Among East Coast trainer’s biggest wins was victory over Ghostzapper in Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga.
Dennis Manning built a reputation for getting the most out of horses with modest pedigrees and low auction prices. Manning said he only paid $17,000 for Valid Video, a Florida-bred gelding by Valid Wager who went on to be a Grade 1 winner for him, defeating Ghostzapper in the King’s Bishop at Saratoga in 2003. Grand Hombre, winner of the G3 Pennsylvania Derby that same year for Manning, was an Earle Mack homebred by Grand Slam who went unsold at Fasig-Tipton’s February 2-year-olds in training sale.