Keeping Frankel's name in headlines

ELMONT, N.Y. – Bobby Frankel may be gone, but he is hardly forgotten. Each time trainer Chad Brown wins an important turf race, it’s hard not to think of Frankel, for whom Brown worked for several years.

Now there are two horses on the New York circuit whose names and connections will conjure up memories of the Hall of Fame trainer, who died in November 2009.

Bobby On Fleek, a New York-bred son of Frost Giant, won his debut at Belmont on Saturday, which would have been Frankel’s 75th birthday. Then there is Brooklyn Bobby, a son of the European champion Frankel, who went 14 for 14 and has gotten off to a dynamite start at stud. Brooklyn Bobby, owned by John and Jerry Amerman – former clients of Bobby Frankel – and trained by Brian Lynch, is expected to debut at Saratoga this summer.

Bobby On Fleek, trained by Brown, won a six-furlong maiden race by six lengths. He is a homebred for Louis Lazzinnaro, who was close with Frankel.

Lazzinnaro said that when Frankel died, he got out of the game, but he has gotten back in by purchasing a few horses. Lazzinnaro said that Florida horseman J.J. Crupi, who was getting Bobby On Fleek ready on the farm, told him that the horse could run.

“He sounded like a killer – that’s why I decided to name him after Bobby,” Lazzinnaro said. “My daughter actually named him. ‘On Fleek’ is slang for ‘on point.’ ”

The horse was being pointed to a shorter New York-bred maiden race on Sunday, but Brown thought the six furlongs would be better for Bobby On Fleek, and Lazzinnaro wanted to run him on Frankel’s birthday anyway.

“He doesn’t train like an ordinary New York-bred, that’s for sure,” Brown said. “It was nice to see him run to his works, particularly on Bobby’s birthday. It was another great way to honor a great man, a great trainer.”

Brown said Bobby On Fleek would be pointed to either the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 14 or the Funny Cide Stakes for New York-breds on Aug. 26. Both races are worth $200,000 and run at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Bobby will garner interest worldwide when he debuts at Saratoga. His sire, Frankel, has already had seven winners in Europe. Brooklyn Bobby is out of the Grade 1 winner Balance, who is a half-sister to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta.

On Sunday at Belmont, Brooklyn Bobby worked five furlongs in 1:00.57 over the main track, outworking an older stablemate, Infinite Wisdom. It was the fastest of 13 moves at the distance.

“We’re going to take him up to Saratoga and get an opportunity to work him on the grass,” Lynch said. “Fortunately enough, his works on the dirt have been very solid, so we’ll be able to work him on the grass up there and make a determination which surface that we’re going to try him on.”