Kentucky Derby prep: Poster wins Remsen; Prat sets record

The 111th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes on Saturday saw a convergence of a jockey in his prime and his horse at the outset of what could be a potential stellar career.

Flavien Prat registered his 80th stakes win of 2024 to set a single-season record, guiding Poster to a victory by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile contest for 2-year-olds at Aqueduct.

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Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Poster, who won his debut in August at Ellis Park before posting a three-length win in October at Keeneland, moved to 3-for-3 to start his career despite making his first start on dirt for trainer Eoin Harty. The Munnings chestnut gained command out of the turn and fended off Aviator Gui’s late charge from the outside, hitting the wire with a time of 1:50.37.

The win gave Prat sole possession of the single-season stakes record, surpassing Irad Ortiz Jr.’s previous mark of 79 in 2022. It also was Prat’s second graded-stakes win Saturday, adding to the Go for Wand (G3) aboard Tizzy in the Sky. That increased his graded-stakes tally in 2024 to 55, tying Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey’s 2003 high-water mark.

“I’m very thankful. There’s a lot of people behind me who supported me all year long, and Godolphin is a big part of it,” Prat said. “They’ve been very supportive of me, and my agent (Brad Pegram) has done a great job as well. Just very thankful.

“It’s good. It’s off my back, and it was something that was in the back of my mind for sure. You never know if that opportunity is going to come again, so it was something that I was definitely trying to achieve. I have great people supporting me all year round.”

Poster earned double-digit qualifying points to Kentucky Derby 2025 with the Remsen offering a 10-5-3-2-1 structure to the top-five finishers. Last year three Remsen contestants made it to the run for the roses, including Sierra Leone who came in third, Dornoch 10th and Domestic Product 13th. Each of the three also won at least one Grade 1 as a sophomore.

Poster, breaking from post 3 in his main-track bow, was content to sit off the pace as Tux led the six-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.95 and the half-mile in 48.59 seconds over the fast track with 4-5 favorite Keewaydin in close pursuit.

Prat tipped Poster out in the final turn, and his charge capitalized on clear running room, repelling Tux’s bid near the rail at the top of the stretch. Aviator Gui with Manny Franco aboard gamely charged from the outside in the final furlong, but the Uncle Mo colt finished a nose shy of the win for trainer Chad Brown. This marked the second consecutive year the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner saddled a runner-up in the Remsen by that margin of defeat.

Tux outkicked Studlydoright by 3 1/4 lengths for third with Keewaydin and Gun Trader completing the order of finish. Surfside Moon was scratched.

Poster is out of winning Tapit mare Pin Up. She is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 victor Bernardini, who took the 2006 Preakness, Travers (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) en route to champion 3-year-old male honors. Harty trained Poster's half-brother Stately Order along with half-sisters Fancy Dress and Betty Grable, all Godolphin homebreds out of Pin Up. 

“He’s got a dirt pedigree, and it wasn’t actually his first. Well, it was his first run on dirt, but he trained on dirt prior to coming to me,” Harty said. “Considering his pedigree, I know the family’s ins and outs, and I didn’t think he’d have a problem with it, and I’m glad to be proven right.”

Poster returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager and more than doubled his career earnings, which stand at $241,628.

“He broke OK,” Prat said. “Going into the first turn he was struggling a bit to get into a rhythm. But then once I got into the turn, he started traveling much better. I felt very well going into the last turn, and I thought (Aviator Gui) was kind of stuck inside, so I moved to try and get the jump on him.”

Aviator Gui joined Sierra Leone last year and Zandon in 2021 as Brown trainees to come within a nose of the Remsen winner. Owned and bred by Three Chimneys Farm, Aviator Gui earned black type in his first career graded-stakes start and first appearance back on the main track after running fourth in the listed Awad in October over the Aqueduct turf.

“I thought he (Aviator Gui) had the momentum to go by, but he needed just a little more ground. He ran a really good race,” Brown said. “He had been training in the morning like he was going to make a big forward move on the dirt, and I’m happy to see that.

“Lugging in in the Remsen again,” Brown continued, with a laugh. “I never really saw that from that horse before, so I’ve got a little bit of work to do with him. He ran good, and he showed he belongs around two turns. We’ll talk to the team at Three Chimneys and probably take him south.”