Mashallah's easy Prioress win gives Franco Saratoga's riding title
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Manny Franco had won riding titles at Aqueduct and Belmont Park, but had really never come close to accomplishing the feat at Saratoga.
Until this summer.
Franco, 31, clinched his first Saratoga title on Sunday when he guided heavily favored Mashallah to a five-length victory in the Grade 3 $225,000 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
The win was the 68th of the meet for Franco. Flavien Prat had 67 and Jose Ortiz had 66, but both riders are competing at Kentucky Downs on Sunday and Monday, the latter being closing day at Saratoga.
“That was one accomplishment that I have on my bucket list, finally we made it,” Franco said. “I win Aqueduct, Belmont, but I wanted this one for sure; this is the best jockey colony right now, doing it here is exciting.”
The 68 wins tie a Saratoga record set by Ramon Dominguez in 2012. The meet was 40 days that year, Franco did it on day 44 of this summer’s 45-day meet.
Franco also did it a year after he won just 20 races at Saratoga last summer. His previous meet best was 36 wins in 2023.
“You have to turn the page, every year is different,” Franco said. “This year, we came here with a lot of momentum from Aqueduct. I was excited for this summer, so here we are.”
The Prioress was Franco’s 10th stakes win and fifth graded win of the meet. He won three Grade 1s - the Travers, Alabama and Christophe Clement.
“When you win those kinds of races it gets you to [another] level,” said Franco, who is represented by agent John Panagot. “I’m just happy to get those chances and make it happen.”
Franco was given the chance to ride Mashallah for the first time. She was the morning-line favorite, but became the heavy 2-5 post-time favorite with the scratch of Goodall, who suffered a wing fracture of her coffin bone and will be sidelined indefinitely, according to Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm, which owns the filly.
Mashallah, from the outside, pressed pacesetting Vekoma’s Diva through splits of 22.69 seconds and 45.93. Mashallah took the lead coming to the quarter pole and was never threatened through the lane.
Mythical finished second by one length over Hen Party. Minute by Minute and Vekoma’s Diva completed the order of finish.
Mashallah, a daughter of Maxfield owned by the JR Ranch of Jose Aquirre and Rina Camargo and trained by Brendan Walsh, covered the six furlongs in 1:09.83 and returned $2.96 to win. She has now won four of five starts.
“She really takes care of herself in the morning, she’ll do what you ask her to do,” said Ramiro Restrepo, racing and bloodstock manager for JR Ranch. “If you ask her to go fast, she’ll go fast. Easy, easy. And when it got to game day, it’s like a switch goes on in her. I guess the good ones are like that.”
Restrepo said Mashallah will point to the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Oct. 17 at Keeneland.
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