Geovanni Franco aboard Johnny Strong © Benoit Photo

DAY 16

FORTUNATE FRANCO RECOVERS FROM SPILL TO WIN ONE DAY LATER

The name, Geovanni Franco, registers as Italian.

The birthplace listed in the Del Mar jockey roster says Mexico City.

The word Franco received recently from a family sage took him to yet another place.

“I had to go back to Mexico last year for an emergency, I got to talk to my grandfather and ask where his family came from and he said ‘Spain,’” Franco said Wednesday morning at the track kitchen in the stable area. “But that was a long time ago.”

What Franco, 27, was doing Wednesday morning – exercising horses and preparing to ride four races in the afternoon – was the same thing he did Sunday morning. And his appearance on Sunday was as surprising as the young jockey’s family heritage to those who had seen the spill to which he was a party in Saturday’s 10^th race.

Franco and Corey Nakatani were both unseated and thrown to the turf. Franco came out of it with a bruised foot and was able to ride workouts the next morning and win Sunday’s ninth race on Johnny Strong ($39.80) for trainer Gary Stute. Nakatani incurred a back injury that will require surgery and will sideline him for several months.

“You ever been on a roller coaster? You get to the highest point, you know you’re going down and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s what I remember,” Franco said. “You hope for the best and thank God we came out of it OK.

“We’re still here and we’ve got to keep going. We’re hoping for Corey to have a steady recovery. Assael Espinoza (apprentice who caused the accident) came to the hospital to see both me and Corey. I thought that was a very classy thing to do for such a young (18) kid.”

Franco does not hail from a racing family, but had two uncles who worked at a track in Mexico City. One was a groom, the other a farrier. The farrier, as the story goes, suggested to nephew Geovanni that he shouldn’t be under the horses, but on top riding them. That’s where Franco has been, professionally, since 2009.

He won his first race in March of that year at the Hipodromo de las Americas, Mexico City and soon moved his tack north of the border. He was the leading rider at Turf Paradise in Arizona in 2013, with his current agent James Giannone booking mounts.

Franco and Giannone parted company for two years but were reunited in 2015 and worked at Midwestern tracks – Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Remington Park in Oklahoma and Canterbury Park in Minnesota.

At Canterbury, creative racecaller Paul Allen took to referring to Franco as “The Godfather.” Allen would lapse into an imitation of Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone when Franco approached the wire with a victory well in hand and utter phrases like: “He’s taking care of family business.”

“That was fun,” Franco said. “I liked it.”

To that point, Franco hadn’t seen the movie. He made a point to see it and, of course, liked it.

Equibase statistics through Sunday show a steady annual increase in earnings for Franco with 2018 being a record with nearly a half-year still to go. Franco has 64 wins from 424 starts in 2018 and earnings of $3,130,462. His career totals are 3,869 mounts, 721 wins and $14,013,642.

Franco won the 2017 Oaklawn Handicap on Inside Straight and came to California to ride here for the first time last summer. He was only out west a few months when he had to submit to surgery for an old injury. However, he made an impact early this year riding Fault for Phil D’Amato to victories in the Grade I Santa Monica, Grade II Buena Vista and Grade III Adoration at Santa Anita before she was retired with an injury to start a career as a broodmare.

Through Sunday, Franco had nine wins from 63 mounts at Del Mar, tied for fifth with apprentice Heriberto Figueroa in the rider standings.

“It’s kind of dream to ride here and in California,” Franco said. “I’ve been to a lot of tracks and there’s none like Del Mar. I’m hoping to keep doing good and riding as many winners as I can. I’m still learning every day and I hope I never stop learning.”

CORDIALITY FAVORED IN FRIDAY’S SOLANA BEACH STAKES

Mark Glatt-trained Cordiality drew the outside post in a field of nine and was established as the 5-2 morning line favorite for Friday’s $$150,000 Solana Beach Stakes for older Cal-bred fillies and mares at one mile on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

A 5-year-old daughter of Papa Clem, Cordiality has been freshened since finishing second to Storm the Hill in the Grade III Wilshire at Santa Anita on June 24. In her start previous to the Wilshire, Cordiality produced a win the $101,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes in May. She has eight wins in 22 career starts and earnings of $328,095.

Lynne’s Legacy, trained by Doug O’Neill for Great Friends Stable and partners, was supplemented for $1,500 despite having a two-race winning streak ended when seventh of 10 in the Osunitas Stakes on July 20.

