Prat off mounts after Del Mar officials say he can't ride

DEL MAR, Calif. - Jockey Flavien Prat, who led the standings at the Del Mar summer meeting and the Santa Anita autumn meeting that ended last weekend, will not ride at Del Mar on Saturday after working horses earlier in the day at Keeneland.

Del Mar officials notified Prat in recent days that would not be permitted to ride if he worked horses at Keeneland because he would not be able to undergo immediate coronavirus testing. Prat was named to ride in three of the nine races on Saturday’s program. Prat is not booked to ride Sunday.

The earliest Prat will ride at Del Mar is Nov. 8. He is booked to ride Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Friday and Saturday next weekend.

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Prat worked Harvest Moon and Madone at Keeneland on Saturday, according to his agent, Derek Lawson. Prat was informed in recent days that he would not be able to ride at Del Mar on Saturday if he traveled to Keeneland to work horses, Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein said Saturday morning.

“He knew what the circumstances were and his options were,” Rubinstein said. “We’ve got to keep everyone safe, especially jockeys.”

For racing on Nov. 7-8, Del Mar officials have developed a program with Scripps Hospital in nearby La Jolla to test jockeys who have ridden Breeders’ Cup races. Riders will go from the airport to Scripps Hospital for immediate coronavirus testing and will be informed of the results within two hours, according to Rubinstein.

If negative, jockeys will be able to ride at Del Mar later those days.

In July, Del Mar lost three days of racing during the summer meeting after a coronavirus outbreak in the jockey’s room, in which several riders tested asymptomatic. Racing resumed the following weekend.

On Saturday, the track’s publicity department announced that jockey J.C. Diaz Jr. had tested positive and is isolating at home. Diaz was asymptomatic when notified Friday that he had tested positive. At the earliest, Diaz can resume riding on Nov. 13, if he tests negative.

Diaz was named to ride one horse on Saturday, which was scratched.

Track officials said all jockeys and jockey's room personnel were tested Wednesday and Thursday before arriving on racetrack grounds for Saturday's opening day.