Prat and Clement form French connection for turf festival races

DEL MAR, Calif. – Flavien Prat, who rides United in the Hollywood Turf Cup on Friday for Richard Mandella, has landed mounts in all seven of the turf festival races next week, including a pair for fellow Frenchman Christophe Clement, who will use Prat aboard Candy Store in the Red Carpet on Thursday and Gucci Factor in the Seabiscuit on Saturday.

Gucci Factor has won four of his last five starts, most recently the Mohawk for New York-breds at Belmont Park.

Candy Store is 0 for 3 this year and is seeking her first stakes win in this country. Among those she will face in the Red Carpet – a 1 3/8-mile race for females – is Siberian Iris, second in the race last year.

In the Grade 1, $300,000 races that highlight closing weekend, Prat rides Moody Jim for Jeff Mullins in the Hollywood Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday, and Toinette for Neil Drysdale in the Matriarch on Dec. 1.

The Matriarch, a one-mile grass race for females, is shaping up as a terrific race. It is headed by Got Stormy, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Others expected for the Matriarch include Daddy Is a Legend – second in the race last year behind Uni – as well as Heavenhasmynikki, Juliet Foxtrot, Significant Form, Simply Breathless, and Storm the Hill.