Manny Franco was the leading rider and Chad Brown took the leading trainer title at the 35-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet which concluded Sunday.
Franco, 29, topped the table on the heels of a prosperous Aqueduct spring meet where he won the title with 28 wins. He visited the winner's circle 41 times as part of a 210-41-41-25 record with $3,148,141 in earnings at the Belmont meeting.
“It's special. I have never won this one before, so it's amazing,” said Franco. “I'm so happy to have the opportunity from the owners, trainers, and my agent John Panagot. He's the man behind the scenes. We just hope to keep this momentum going into Saratoga and hopefully, we get some more winners.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. finished second in the jockey standings with 37 wins, while Flavien Prat was third with 34.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown earned his eighth training title at the Belmont spring/summer meet when posting 32 wins.
Brown, who earned his 31st training title at a NYRA meet, was also the circuit's leading trainer from 2015-22.
Linda Rice finished second in the trainer standings with 22 wins, while Christophe Clement finished third with 17 wins.
Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables claimed its 27th owner's title at a NYRA meeting with 14 wins.
NYRA racing shifts upstate to Saratoga, which opens with an 11-race card Thursday.
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