Letsbefrank wins £100,000 Sky Bet Sunday Series bonus
By Sporting Life
18:31 · SUN August 18, 2024
Letsbefrank prevailed in a tight finish at Pontefract on Sunday to become the first horse to win three races in the Sky Bet Sunday Series and earn connections a £100,000 bonus.
Letsbefrank had been agonisingly denied at Haydock two weeks ago but came out on top at Pontefract, beating Tenerife Sunshine by a short-head having been sent off the 4/7 favourite following the withdrawal of market rival Godsend.
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That gritty success guaranteed his owners at least £50,000 but that sum was upgraded after American Affair, who is also trained by Jim Goldie, failed to win his third race in the series later on the card.
Following Letsbefrank's hard-fought victory, Goldie told ITV Racing: "We decided to drop in at the back and give him a target. I thought he was going to come undone, but he stuck his head out so that was the main thing, a short-head wins races."
Jockey Paul Mulrennan, speaking to Racing TV, said: "He's still learning the job. Jim said 'let's switch him off early, don't think about winning the first mile of the race'. I just think maybe at Haydock I probably committed soon enough on him. You've got to remember he's still a young horse, he's not got that many runs under his belt and when you look at him he's still nowhere near furnished and I think he'll be a better horse next year.
"You never like to see a Johnston horse get a soft lead like that and when we got into a ding-dong he wasn't for lying down, but our lad is really game and wants to win."
Mulrennan added: "You've got to give all credit to Jim and his team. Jim has been going on about these races since the winter and is already talking about the winter campaign now - he's always got a plan for these horses. It's hard to win a race, never mind two, but to win three of these is a fair achievement and takes a bit of doing."
Letsbefrank won Sunday Series handicaps at Hamilton and Thirsk in June. He was then third in a good handicap at York - in a race outside the series - before narrowly missing out on the bonus at Haydock two weeks ago when he was beaten a neck by Arrange.
Stablemate American Affair had won handicaps at Musselburgh in April and Thirsk in June before also losing out by a neck at Haydock a fortnight ago. He finished in second on Sunday to ensure Letsbefrank scooped the entire prize.
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