Future Is Now with Paco Lopez up wins the Franklin for trainer Mike Trombetta and owner Larry Johnson. (Keeneland Photo)
Future Is Now Holds Off Star of Mystery (GB) for the Win
Keeneland Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – R. Larry Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now took command at the eighth pole and held off a late bid from odds-on favorite Star of Mystery (GB) to win the 28th running of the $350,000 Franklin (G2) for fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length Sunday afternoon.
Trained by Mike Trombetta and ridden by Paco Lopez, Future Is Now completed the 5½ furlongs on a firm turf course in 1:01.47 to eclipse the stakes record of 1:01⅗ established in 2000 by Chris’s Thunder.
Stone Silent emerged with a narrow early lead with Pipsy (IRE) and Future Is Now in closest pursuit through a quick opening quarter-mile of :21.17 with Star of Mystery last early in the field of 12.
Stone Silent maintained a narrow advantage entering the stretch with Future Is Now just to her outside before she pushed past at the eighth pole. From the back of the pack, Star of Mystery angled off the rail and began slicing through horses only to run out of ground before the finish.
In winning her fourth stakes, including two graded stakes, Future Is Now improved her record to 14-7-1-1 and boosted her earnings to $601,160 with Sunday’s $169,725 check. Future Is Now is a 4-year-old Maryland-bred daughter of Great Notion out of the Bernardini mare Past as Prelude.
Future Is Now returned $15.76, $5.70 and $4.50. Star of Mystery, ridden by Flavien Prat, returned $3 and $2.48 and finished a half-length in front of Pandora’s Gift (IRE), who paid $10.88 to show under Adam Beschizza.
It was a neck back to Stone Silent, who was followed in order by Frost At Dawn, Kairyu (IRE), Pipsy, Roses for Debra, Accomplished Girl, Awesome Treat, Elm Drive and Dontlookbackatall.
Quotes from the $350,000 Franklin (G2)
Paco Lopez (winning rider of Future Is Now): “Today, (trainer) Michael (Trombetta), he told me the plan for the race. The filly was so great today. She was very comfortable during the race. She was perfect. After a little breather, I asked her and she passed between the horses, no problem at all, and she gave me a big kick.”
Flavien Prat (rider of runner-up and beaten favorite Star of Mystery-GB): “She broke well, but I just wasn’t fast enough. We got covered up. I found myself a bit too far (back) and had to make up that ground. When you come from behind, you have some (traffic). I never ever stopped riding. I mean she had a run all the way down the lane, but I had to pick a spot after spot.”
Adam Beschizza (rider of third-place finisher Pandora’s Gift-IRE): “She was pretty good. I think she’s got her speed pretty dialed after that good run at Presque Isle (Downs in finishing second in the Presque Isle Downs Masters-G2 on Sept. 20 behind Roses for Debra, who was eighth in the Franklin. The Presque Isle Masters marked the North American debut for Pandora’s Gift).
Ortiz Jr. gets his 4,000th victory
The winner of Sunday’s Race 1 was Mark Stanley’s Good Temper, who was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. for the 4,000th victory of his career.
Ortiz has won five Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding jockey and is 2024’s leading rider nationally by wins and earnings.
The Keeneland Spring Meet’s leading rider by wins with 20, Ortiz has four victories to date during the Fall Meet.
Racing resumes Wednesday with an eight-race program beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
