Flavien Prat

In a sit-sprint race that turned out to be a tactical affair, Trikari (Oscar Performance), the lesser-preferred half of an uncoupled, Amerman Racing-owned entry with 8-5 second choice Endlessly (Oscar Performance), sat handy to a sluggish pace, engaged long-time leader White Palomino (Kitten's Joy) at the furlong grounds and just held off a late re-rally from the pace-advantaged front-runner to take Saturday's GI Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes at Aqueduct. Two-back winner of the May 4 GII American Turf Stakes--at cricket-score odds--and exiting a game third in the GIII Penn Mile...

Domestic Product (Practical Joke), a forgettable 13th after getting pinched at the start in the GI Kentucky Derby, showed no mercy on his three rivals in Saturday's GIII Dwyer Stakes at the Big A. Turning back to a one-turn mile, the 3-5 favorite stalked the early leaders from an outside third. He launched while three deep entering the far turn, hit the front as they straightened for home and blasted off to score by 7 1/2 lengths over Hades (Awesome Slew). The pacesetter Billal (Street Sense) was third. "He was...

It's a good time to be Flavien Prat. He has amassed $13.4 million in earnings so far this year, is riding regularly for the Chad Brown barn and, through the first half of the year has won 26 graded stakes, four of them worth $1 million or more. This is what he hoped for when he made the decision in 2022 to leave Southern California, where he was dominating, to come East, which is firmly established as one of the very best jockey colonies in the sport.      ...

Flavien Prat is performing at the top of jockey standings both in New York and on a national stage. The rider joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss his background in the sport, the move from California to New York, the recent impressive win aboard Unmatched Wisdom and more.

MGISW Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) broke her maiden at first asking under the Twin Spires by just over three lengths and that is how her younger 3-year-old half-brother Star of Wonder (Uncle Mo--Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats) tackled a sloppy Sunday afternoon at Churchill Downs. For his efforts, the homebred rose into the 'TDN Rising Star' heavens. Well-backed as the 2-1 second choice here, he bided his time toward the back as the frontrunners set a hot pace of :22.65 for the first quarter mile and :45.35 for the initial half-mile. Keeping off...

Cugino has been knocking on the door of a stakes win for Shug McGaughey since breaking his maiden at first asking at Aqueduct last November. In three starts earlier this year, he's been beaten by a length, a neck and a nose to take second in the Colonel Liam S. at Gulfstream in March and the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland in April. Caught way back last time out, he still rallied in first-time blinkers to be fourth in the GII American Turf S. on Derby Day last month. Adding...

The $400,000 GIII Penn Mile, the lone graded stakes annually on the Penn National stakes schedule, has attracted a competitive field of 10 and, adding further intrigue to an already challenging handicapping puzzle Friday evening, is the presence of some of this country's top reinsmen, making a rare appearance at the Central Pennsylvania oval. A good many were pushing for an Amerman Racing-owned son of Oscar Performance to contest the GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs May 4, but GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Endlessly opted for the GI...

'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) will have a new running mate in the GI Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course on June 8. After watching the GI Kentucky Derby runner-up work five furlongs in 1:02.64 (5/6) on the Oklahoma Training Track Saturday morning, Brown said he was making a rider change. Tyler Gaffalione is out; Flavien Prat is in. Sierra Leone lost the Derby by a nose to Mystik Dan (Goldencents) and finished a nose ahead of Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}). Sierra Leone is owned by...

With the better-known 'Mystik' still in the barn, Mystic Lake (Mo Town) went to the front end and never looked back, rolling home a 4 1/2-length winner over favored Youalmosthadme (Oxbow) in Friday's Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico. A second-out winner at Woodbine last fall, she was runner-up in that venue's Glorious Song S. on the synthetic in October before weakening late to be third in the GIII Mazarine S. in November. Kicking off 2024 with a win in Tampa's seven-panel Gasparilla S. on the dirt Jan. 13, the Florida-bred...

Just five months after bringing 700,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale, Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB})  impressed in her North American debut with a last-to-first win in the GIII Soaring Softly S. at Belmont's The Big A meet Sunday. As a juvenile in her native Ireland, she won two of her three races including a listed stake before heading to auction where Woodford Thoroughbreds stuck the winning bid and imported the filly to race out of the William Walden barn. The tepid 3-1 favorite had her backers watching on nervously...

Albaugh Family Stable's Catching Freedom (Constitution) is being considered for a start in the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico a week from Saturday, Jason Loutsch, co-owner and racing manager for the operation, told the Pimlico media office. Settled far off the strong early pace of the GI Kentucky Derby by Flavien Prat, the $575,000 Keeneland September yearling made a long run into contention, sneaking through inside in upper stretch before staying on into fourth, beaten two lengths behind the three-horse photo. Loutsch said the GII Louisiana Derby winner, trained by...

Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) gave Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown a fourth winner of the GI Old Forester Turf Classic S. in the last six years, fighting his way past Godolphin's Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the shadow of the winning post for a dramatic victory. A 4-1 chance making his 4-year-old debut and first start since narrowly defeating Webslinger (Constitution) in last year's GI Hollywood Derby, Program Trading left there running, and when Never Surprised (Constitution) rolled up to lead and when...