So, Mrs. Lincoln, we know what you thought of the play. But how about you, Flavien Prat? How was your Breeders' Cup day?
"Nutty," the Frenchman replied. "Adventurous."
Prat was working his way through the departing Oct. 30 crowd at Keeneland, with little Lenny Prat holding onto his dad's hand and the rest of his family behind. The two-time Eclipse Award champion had one of those afternoons that coulda, shoulda, woulda been spectacular if a couple of certain breaks had gone his way. But Prat is not one to complain—at least not in English—since there is usually something for which to be thankful, and he fervently believes in the jockey's creed that a good day is one where you are walking to your car.
Then there is always tomorrow, demain (French for tomorrow), which makes Day 1 of each Breeders' Cup an exercise in table setting for the main course Saturday. Regrets, a jockey will have a few and, in Prat's case, he was still wondering what kind of odd karma was at work to see his name on the program attached to the favored filly Libertango in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and then be sitting in the room to watch her win under her regular rider, British champion Billy Loughnane, for trainer George Boughey.
"I understood that I was named on her because they were not sure Billy could make the weight," Prat said, referring to Libertango's 119-pound assignment.
"Then when he was able to make the weight, they changed their mind."
It seemed as simple as that, but it shouldn't be. According to Brad Pegram, Prat's agent, his rider had the call since Oct. 10, and they turned down other mounts in order to keep the commitment. When the announcement was made Friday afternoon that Loughnane would be riding in place of Prat—no overweight—Pegram's stomach turned.
"That's the first I heard of it," Pegram said. "I called Flavien right away and asked him if he was OK."
The switcheroo required special dispensation from the stewards and, according to Pegram, the winning owner will be obligated to pay Prat the equivalent of Loughnane's winning share of the purse. Not a bad way to make a living, but the deeply competitive Prat would rather earn his prize money out there on the field.
He certainly did that in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) later Friday when Hughes raced to an authoritative victory in their first collaboration for Bob Baffert and a Fortune 500 array of partners. Prat also finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) aboard Miss Monica, also for Baffert, and gave the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) a game try with Avec Toi for fellow Frenchman Christopher Head before missing second by a dirty nose.
With 10 wins in Breeders' Cup events, Prat is steadily easing his way up the standings since his first score 10 years ago in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) aboard Obviously at Santa Anita Park. Two of his 10 wins have come in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), with Sierra Leone at Del Mar and Flightline at Keeneland.
Dreams of a third Classic, though, will have to wait. Prat was keyed up to ride Magnitude in the Oct. 31 main event, but the colt was a vet scratch Thursday, leaving the field to Sovereignty , Golden Tempo, Knightsbridge , and defending winner Forever Young.
"It was disappointing," Prat said. "He looked like he was doing so well. When you think of it, he was the only horse to beat Forever Young this year." That was in March in the Dubai World Cup (G1).
Prat also lost Zulu Kingdom from the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) because of another official veterinary scratch, which still leaves him riding seven of the nine races on the program. He prefers to look at his glass as more than half full, pointing to a pair of live wires from the Chad Brown stable as his best chances—Ways and Means in the Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) and Fully Subscribed in the Distaff (G1)—as well as morning-line favorite Further Ado in the Dirt Mile (G1).
And if there is any justice at all, if the universe would like to tip even slightly toward balance, it would be appropriate for the Irish mare Survie to uncork the race of a lifetime for Prat in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) late Saturday afternoon.
Prat won the Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) in August at Saratoga Race Course aboard the daughter of Churchill, and she returned to New York later to take the Christophe Clement Turf Classic (G1T). More to the point, Survie is trained by George Boughey, and he can be assured Prat can do the assigned 123 pounds standing on his head.
