Prat Makes Smooth Transition to New York

Successful jockeys must have an internal stopwatch that can tell them whether a horse is traveling at a :46 or :48 pace.

Their career hinges on a superlative sense of timing.

All of which explains why Flavien Prat is now riding in New York on a daily basis.

He knew the timing was right.

"I have wanted to ride in New York for a while, and I knew if I was ever going to do it, this was the time," Prat said. "My two children are 3 years old and 6 months old, and if I continue to wait, they would be in school and have friends and it would be much harder on everyone to move."

So now, after dominating California racing for the last three years, Prat and his wife, Manon, and children, Elena and Lenny, are living in Garden City, N.Y., not far from Belmont Park, as the 29-year-old rider takes the initial strides in a huge step forward in his career.

"I liked riding in California, but it seems like you get more credit when you ride and win in New York," Prat said. "I believe there will be more recognition for winning in New York, and that will help my career."

A native of France, Prat's decision to move from one coast to the other created rumblings in both locales. 

In California, there were smiles from fellow jockeys and their agents, knowing the rides on a plethora of top horses were suddenly up for grabs after belonging to Prat for the last few years. Since 2019, the last three riding titles at the Santa Anita Park winter/spring meet and the Del Mar summer meet were captured by Prat, who won the 2021 and 2020 crowns at "The Great Race Place" by landslide 32- and 29-win margins, respectively. The shadow he cast over Southern California racing can also be seen in how he is still second among the leading riders at Santa Anita, even though he stopped riding there on a daily basis April 3 when he started his trek east with a month-long stint in Kentucky.

Yet for all of those wins, as well as victories aboard Country House   in the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and Rombauer  in the 2021 Preakness Stakes (G1), the only time he received enough support to become an Eclipse Award finalist was last year.

Prat lost out in the voting to Joel Rosario, who became the 12th straight jockey based in New York for most of the year to be honored with the Eclipse Award. Both Prat and his agent, Brad Pegram, knew that where those riders (Ramon Dominguez, Javier Castellano, Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz Jr., and Rosario) called home was not a coincidence, and that even after posting career highs in wins (246) and earnings ($23.2 million) in 2021, it was time to head east, young man.

"I believe there will be more recognition for winning in New York," said Prat, a 2009 champion apprentice in France who moved to the United States in 2015 and has 1,321 North American wins and earnings of $108.6 million (through June 2). "Obviously, there are a lot more racing days in New York, and I felt I could get good support from the trainers and make it work. I also like the competition here in New York. This is how you become a better rider and that brings you to a better level. You want to face the best riders and win."

And with that desire urging him on, the nation's premier jockey colony added even more star power and the competition for mounts became far more intense among a star-studded group that features the Ortiz brothers, Luis Saez, Rosario, John Velazquez, Castellano, and solid year-round riders Kendrick Carmouche, Dylan Davis, Trevor McCarthy, Jose Lezcano, and Manny Franco. 

Looking ahead, Prat's presence will be heralded June 11 when New York's biggest card of racing unfolds on Belmont Stakes Day. While Prat is unlikely to win the Belmont Park riding title, his mounts on an afternoon with eight grade 1 stakes include two of the day's biggest stars: We the People , one of the favorites in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), and Flightline , the undefeated odds-on choice in the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

"Prat is a phenomenal rider," said Steve Rushing, agent for three-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr., who has won 21 NYRA titles. "Anytime a rider like him comes into a new place it's definitely going to have a trickle-down effect on all the riders. Everyone is going to be asking for his services. It was a loaded jockeys' room to begin with and he made it that much tougher. The trainers have a lot of options."

Though Pegram also serves as Hall of Famer Mike Smith's agent, he had enough faith in Prat's ability to make a seamless transition to the New York Racing Association circuit that he followed his rider's lead and moved to the Big Apple, settling not far from him in Valley Stream, N.Y.

"I thought it was a smart thing to do. It was a great idea," Pegram said about Prat's decision. "He had success riding in New York on occasion the last few years, and I knew he would fit right in."

