Prat to ride Midnight Storm in Gold Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – The six-time stakes winner Midnight Storm will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 27, trainer Phil D’Amato said on Friday.

The $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita is run at 1 1/4 miles and is the richest race of the track’s spring-summer meeting.

D’Amato said Prat was chosen because he and owners Alex Venneri and the Little Red Feather partnership are seeking a rider who can make a long-term commitment to Midnight Storm. Mike Smith has ridden Midnight Storm in two of his last four starts but is the regular rider of Arrogate, who won the $12 million Pegasus World Cup and the $10 million Dubai World Cup this year.

“If we run in the Pacific Classic, we know Arrogate is planning to run there,” D’Amato said. “Flavien can make a commitment, and that played a big part of it.”

The Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 19 is the top race of the Del Mar summer meeting.

Prat was the leading rider at Santa Anita’s winter-spring meeting. Through Thursday, Prat led all riders at the spring-summer meeting with 18 wins, two more than Rafael Bejarano.

Midnight Storm, 6, has won 10 of 23 starts and earned $1,681,110. Midnight Storm was second in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 11 and third in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap as the 1-2 favorite at Oaklawn Park on April 15 under Smith.

“I’m chalking it up to him not liking the track,” D’Amato said of Midnight Storm’s performance in the Oaklawn Handicap. “He never picked up the bit. Mike said he didn’t feel comfortable.”

The Gold Cup candidates include Collected, who won the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on April 22, Accelerate, Follow Me Crev, and Hard Aces. Bob Baffert trains Collected and said on Friday that he may have another starter among his five nominees.

Lady Eli, second by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf here last November, will start in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares, also on May 27, trainer Chad Brown wrote in a text message on Friday.

Lady Eli has started once this year, finishing second by a head as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Keeneland on April 15.

A 5-year-old, Lady Eli won the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf here in 2014. Her rivals in the Gamely are expected to include Avenge, Goodyearforroses, Mokat, and Pretty Girl.