has picked up the mount on Lockdown for Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama for the Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Lockdown, coming off a third in the Kentucky Oaks and second in the Mother Goose, is a live longshot in what is shaping up to be a competitive field.

“For me, it’s all about the horses,” Franco said. “If you have the horses, you’re going to win.”