Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Prado nearing another milestone
Bouncing back from a difficult winter in Florida, Edgar Prado has ridden well since returning to Maryland, consistently placing his horses in the proper spots. Through Thursday, he was 7 for 30 at Laurel Park. He also had a little win two weeks ago at Charles Town.
The Hall of Famer gave Something Awesome a pictureperfect ride to take the Grade 2, $1.2 million Charles Town Classic, getting the jump on runnerup War Story and keeping his rival in tight quarters between horses into the stretch. The neck victory was Prado’s biggest since 2016, when he guided Miss Temple City to Grade 1 victories in the Shadwell Turf Mile and the Matriarch for trainer Graham Motion.
“It was an important win for me at this stage of my career,” said Prado, 50. “We were in tight. I tried to be intimidating.”
Prado is on the verge of becoming the eighth rider in history to win 7,000 races. Entering Friday, he was four wins shy of taking his place alongside Russell Baze (12,842), Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), Bill Shoemaker (8,833), Pat Day (8,803), David Gall (7,396), Chris McCarron (7,141), and Angel Cordero Jr. (7,057).
Prado ranks seventh in career mount earnings with more than $266 million.
“I am happy and excited about the milestone,” Prado said. “I would not have been able to do it without the help of God, my family, and all of the trainers and owners who have given me opportunities.
“I have been very blessed in my career. I’ve been able to stay away from serious injuries and am fortunate to feel as good as I do. I would especially like to thank Graham for his support. He has always been there for me.”
Prado began riding in his native Peru in 1983 and came to Florida in 1986. Trainer Bob Klesaris brought Prado to New England in 1988 and then jumpstarted his career the following season when he sent him to Maryland with a division of his stable.
Prado went on to win 24 riding titles at Laurel Park and Pimlico from 1991-99. He led the nation in victories three times and in 1997 won an amazing 536 races. No rider has won 500 races in a year since. The only others to have done it are Kent Desormeaux (598 in 1989), Chris McCarron (546 in 1974), and Sandy Hawley (515 in 1973).
When Prado was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2008, he asked Klesaris to be his presenter. For the last six years, Klesaris has been Prado’s agent.
“When Edgar was young and starting to improve, you couldn’t see the ceiling,” Klesaris said. “He kept getting better and better, and it kept getting higher and higher.
“The thing about Edgar is he’s like a keg of dynamite. He is so competitive, but he’s quiet, well-mannered, professional. You don’t see it. It’s all on the inside. He is so smooth on a horse, you don’t see the aggressiveness.”
Prado left Maryland in 1999 and began the most important chapter of his career when he accepted an offer from trainer John Kimmel to ride at Saratoga. Prado finished second in the Spa standings and never looked back, eventually winning 11 New York meet titles.
In 2014, Prado transitioned to Florida, and in 2016, he returned to Maryland.
Prado has won some of the most prestigious awards in racing. In 2003, he was voted the George Woolf Memorial Award by his fellow riders for maintaining high standards of personal and professional conduct. In 2006, he was given the Mike Venezia Award for extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship and won the Eclipse Award as the year’s outstanding jockey.
Steve Rushing was Prado’s agent for 13 years. They teamed up at Suffolk Downs in 1987, and Rushing represented him in Florida, Maryland, and New York.
“Edgar has a terrific work ethic,” said Rushing, who now represents Irad Ortiz Jr. and Trevor McCarthy. “He was getting a lot of days at Suffolk starting out, but then we went to Calder and Gulfstream, then Maryland. He cleaned up very quickly.
“Obviously, he was a great finisher. He rode the grass terrific. He could do it all. And
he still can. He hasn’t forgotten how to do it, he just needs the opportunity.”
Prado has won the Belmont Stakes twice. He ended War Emblem’s Triple Crown bid in 2002 on 70-1 longshot Sarava and Smarty Jones’s shot at the sweep in 2004 on 36-1 Birdstone. He will always be remembered for his 6 1/2-length victory aboard Barbaro in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.
Prado has won five Breeders’ Cup races. In 2015, he took the Sprint on Runhappy. In 2010, he won the Filly and Mare Turf with Shared Account. He also came out on top in the 2006 Distaff with Round Pond and in 2005 pulled off a double with Folklore in the Juvenile Fillies and Silver Train in the Sprint.
Although he won only twice over the winter in Florida and his 383 mounts and 54 wins last year were his lowest in decades, he is still hungry and has no intention of retiring.
“The people and horsemen need to see me winning, and then more chances will come,” he said. “It’s all about winning.”
Prado is an avid runner and is disciplined about his diet and daily routine. After he rides his 7,000th winner, he said he will set his sights on catching Cordero on the win list.
“I have been riding since I was 8 years old in Peru,” Prado said. “I have ridden horses all my life. It is part of me. As long as I am healthy and winning, I will continue to ride. I still have a passion for the sport.”