Franco, Brown, Klaravich Stables take down 2019 NYRA titles

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The final day of 2019 belonged to Jose Lezcano. The year belonged to Manny Franco.

Franco repeated as the leading rider on the New York Racing Association circuit with 212 wins in 2019, four more than Lezcano, who ended the year by winning four races on Tuesday’s eight-race Aqueduct program. Junior Alvarado (161), Irad Ortiz Jr. (152) and Jose Ortiz (137) completed the top five among riders in wins on this circuit, which includes Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga. Franco was also the leading rider in purse money won with $14,674,143.

Franco was the leading rider at the Aqueduct winter and spring meets as well as the Belmont Park fall meet. He won two Grade 1 stakes - the Carter and Jaipur - on World of Trouble and the Grade 1 Champagne on Tiz the Law.

Franco’s last victory of the year came by a nose over Lezcano in Aqueduct’s fifth race on Tuesday. Franco rode Other Things Equal, who was trained by Chad Brown and owned by Klaravich Stables. Brown finished 2019 as the leading trainer at NYRA with 142 wins and purse money won, $15,672,928. It was the fifth straight year Brown has led this circuit in those categories.

Brown, who is favored to win a fourth straight Eclipse Award as the nation’s top trainer, won the Belmont spring and fall training titles as well as the meet at Saratoga and Aqueduct fall. He recorded eight of his 20 Grade 1 stakes wins at NYRA tracks with the likes of Sistercharlie, Guarana, Bricks and Mortar, Dunbar Road, Rushing Fall, and Annals of Time.

Finishing behind Brown in wins were Linda Rice (106), Rudy Rodriguez (90), Todd Pletcher (84), and Jason Servis (74).

Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables led all owners on this circuit in wins with 57 and purse-money won with $5,187,882. Klarman won Grade 1 stakes in New York with Bricks and Mortar and Annals of Time - horses he owned in partnership with Bill Lawrence. On his own, Klarman won stakes in New York with Separationofpowers, Front Run the Fed, and New and Improved.

Michael Dubb, the leading owner in 2018, finished second with 50 wins, followed by Drawing Away Stable (38) and Repole Stable (35). There was a fifth-place tie between Godolphin Stable and M and A Racing (23 wins).