Prat Makes Early Impact at Del Mar
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Photo:
Eclipse Sportswire
Twenty-two year old French-born jockey Flavien Prat scored his first two Del Mar wins Friday, guiding Xoxo for trainer Peter Miller in the fifth race and Baruta in the sixth for trainer Richard Mandella.
“Everybody knows it’s a great meeting so, yeah, it was very exciting for me,” Prat said of the wins. He credited the horses, more than anything he did, for the victories.
Prat was born in Melun, France, the son of a harness trainer. He has been around horses all his life. “I don’t know if I was born to be a jockey, but it was always in my mind,” Prat said. “I didn’t think of any other job.”
He rode his first winner at Fontainbleau, France in September of 2009 and came to the U.S. later that year, getting his first stateside opportunity at Hollywood Park and notching his first win on January 15, 2010 aboard Heavenly n’ Free ($103.40) at Santa Anita.
His riding itinerary since 2009 has been winters in the U.S. and summers in France until this year when he decided to come to Del Mar. French-born trainer Leonard Powell and Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella have been supporters since the start and his client list keeps growing. Veteran agent Derrick Lawson was initially drawn to Prat because Lawson is fluent in French and the combination has clicked to the point that Prat is No. 36 among North American jockeys in 2015 with 51 wins from 387 starts and earnings of $3,007,411.
“He’s a coming star, I think,” Mandella said. “He has been coming to work with me for the winters since he was 18. His record speaks for itself. Just a terrific, gifted rider and terrific person with it. I can’t say enough about him, I think the world of him.”
Prat recorded his first North American graded stakes win for Mandella aboard Catch a Flight in the Grade III Precisionist Stakes at Santa Anita on May 2 of this year and scored again for Mandella in the Grade III American Stakes a week later.
Prat rides Twentytwentyvision in today’s Grade I Eddie Read Handicap.
“He (Twentytwentyvision) has been running very well in allowance races and it’s time to test the deeper waters,” Mandella said.
2014 DEBUTANTE CHAMP RETURNS IN SAN CLEMENTE
Sunset Glow was last seen at Del Mar on August 30, 2014 winning as the favorite in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante.
The daughter of Exchange Rate, owned by Ten Broeck Farm and trained by Wesley Ward, was last seen in Southern California in a runner-up effort to Lady Eli in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on October 31 at Santa Anita.
Sunset Glow is now back at Del Mar and has been made the 5-2 opening line favorite in a field of nine for Sunday’s $200,000 Grade II San Clemente Handicap. Two 2015 starts for Sunset Glow have resulted in a third-place finish to undefeated Lady Eli – until recently injured the best 3-year-old turf filly in the country – in the Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland and second as the favorite in an overnight stakes at Belmont Park.
“She didn’t run bad in either race back east. She shipped in well and she’s eating good and acting happy,” said Blake Heap, who handles Ward’s horses on the West Coast.
Sunset Glow swept the Sorrento Stakes and Del Mar Debutante to earn honors as the top 2-year-old filly of the 2014 meeting.
“She hasn’t been here long enough to see if she’s training any different (from last year) but she doesn’t look any different,” Heap said.
The San Clemente field from the rail out: Championessa Dolce (Flavien Prat, 20-1), Sunset Glow (Gary Stevens, 5-2), Moyo Honey (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1), Pammy Whammy (Martin Garcia, 20-1), Prize Exhibit (Sal Gonzalez, 7-2), Paulina’s Love (Tyler Baze, 8-1), Her Emmynency (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Screaming Skylar (Victor Espinoza, 15-1) and Spirit of Xian (Joe Talamo, 4-1).
CLOSERS – For the first season since 1998, Man about Racing Jeff Siegel is spending extensive time at Del Mar for the summer meeting. Siegel, whose horse racing resume includes owner, breeder, syndicated handicapper, writer and broadcaster, summered at Del Mar from 1975-1998 before the multitude of activities required his presence in the Los Angeles during Del Mar’s July-September run. Recent events, specifically the merger of TVG and HRTV, have freed up Siegel for a return which he said he is enjoying. As an owner Siegel has trimmed his stock to one horse (“Although I won’t say I’ll never buy another”), Extant, who ran in the opening-day Oceanside Stakes … Selected workouts from 202 officially timed Saturday morning: American Pharoah (6f, 1:11.40; Hoppertunity (6f, 1:12.60), Majestic City (6f, 1:14.60), Sky Kingdom (6f, 1:14.40), Fame and Power (5f, :59.20), Bolo (4f, :47.00), Kobe’s Back (4f, :47.40). Hoppertunity and Majestic City are prepping for the $200,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap on Saturday, July 25.
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
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