Sky Bet Sunday Series: Letsbefrank scoops £100,000 bonus

Connections of Letsbefrank scooped a £100,000 Sky Bet Sunday Series bonus at Pontefract when their progressive stayer gained a last-gasp success in the 2m 1f Sky Bet Build A Bet Handicap. 

The four-year-old had gone close to landing the six-figure sum at Haydock a fortnight ago, only to be denied by a neck. 

This was his last bite at the cherry and for much of the final furlong, it looked like it may again be a case of “so close, yet to so far” as front-running Tenerife Sunshine refused to buckle. 

Paul Mulrennan conjured a bit more from Letsbefrank in the final strides, though, and prevailed by a short head aboard the 4/7 favourite, whose task had been made easier by the defection of the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Godsend. 

There have been several near-misses for Sunday Series bonus hunters over the years, but this is the first time it has been scooped. 

Letsbefrank put himself in line for the bonus with successive wins at Hamilton and Thirsk in June under Amy Waugh, off marks of 60 and 66. 

Then came that narrow defeat at Haydock, off 74, before Sunday’s success off 76. Overall, he has won his owners about £145,000 from Sky Bet this summer, a tremendous amount for a horse of his rating. 

American Affair, a stablemate of Letsbefrank, was also in line for the bonus but he could only finish second in the sprint an hour later. Had he won, the bonus would have been shared. 

It was a fabulous day for the Goldie team as they also scooped the £10,000 Stable Staff Award offered by Sky Bet through the six-race Series.