2021 Eclipse Awards: Flavien Prat

Flavien Prat, a 29-year-old native of France, enjoyed his finest year yet in the United States since coming here in 2015, achieving personal bests in wins, graded stakes wins, and purse money won to become a finalist for the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding rider. He won 245 races from 921 mounts, and his horses earned $23,098,013, fourth-most in the country.

Prat led all riders in Grade 1 stakes victories with 12, doing so from coast-to-coast. While primarily based in Southern California, Prat won five Grade 1 stakes for New York-based trainer Chad Brown, including the United Nations on Tribhuvan, the Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and Manhattan at Belmont Park on Domestic Spending, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland with Shantisara, and the First Lady at Keeneland with Blowout.

Overall, Prat won 64 stakes, 45 of which were graded. Both figures were good for second best behind only Joel Rosario.

Prat won the Preakness on Rombauer, but then took off that horse to ride Hot Rod Charlie in the Belmont Stakes, finishing second behind Essential Quality but in front of third-place Rombauer. Prat won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Hot Rod Charlie. Prat capped his Grade 1 success in 2021 with an electrifying 11 1/2-length victory aboard Flightline in the Runhappy Malibu on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

:: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Prat won six graded turf stakes aboard Going Global, including the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. He won multiple graded stakes on Blowout, Con Lima, United, Dr. Schivel, Shantisara, and Mo Forza.