The timing was also perfect on another level. By riding at the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, it will allow Prat enough time to establish himself and gather momentum heading into NYRA's marquee meet at Saratoga Race Course, when the sport's top horses, trainers, owners, and jockeys gather for an unparalleled 40-day meet in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

"To go into Saratoga without being at Belmont would be difficult," said Pegram, who expects Prat to return to California for the winter before heading east again next spring. "Saratoga is a special meet and we're both looking forward to it."

Though Prat's early days in New York have been slowed by a May 8 start on a regular basis, a three-day suspension, and a trip back to California for the Memorial Day stakes, he has already made important inroads with New York horsemen, especially Chad Brown, New York's leading trainer the last seven years.

Prat and Brown teamed for grade 1 wins across the country in the last year with Zandon , Domestic Spending , Tribhuvan , Shantisara , and Blowout, and Prat rode Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Zandon to a third-place finish in last month's Kentucky Derby for the four-time Eclipse winner. With Prat now in New York, Brown has made frequent use of the French rider and has been rewarded with five of Prat's 10 wins in his first 42 mounts at Belmont Park.

"He's ridden some nice horses for us and it's a partnership that's gotten off to a good start the last few years, and now to be able to work with him on a regular basis enhances it," Brown said. "He's very talented and driven. He's always working on his profession. He's in excellent shape. He studies his races and gives terrific feedback. He has a wonderful personality and that makes him easy to work with and helps to build a great working relationship. Whatever team he is on, he will make better. I couldn't be happier to have him as one of the group of jockeys we're lucky enough to have on our horses."

In particular, Brown has enjoyed having Prat available to work his most promising runners. 

"Even in the mornings it's been a real pleasure to work with someone like Flavien who is that dedicated, talented, and respectful," Brown said. 

For Prat, having Brown in his corner has been a much welcomed boost.

"Chad is a great trainer and to get a chance to ride for him is a great opportunity," Prat said. "When you have a chance to ride for Chad, you have to take it."

Brown still uses the Ortiz brothers extensively, putting Jose on Preakness winner Early Voting , and having Prat in New York only underscores his preference for having several options for his large stable as opposed to a single, regular rider.

"It's all positive when you can have that many great riders available on your team, as I call it," Brown said. "I try to match up the right jockey with the right horse. It brings me a great sense of accomplishment when I can spread out a lot of the success through several jockeys as opposed to one. It's not true that any jockey can get the job done. A lot of these jockeys we use can make a difference in a race."

The Belmont Stakes Day card promises to serve as Prat's introduction as a full-fledged member of the New York riding colony to a national audience. In Flightline, he has the mount on one of the sport's most electrifying runners who will try to keep his perfect record intact while stretching out to a mile for the first time in the Met Mile.

"He's been very impressive," Prat said about the grade 1-winning Flightline, who has won his three career starts by a combined 37 1/2 lengths. "He has done everything we've asked of him."

He will also be in the spotlight and have a bull's-eye on his back in the featured Belmont Stakes, riding one of the top three favorites in We the People, a son of Constitution   owned by WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH, and Siena Farm. Prat guided the fleet 3-year-old to a 10 1/4-length, front-running victory May 14 in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan Stakes (G3) over a sealed, good track at Belmont. In a final leg of the Triple Crown short on early speed, how Prat nurses We the People in the early stages of the 1 1/2-mile "Test of the Champion" should have a pronounced impact on the outcome.

"Having Flavien on him gives you a lot of confidence," said Rodolphe Brisset, who trains We the People. "He's such a good rider."

Should Prat work out a winning trip with We the People, it will put him in the select company of jockeys who have completed a personal Triple Crown, and the even smaller number who accomplished the feat before turning 30.

"I liked the way We the People ran in the Peter Pan," Prat said. "We were confident he would run a good race and he did. The mile and a half is a question mark, but we're all in the same boat. The key thing about a race like the Belmont is getting your horse to relax. You have to get him comfortable and then you can see how far he can go. The Belmont is the kind of race you want to win. There is so much history behind it and the Triple Crown, and I would love to win the third one and add it to the other two."

Could it happen? Is he on the right horse at the right time? In less than a week, after a one-lap trip around Belmont Park decides the Triple Crown finale, we'll know if the timing is once again right for Flavien Prat.