At Santa Anita, Prat Delivers at a Price

A seemingly nondescript  allowance optional claiming event at Santa Anita Park early in 2010 became notable after the running for a variety of reasons.



The price on the winner, Heavenly n' Free, was reason enough to draw attention. In a field of five going 6 1/2 furlongs she was a 50-1 shot, well above her closest-priced rival—7-1 Small But Mighty, who ended up finishing last.



The way the race played out made it memorable as well. Apprentice jockey Flavien Prat, 17 years old at the time, guided the mare and was between horses early, settled in last place, then squeezed through a tight window on the rail to close and win by a neck.



The teenaged French rider gave a modest fist pump beyond the wire. It was his first American win aboard his 12th mount that year.



It was also a sign of things to come.



After spending his winters stateside and the rest of the season in Europe, and frustrated when he didn't land a top assignment from a European barn, Prat, now 24, is currently in his first full season in North America. He already has 10 wins from 91 starts through March 5 at Santa Anita's current meet.

Almost all of those winners have been at a price.



In his first start of 2015, Prat rode 41-1 Doodetta to a third-place finish in an allowance optional claiming race on Santa Anita's downhill turf course. A few days later, his first of win of the year came on 30-1 closer Athens for trainer George Papaprodromou.  Jan. 15, it was 12-1 Feline Forum in a $40,000 claimer; Jan. 29 it was 8-1 Humoristica; and Feb. 6 it was 35-1 English Art.



Papaprodromou and Richard Mandella, who has been Prat's shepherd in a sense at the request of the Wertheimer family, say the young jockey's ability to score at high prices speaks to his ability and enthusiasm—to get the best he can out of every race.



"Near every horse he's ridden has outrun its price," Mandella remarked one morning at Clocker's Corner. "It speaks to any rider's talent. He's phenomenal—dirt, turf, short, long. I haven't found anything he doesn't do well. I think he's one of the stars of the future."



Then the Hall of Fame trainer gave a thoughtful pause.

"It might not even be far in the future," Mandella continued. "He might be there now. I wouldn't hesitate to ride him in any race in the world."



Making inroads in one of the most competitive jockey colonies in the country, however, hasn't been an easy task. It's a building effort any young rider will encounter, to gain the trust of top trainers and consistently move toward better mounts.



"You need to find good horses and if you don't start on a good step forward, then you get farther and farther behind," Prat said. "Every race, you want to be better than the race before. You need to progress every time. If you stay at the same level, you can't be good."



Although he has had a rough recent streak without a victory, Prat has a good lineup on a loaded Santa Anita card March 7 with five mounts, including 15-1 Pain and Misery for Mandella in the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) and 8-1 Silentio for Gary Mandella in the $400,000 Kilroe Mile (gr. IT).



Both would represent Prat's first graded stakes score in North America, although his biggest win of his career to date is the Prix Marcel Boussac (FRA-I) in 2013.



Prat began coming to Southern California during the winters on the Wertheimer's suggestion, but always went back to Europe until this year. When he first showed up in Southern California in 2009, he caught Mandella's attention right away.

"Immediately, he looked like a natural," the veteran horseman said. "Perfect balance, good hands, acting like he's been doing it for 40 years."



Mandella also gushes about the young jockey's composure and likes to tell a story about Prat's first stakes win at Santa Anita.



"It's rare that he's as composed as he is," Mandella said. "The day after he won that stakes, I didn't know what happened and I said, 'Did you do any good yesterday?' He goes, 'Yeah, I won the stakes.' That was it. Hell, I'd have been jumping up and down, but he's unshakable. He's the same win or lose and there was another guy like that—Bill Shoemaker."

Prat's patience is another aspect trainers have noticed, something not all that common in youthful jockeys. He doesn't need to have the lead to be in contention late.

"(Some younger jockeys) don't know how to ride yet," Papaprodromou said. "He knows how to ride. That's what I like about him. I like his style."

The high praise has inspired Prat's agent, Derek Lawson—who speaks to his client in a French-English mashup and serves as translater in a pinch—to be quite enthusiastic about the young rider's future, along with a number of other fresh-faced jockeys he feels are the next generation of stars.



"There's a new crop of riders who are young and are going to produce," Lawson said. "The Calvin Borels, the Corey Laneries—Albarado, Velazquez—they've gotta move on. Life goes on. Who is going to come up? Who is going to assume their spots?"