He Can’t Win ‘Em All : Canadian Trainer Frank Passero Jr.’s Streak Comes to an End After 14 Victories in a Row

Like all good things, trainer Frank Passero Jr.’s remarkable streak came to an end Sunday.

Since Jan. 24, Passero’s horses had won every race they entered, establishing a national record with 14 consecutive victories.

The previous record was nine in a row, a feat accomplished four times.

If a bettor had made a $2 parlay on the 14 winners, placing all winnings from one horse onto the next one entered, the theoretical payoff would have been $7 million.

“I’m happy the streak is over,” Passero said Sunday after Looksgreat Incourt, his entry in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park, had been beaten by three-quarters of a length. “But I plan on starting a new streak Wednesday.”

Oddly enough, it was jockey Shane Sellers, who had ridden seven of Passero’s 14 winners, who broke the streak aboard Brother Jerry.

Passero found himself under increasing scrutiny as the victories mounted.

The 62-year-old Canadian trains mostly low-level claimers. Before Sunday’s race, he bristled at criticism his winning streak looked fishy.

“There was not a word of criticism of [horse of the year] Cigar when he won 12 in a row,” Passero said. “I don’t have a Cigar in my barn, but I do have lots of Cigarettes.”

Last year, Passero tied Bill Mott for the trainer’s title at Gulfstream and set a Canadian record by winning 89 races at Woodbine.