“She’s a Cal bred and she’s in good form right now,” O’Neill said Wednesday morning. “Even though she didn’t win her last race she ran a good (speed figure) number and we think she deserves a chance against Cal-bred stakes company.”

The field from the rail: Queen Bee to You (Flavien Prat, 6-1), How Unusual (Geovanni Franco, 12-1), Shehastheritestuff (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), Lynne’s Legacy (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), How About Zero (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1), Cheekaboo (Gary Stevens, 8-1), Princess Roi (Mike Smith, 8-1), Moonless Sky (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1) and Cordiality (Tyler Baze, 5-2).

FIVE SET TO GO IN SATURDAY’S BEST PAL

Five colts were entered Wednesday for Saturday’s featured $200,000 Grade II Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs on the main track.

Instagrand, a 10-length winner in his June 29 debut at Los Alamitos, is expected to be the odds-on choice when the morning line is released Thursday morning. Four of the entrants are coming off debut or maiden-breaking wins. Synthesis, a son of First Samurai trained by J. Keith Desormeaux, is the only non-winner, having two third-place finishes and one fourth in three starts.

Of those with wins, only Mason Dixon’s was accomplished over the track. The Doug O’Neill trainee, owned by Great Friends Stable and partners, prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths at 5 ½-furlongs under meet-leading rider Flavien Prat on July 21.

“Even though the time of the race wasn’t that fast, the way he did it coming off the pace was solid and showed a lot of quality about him,” O’Neill said. “Being able to retain Prat is also a bonus. Big purse in our own back yard, let’s take a chance.”

The post position draw was scheduled later Wednesday. The entries, in alphabetical order: Instagrand (Drayden Van Dyke), Mason Dixon (Flavien Prat), Owning (Mario Gutierrez), Sparky Ville (Gary Stevens) and Synthesis (Kent Desormeaux).

TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC NOM DEADLINE LOOMS; AROUND  10 EXPECTED

The deadline for nominations to the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, at a cost of $300, is midnight on Thursday. And while supplementary nominations are possible, for a fee of $10,000 by close of entries next Tuesday, racing officials are expecting about 10 on the list when it is announced Friday morning.

The probables in alphabetical order: Accelerate, Beach View, Dr. Dorr, Mubtaahij, Pavel, Prime Attraction, and The Lieutenant. Considered possible: Catalina Cruiser, El Huerfano and Sharp Samurai.

The latest name on the list, The Lieutenant, is a 5-year-old son of Street Sense owned by Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren, Jr., and trained by Mike McCarthy. The Lieutenant, a half-brother to Justify, has one win in six 2018 starts, that coming in the Grade III All America at Golden Gate Fields on May 28. In his last start, The Lieutenant was second to Diversify in the Grade II Suburban at Belmont Park on July 7.

Pacific Classic candidates working out recently were: El Huerfano (5f, 1:02.40, Monday), Dr. Dorr (6f, 1:13.60, Tuesday), and Mubtaahij (6f, 1:13.60, Tuesday).

CLOSERS – Brian Beach, agent for apprentice Assael Espinoza, said that they will be appealing the 10-day suspension handed down by stewards as the result of the spill in Saturday’s 10^th race. Attorney Bing Bush will be their representative at a hearing to be scheduled Thursday morning at a court room to be determined in San Diego … Selected works from 312 officially timed over the past three days. Monday – London Hotel (4f, :46.60), McKinzie (4f, :48.80), Toinette (4f, :49.60), El Huerfano (5f, 1:02.40), Om (5f, 1:01.20), Prince of Arabia (5f, 1:04.60), Dream Tree (6f, 1:13.00); Tuesday – Fatale Bere (3f, :35.00), Instagrand (4f, :50.00), Abel Tasman (5f, 1:00.00), Battle of Midway (5f, 1:01.00), Marley’s Freedom (5f, 1:00.60), Vale Dori (5f, 1:00.00), Dr. Dorr (6f, 1:13.60), Mubtaahij (1:13.60); Wednesday – Diamondsandpearls (4f, :48.60), Miss Sunset (4f:49.80), Yuvetsi (4f, :49.00), Isotherm (5f, 1:01.00) and Shivermetimbers (5f, 1:00.00).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 5, 2018 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 5, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Sunday, August 5, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 47 out of 131 -- 35.88%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 38 out of 82 -- 46.34%

Winning favorites on turf -- 9 out of 49 -- 18.37%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 14 out of 19 -- 73.68%

In-the-Money favorites -- 91 out of 131 -- 69.47%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 19 out of 19 -- 100.00%