Tied no more. After weeks of sharing the top of the leaderboard, Flavien Prat surpassed Jerry Bailey Thursday to become the new record holder for most graded stakes wins in a single season. His landmark 56th came in the GII Mathis Mile Stakes aboard King of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), a 3-year-old imported from Ireland late last year to the barn of Phillip D'Amato. A well-seasoned runner over 2024, Thursday's 3-5 favorite came in in plenty good form with only one off-the-board finish from eight starts since hitting American soil in March and a last-out second by just three-quarters of a length when going 1 1/8 miles in the GI Hollywood Derby Nov. 30.
Cutting back to the flat mile Thursday, King of Gosford never made Prat worry, assuming the lead right from the jump when sent from the rail draw to handle the tempo ahead of Atitlan (The Factor) who sat just off in second. Never headed through fractions of :23.24 and :48.04, the favorite turned Atitlan back and kept finding to keep a slim but clear advantage to the wire with familiar rival Stay Hot (Summer Front) relegated to second.
“I think there couldn't be a better place to win it than here at Santa Anita,” said Prat of his record. “It is definitely worth all the work when something like this happens.”
D'Amato added: “He just took advantage of a nice, comfortable pace scenario. Flavien did a great job of nursing him along easily up front, and when it was time to kick on at the top of the lane, showed a big turn of foot. I'm going to give him a 30-day break and then we'll, have him ready to go probably April or so, and hopefully campaign towards maybe a Breeders' Cup Mile.”
Pedigree Note:
A 41st graded stakes winner for Australian sire Zoustar, King of Gosford is out of stakes winner Miss Sugars who went through the ring last year at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 20,000gns. From her four foals, three have raced and two have won including King of Gosford's year older half-sister, Juju (GB) (Kitten's Joy). This is the family of American GISW's Wigmore Hall (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Ocean Road (Ire) (Australia {GB}) who sold for $1.625m at FTKNOV in 2022. Miss Sugars last produced a Kameko filly last year who sold for 32,000gns at Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Thursday, Santa Anita
MATHIS MILE S.-GII, $201,000, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, 1mT, 1:34.49, fm.
1–KING OF GOSFORD (GB), 122, c, 3, by Zoustar (Aus)
1st Dam: Miss Sugars (GB) (SW, $105,102),
by Harbour Watch (Ire)
2nd Dam: Three Sugars (Aus), by Starcraft (Nz)
3rd Dam: Hoh Dear (Ire), by Sri Pekan
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (32,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT).
O-Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT, Gevertz, Saul, Nentwig,
Michael and Peskoff, Jeremy; B-The Miss Sugars Partnership
(GB); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime
Record: GISP, 15-6-2-2, $519,692. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Stay Hot, 122, r, 3, Summer Front–Etsu, by Smart Strike.
($130,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-Burns Racing LLC, Exline-Border
Racing LLC, SAF Racing, Estate of Brereton C. Jones and
Hudock, William Dan; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Peter Eurton.
$40,000.
3–Atitlan, 124, c, 3, The Factor–Armanda (Ger), by Acatenango
(Ger). O-John M. B. O'Connor; B-Anastasie Astrid
Christiansen-Croy (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $24,000.
Margins: 1, HF, 1HF. Odds: 0.70, 2.80, 8.80.
Also Ran: Lord Bullingdon, Cathal (Ire), Call Sign Seven, Heart Headed. Scratched: Curlin's Kaos, Siennois (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
🤴KING OF GOSFORD (GB) ($3.40) passes the crown 👑 to jockey Flavien Prat in the $200,000 Mathis Mile Stakes (G2) at @SantaAnitaPark. Prat got his 56th graded stakes victory on board the @PhilDamato11 trained colt.
Play the last daily double: https://t.co/cROASzQAe9 pic.twitter.com/ow1hyyDyot
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 26, 2024
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