The 2024 summer meet at Colonial Downs began on a weekend with heavy rain falling from the sky and ended with thunder, though it wasn’t sounding from above. The source of the thunder was jockey Manny Franco who tied a decades-old mark for wins on a single day in front of a full grandstand on the final day of racing of the season.

Franco had ridden at Colonial Downs before but not this season. With many nationally known jockeys chasing the Kentucky Downs pot of gold, the day promised to be an opportunity for riders that had hung their tack at Colonial to exhibit their talents during the 12-race card that featured six stakes races in the last running of the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks as they had been known. 

But Virginia Derby day didn’t start out like it was going to be memorable for Franco. It began with a loss, a sixth place finish aboard Abadin over 8 ½ lengths behind the winner in the second race of the day.

Franco had to lobby for his first win of the day. His next mount in the fourth race, a mile and a sixteenth on the turf for two-year-olds, began as a loss when Academy, with Mychel Sanchez aboard, finished a neck ahead of Franco and Patrick’s Promise. Frano’s objection that his rival had veered out multiple paths through the stretch led to a disqualification, moving Patrick’s Promise up for the win for trainer Christophe Clement and owner Robert “Shel” Evans. 

Two races, one drubbbing, one win by DQ. In the next race, though, Franco demonstrated his talent.

Tracking the overwhelming favorite, Franco on Truly Quality monitored Webslinger (4-5) with Antonio Gallarado aboard on the lead. The clock in his head told Franco the favorite’s pace was unsustainable; patience was required in the $150,000 Colonial Cup.

“I think it was all a jockey race, so I want to make sure I break good and get good position,” said Franco after his first stakes win of the day. “I want to be, if not in front, I want to be right behind the leader because my horse is just one pace but I think the fast pace helped me a lot. They kind of came back to me.”

By the time Truly Quality had won by over two lengths, a 26-year-old track record was dropped by nearly two seconds to 2:25.16 for 1 ½ miles..

“We’ve got a good history,” complimented trainer Jonathon Thomas. “I trust him implicitly to do what he thinks is best so it’s very easy. Just leg him up and leave him alone. I thought he saved ground and cut the horse off beautifully and produced him at the right time. There was a little premature move on the backside, and he didn’t take the bait. He just sat in there and did everything that makes him Manny Franco.”

After finishing second with Out On Bail in the $125,000 Rosies, Franco geared up to ride Siesta Key in the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy for two-year-olds going 1/16 miles on the turf. Frontrunning Thrilla went wide turning for home creating a void, and an opportunity. Splitting a seam between two horses on the rail, Franco took the lead from Thrilla running in the center of the course and held off the charge of Aristotle who would finish second.

“They rode out of there in the beginning, so I was just happy with where I was,” cited Franco walking back to the jockey’s room. “Going to the backside, I got better position, so I just let my horse go a little bit.” 

While it was Franco’s first ride on Siesta Key it wasn’t the first time he saw him. He had watched him on video. 

“He’s a horse that you have to ride him. I knew he was going to be a little lazy, so I got to work on him early,” noted Franco. “When I saw (Thrilla) cut to the outside, I said man, I got the perfect trip because I can cut the corner.”

In basketball terms, Franco’s shot was starting to fall. 

In the $150,000 DaHoss going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf, Franco added some international color to his emerging landmark day when he delivered the first North American win for trainer Graham Motion aboard Isivunguvungu, a South African bred making his first start in the North America after six wins below the equator in another hemisphere. In South Africa, the race was being watched well after 11pm. 

“Manny said he was surprised how sharp he was, and he had to settle him a little bit,” stated Motion after the race. 

When leaders Cruizin Man and That’s Right drifted out of the turn, the rail opened up once again and Franco took advantage.

“The horse in front of me was getting out so I have that in mind, so I just keep my position where I was behind him,” recalled Franco afterwards. “When it was time to go I tapped him on the shoulder and the horse was there for me.”

Franco had a quartet of wins, just like Sanchez had the evening before at Colonial when he had set the highest win total for a single day during the meet. Prior to the Virginia Derby Day card, there were a couple of jockeys including Sanchez hoping to catch leading rider Ben Curtis for the riding title for the meet. Curtis’ lead with 24 wins was safe however, because Franco was dominating the racecard.

By the time the $250,000 Virginia Oaks came up on the race card, Franco was winning so much, it seemed only appropriate that he be required to share one. In the stretch duel of the day, Franco aboard Style Points for Clement and Deep Satin with Sanchez aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux squared off shortly after Deep Satin took the lead a little after the three-sixteenths pole before giving it up to Style Points then tried to take it back.

Familiar to many race followers, the longer the time it takes and the more the replays are shown, a dead heat becomes more likely. For a mere second, Style Points was posted ahead of Deep Satin before the dead heat was flashed on the infield toteboard and announced by track announcer Jason Beem.

“I definitely had to win that one because I got disqualified early in the other race where we were fighting, so I definitely had to fight for that one,” joked Sanchez after the race, adding that a few moments after the race even Franco suggested Sanchez might have won. “It’s all fun. It’s all fun really. Really classy of Manny, a great rider. It’s fun to be with him.”

Whether Franco was practicing gamesmanship or not, both got the win with Franco coming off the pace again.

“I followed the right horse the whole way,” Franco said. “I was following (Deep Satin). I thought I was going to go by but I have to give credit to the other filly who battled us to the wire.”

Not in a very conventional manner, Franco with the Virginia Oaks dead heat had equaled the five-win day of Irad Ortiz, Jr., on Virginia Derby day in 2022 when he won the Virginia Derby aboard Capensis for trainer Todd Pletcher. Franco needed the Virginia Derby to reach six.

After pacesetter Izzy d’Oro gave up the lead turning for home in the Virginia Derby, a traffic jam ensued. It appeared that Franco aboard favored Deterministic had retreated, certainly paused three-wide on the turn, and the six-peat was in jeopardy. 

Patient yet again, Franco waited as five horses ahead of him and on the inside found their lanes to the wire, then he found his.

“By the 5/8 pole I didn’t feel comfortable where I was, but as soon as I asked my horse, he responded and put me where I wanted to be going into the far turn,” Franco said. “After that I had a horse outside me, but I was able to get the jump, and as soon as I got into the clear, he gave me a nice kick home.”

The encore happened before an emptying grandstand in the day’s and meet’s finale when Franco, coming from well off the pace again, drove Mrs. Astor to the wire in an optional claiming allowance going a mile and an sixteenth to win by a neck for trainer Jonathon Thomas. 

Franco’s accomplishment is the greatest riding feat in the history of Colonial Downs matching in number the seven races Mario Pino won at Colonial Downs on Sunday, July 7, 2002 – lucky seven, indeed. 

After finishing second the opener, Pino won the next five races in a row before sweeping the late double led off by a win aboard Broad Victory in the $40,000 Somethingroyal Stakes. His seven-win day was on a ten-race card on his way to 33 wins in that meet, and 7,001 in his career. 

Then-little-known jockey Horacio Karamanos won the riding title that year with 57 wins on his way to becoming Colonial’s all-time leading rider.

But Franco’s seven single day triumphs came with unique drama. His stylish wins came on a stakes-filled day that included a track record, a dead heat, a disqualification, the debut in America of a South African talent and the last running of Colonial’s signature race, the Virginia Derby, on turf and in the summer.According to the Daily Racing Form, the best single card record was set by Eddie Castro who won nine winners on eleven mounts on a thirteen racecard at Calder in 2005. Franco, himself had won six races on a single card twice at Aqueduct.

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