Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Prat scores Grade 1 triple
ARCADIA, Calif. – Flavien Prat has won or tied for riding titles at four meetings in Southern California since the summer of 2016. Last Saturday, Prat won three Grade 1 races on a card for the first time in his career at Santa Anita on horses bound for Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar on Nov. 3-4.
On Sunday, Prat reflected on the recent riding titles and the big day on Saturday. He was quick to answer which milestone meant more.
“Those days are better,” he said of Saturday.
On Saturday, Prat won the Zenyatta Stakes with Paradise Woods, the 3-year-old filly bound for the BC Distaff on Nov. 3. Two races later, he won the Chandelier Stakes with the unbeaten 2-year-old filly Moonshine Memories, who could go favored in the BC Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4.
Two races after that, Prat rode Avenge to victory in the Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares on turf. She is bound for the BC Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 4.
Last year, Prat, 25, rode his first Breeders’ Cup winner when Obviously won the Turf Sprint. A multi-win Breeders’ Cup is possible this year for Prat.
“They should all run good races, which is great,” Prat said with a smile.
On Saturday, Prat will ride another leading Breeders’ Cup contender in Ransom the Moon, who starts in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in the buildup to the BC Sprint on Nov. 4. Ransom the Moon won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs July 29 at Del Mar to secure a fees-paid berth in the BC Sprint.
On Sunday, Ransom the Moon worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 under Prat.
“He breezed well and felt fine,” Prat said.
Prat on Saturday also rode Solomini, who was a wellbeaten second to division leader Bolt d’Oro in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Prat rode the Bob Bafferttrained Solomini to a win a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 2 at Del Mar.
“It was his first time going two turns, and he ran against a good horse,” Prat said of the FrontRunner. “I think he’ll improve.”
Mr. Roary targets BC Mile
Mr. Roary, who won his first graded stakes in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita last Friday, is a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar, trainer George Papaprodromou said.
Owned by Rustin Kretz, Mr. Roary closed from well of the pace to win the $101,725 Eddie D Stakes. At the Del Mar summer meeting, Mr. Roary was third in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes in July and last of 13 in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 19.
“I don’t know what happened the last time,” Papaprodromou said of the Del Mar Handicap.
Papaprodromou said Mr. Roary is the sort of horse who needs to be actively ridden throughout a race.
“You need to keep him going,” Papaprodromou said. “He’s a little too smart.”
Shenandoah Queen: No Distaff
A minor bout of colic prevented Shenandoah Queen from starting in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita last Saturday and has eliminated her from consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 3.
She could run Nov. 4 in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint at seven furlongs, trainer John Sadler said.
“I have to figure out a plan,” Sadler said.
Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis, Shenandoah Queen won her stakes debut in the Tranquility Lake Stakes on Aug. 25 at Del Mar in a 25-1 upset. A 5-year-old mare by Henny Hughes, Shenandoah Queen was bought privately this year by Hronis Racing.
Ambitious Brew out
Six-time stakes winner Ambitious Brew has been sidelined with a foot ailment, trainer Marty Jones said last weekend, and may not race again until 2018.
A 7-year-old gelding, Ambitious Brew won the Bertrando Stakes for California-bred milers in his last start, which came at Los Alamitos in July. He has not had a workout since mid-August and missed two potential races for him in September – the E.B. Johnston Stakes at Los Alamitos and the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita.
Ambitious Brew won a division of the Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course in September 2016. This year, he has won 2 of 4 starts and was second in the other races, all stakes. Ambitious Brew’s first win this year was the Sensational Star Stakes on the hillside turf course for California-breds in February.
Owned by breeder Pamela Ziebarth, Ambitious Brew has won 9 of 25 starts and earned $669,425.