Bank Frenzy collects his third straight stakes win – and fourth overall – in Sunday’s Haynesfield at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.
LSU Stables’ Bank Frenzy stretched his win streak to four – including three stakes scores – with a victory in Sunday’s co-featured $125,000 Haynesfield at Aqueduct.
The 5-year-old Central Banker overcame another ever-so-slight hesitation at start, took over after the opening quarter-mile and held off another son of Central Banker, General Banker, to win the 1-mile stakes by 2 1/4 lengths. Manny Franco rode the winner for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, who continues to marvel at the gelding bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman.
“He’s as game as they come,” Rodriguez said. “You put him in the right spot, he shows up. He doesn’t need to take his track with him. He can run in the slop, on fast dirt maybe even on the grass, who knows. He’s a solid horse.”
Bank Frenzy, a finalist for champion New York-bred older dirt male honors in 2024, added the Haynesfield to his victories in the Alex M. Robb Stakes in late December and the Stymie Stakes March 1. He also improved to 8-for-16 and earnings of $575,420.
“He can be a little challenging in the morning, but you have to put the work in,” Rodriguez said. “We’re very blessed that Mr. Larry and Randy [Sarf of LSU Stables] put that horse in our barn.”
Bet down to 1-2 in the field of seven, Bank Frenzy chased early leader Just Step On It through the opening quarter in :24 before taking over from that foe.
Franco led Bank Frenzy open up after he seized the lead and they were 1 1/2 lengths in front at the half in :47.10. Radio Red took up the chase while Just Step On It started to retreat on the far turn. Bank Frenzy sailed past 6 furlongs in 1:10.97, still up 1 1/2 lengths as the field turned for home.
“He’s not the quickest out of there,” Franco said. “He’s getting better every race, and I saw he’s cruising there with the field, I thought they were going to give some separation from me, but I was on the best horse. I just let him pass the chute and I ended up on the lead. It was easy enough. He was doing it the right way, so I was happy where I was.
“Like I said, when I broke, the field was bunched up. Everybody was together. My horse was doing it so easily, the right way, I let him go. We ended up on the lead and he was happy after that.”
Bank Frenzy stayed in command through the stretch, passed the eighth pole 2 lengths in front while drifting out slightly inside the final furlong. He won in 1:35.83 over the muddy and sealed track. General Banker finished a neck in front of Locke and Key for the runner-up spot, with Radio Red, Sheriff Bianco, Wynstock and Just Step On It completing the field.
Foaled at the Bromans’ Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Bank Frenzy is out of the Tiznow mare Storm Now. The Bromans purchased Storm Now for $110,000 at the 2015 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale.
Storm Now is the dam of two other winners – the Into Mischief gelding City Mischief ($131,830) and the Awesome Again gelding Broadway Joe ($15,228). She’s also the dam of the 4-year-old Practical Joke filly Funny Forecast, who made three starts last year and returned to the worktab at Belmont Park Saturday; and the 3-year-old Instagrand filly Farm House, a $100,000 purchase by Final Furlong Racing Stable at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. Farm House finished second, third and second in her first three starts, the latest in a maiden-optional March 28 at Aqueduct. She’s already earned $38,480.
The Bromans bred all of those runners in New York, along with Storm Now’s 2-year-old Instagrand filly named In Snows Way. Storm Now also delivered a colt by Jackie’s Warrior March 20 in New York.
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/04/06/bank-frenzy-extends-streak-to-four-in-haynesfield/
Sterling Silver surpases the seven-figure earnings mark with victory in Sunday’s Biogio’s Rose at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.
By Paul Halloran
Sterling Silver, who sold for $13,000 as a pandemic-era yearling, eclipsed $1 million in earnings Sunday with a workmanlike win in the Biogio’s Rose Stakes at Aqueduct.
Making the 29th start of her career, and the seventh since being moved to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, the 6-year-old grey mare sat behind a speed battle between Khali Magic and Bernietakescharge then ran down Sweet Brown Sugar to win by 1 3/4 lengths. The $68,750 winner’s share brought her earnings to $1,006,051.
“She’s very classy, a professional horse. We’ve had a lot of success together. I know her so well,” said jockey Javier Castellano, who has six wins in 14 starts aboard the daughter of Cupid. “She fit perfect today. It was a small field with a lot of speed and she came from behind and got it done.”
Sweet Brown Sugar and Bernietakescharge broke together, but Khali Magic rushed up the rail to take the lead. She and Bernietakescharge ran in tandem into the turn, with Sweet Brown Sugar, Caldwell Luvs Gold and Sterling Silver chasing through a quarter mile in :23.01 and a half in :45.63. Sweet Brown Sugar made the first move, looming on the outside through the far turn as Sterling Silver also hit her stride.
Sweet Brown Sugar took the lead at the quarter pole, but Sterling Silver had her in her sights and it was clear it was a matter of time before she went by, which happened inside the eighth pole. The winning time for the mile on the muddy track was 1:35.70.
“She’s a super cool horse – very consistent,” said Leana Willaford, Mott’s assistant. “I thought she ran really well today. They went pretty quick the second quarter, which was helpful, and she finished like she was supposed to.”
Sterling Silver, who was bred by Mallory and Karen Mort, became the 65th New York-bred millionaire. She was foaled and raised at Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud, where Mallory Mort serves as farm manager. Sterling Silver would have been in the ring at the 2020 Saratoga New York-bred sale but Fasig-Tipton held its yearling sales in Kentucky due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sterling Silver was an RNA and was later purchased privately by Mark Anderson for $13,000.
Sterling Silver is the fourth foal out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, whom Mallory Mort bought in foal to Midnight Lute for $14,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The foal, Midnight Comedy, sold for $45,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Sheet Humor is also the dam of the winning Central Banker mare Helene Jacqueline, who brought $35,000 at the 2018 Saratoga New York-bred sale; and Ortiz, an unraced son of Speighster that sold for $210,000 at the 2019 Saratoga New York-bred sale.
The Morts sold Sheet Humor, in foal to Central Banker, for $3,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. Sterling Silver won her debut at Aqueduct and became a stakes winner in her second start in taking the 2021 Franklin Square Stakes. She has run in 10 graded stakes in her career, including the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She crossed the line first in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom in 2023, but was disqualified and placed second.
Not surprisingly, Sterling Silver has been a force to be reckoned with in races restricted to New York-breds, with a career line of 6-3-2 in 11 starts, all stakes except for her maiden score.
The last foal the Morts bred out of Sheet Humor was Rhetorical, a 3-year-old gelding by Not This Time who sold for $320,000 at the 2022 New York-bred yearling sale. He had a maiden win and ran third in an allowance at Saratoga last summer for owners Siena Farm and WinStar Farm and trainer Will Walden.
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/04/06/sterling-silver-becomes-a-millionaire-with-biogios-rose-score/
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