Prat Walking, to Be Released From Hospital
Image:
Description:
Photo: Benoit Photography
Jockey agent Derek Lawson was caught by surprise when he walked into Flavien Prat's room at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Sept. 23. His rider was standing up, by himself, looking him right in the eye.
"When am I riding?" the 23-year-old jockey joked just six days after breaking multiple vertebrae in his back Sept. 17 at Los Alamitos Race Course.
Prat will be released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and will begin rehabilitation the next morning, Sept. 24. Only a day before, he was on his feet for the first time since his injury, when doctors removed a chest tube that was inserted to treat a punctured lung. In 24 hours, he's already ditched his walker and is walking without assistance.
BALAN: Flavien Prat Walking Again After Back Injury
"He's walking considerably better today—no walker any more, walking all alone," said Lawson, who has been Prat's agent since he relocated from France. "It's amazing the progress he's made considering where we were Thursday."
Prat will still need to spend three months in a body brace before considering a timetable for a return to riding horses.