Jockey Prat gets seven-day suspension for Haskell incident

Monmouth Park stewards have handed California-based jockey Flavien Prat a seven-calendar-day suspension resulting from his ride aboard disqualified Haskell Stakes winner Hot Rod Charlie.

The stewards released a ruling Sunday, Aug. 1 detailing a suspension running from Sept. 7 through Sept. 13. That period comes after the Del Mar meeting, in which Prat is the leading rider with 20 wins - 11 more than the next-highest total for a Del Mar jockey - going into Sunday’s card, but would keep Prat from riding a portion of the rich Kentucky Downs meeting in September. Prat has ridden at Kentucky Downs each of the last three years.

Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified from his narrow Haskell win over Mandaloun and placed last for interfering with Midnight Bourbon at the eighth pole. Midnight Bourbon clipped Hot Rod Charlie’s heels, stumbling badly and unseating his jockey, Paco Lopez. The ruling stated Prat had violated the New Jersey racing rule regarding “Crossing and Weaving.”

Prat’s agent, Brad Pegram, said in a text message that Prat did not plan to appeal in the ruling.

- Additional reporting by Steve Andersen