Broken hand will keep Lezcano out of action at least another month
?q=100)
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Jose Lezcano, who suffered a broken hand in a spill at Aqueduct on April 8, will likely miss at least the first three weeks of the Belmont Park spring meeting.
According to his agent, Jason Beides, Lezcano will have to wear a cast on his hand for the next four weeks before having another X-ray taken on his hand to determine the healing progress.
Beides said that the injury did not require surgery.
Lezcano was aboard the filly Autumn in a maiden turf race when a horse ridden by Jaime Torres came over on him, causing Autumn to clip heels and fall, unseating Lezcano. Jockey Manny Franco was also unseated, but he was uninjured.
Torres, meanwhile, was suspended 14 NYRA racing days, a penalty that began on April 20.
Franco dominating standings
The Aqueduct spring meet is typically too short for a jockey to dominate, but this spring Manny Franco is doing just that.
Heading into the final week of the meet, Franco has 30 wins from 103 mounts. He has a 19-win lead over both Jose Ortiz (11 for 48) and Dylan Davis (11 for-76), who are tied for second.
Franco has ridden multiple winners on eight straight Aqueduct cards and 11 of 15 at the meet.
The last time a jockey dominated the rider standings like this was in 2017 when Irad Ortiz Jr. won the title with 30 wins, 16 more than runner-up Rajiv Maragh.
Linda Rice leads the trainer standings with 14 wins, six more than runner-up Chad Brown.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.