Prat hopes to return for Santa Anita's opening day

Jockey Flavien Prat is hoping to resume riding Dec. 26, opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, more than three months after injuring his back in a two-horse spill at Los Alamitos.

On Wednesday, Prat said he had started physical therapy in the last week. After the Sept. 17 riding accident, in which he fractured five vertebrae, Prat was told by doctors he would need three months’ rest before beginning therapy and likely wouldn’t be able to ride until late winter.

Prat has a doctor’s appointment next week that could determine how quickly he can accelerate his therapy. He said he is no longer using the support brace he wore after the accident.

“I took off the brace, and I can do some sport,” said Prat. “I started nice and easy.”

The physical therapy includes riding a stationary bicycle and working with weights, he said.

“We’ll go step by step,” he said. “I hope I can be ready for opening day. That would be great. If I’m not ready, that’s okay. When I ride, I want to ride like I did before. I feel better. I’m excited to be getting back.”

Prat, 23, has excelled in his first full year riding in the U.S. In prior years, Prat would ride in California in the winter and return to his native France to ride the bulk of that nation’s turf-flat season. Last fall, Prat, who had his first mount in the U.S. in 2009, decided to ride in the U.S. on a year-round basis.

This year, Prat has won 83 races, and his mounts have earned $5,177,995. His stakes wins include the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes aboard Wild Dude in July at Del Mar and the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes aboard Catch a Flight in May at Santa Anita.

During his recent break, Prat has attended English-language classes.

“I’m not speaking like an American jockey,” he said. “I need to be able to respond. Right now, I’ve got nothing to do.”