Frankie’s Empire springs the upset in the Swale (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— Frank DeLuca’s Frankie’s Empire, a 14-1 longshot ridden by Miguel Rivera and running out of a new barn, took the lead from Billal inside the eighth pole and drove to a convincing 3 ½ length victory in the 39th running of the Swale.
A 3-year-old son of Classic Empire out of the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Donna D, Frankie’s Empire covered the seven furlongs in 1:24.22.
A winner at 2 at Monmouth and Delaware and a third-place finisher in the Sapling, Frankie’s Empire entered the Swale off a victory Dec. 26 at Parx going 6 ½ furlongs before making his 3-year-old debut a winning one for trainer Michael Yates.
Under Vasquez Frankie’s Empire broke well and chased a :22.46 and :45.24 pace set by Billal. Moving four-wide around the turn, Frankie’s Empire drew alongside the pacesetter before driving away inside the final sixteenth.
“Susan Crowell, the previous trainer, I guess the weather was bad and [after] he won an allowance race they wanted to try him in Florida and see what shook out,” Yates said. “So they shipped him down and we picked it up and moved forward. We haven’t had him that long, maybe three weeks. Long enough to get to know him a little bit and get a breeze over the track.
“I was surprised that he was as close as he was, but after talking with Susan, he’s just kind of coming, mentally. He looks kind of like a lumbering horse. He trained like that prior to his breeze, and we breezed him in company, and he really woke up after his breeze. I was cautiously optimistic after I saw him go this week.”
Frankie’s Empire returned $30. Le Dom Bro for the place and Grand Mo the First, coming into the race off a third-place finish in the Zuma Beach (G3) in October, was third.
