Prat snags mount on Dortmund in Pacific Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. – Flavien Prat, the leading rider at the Del Mar summer meeting, will ride Grade 1 winner Dortmund for the first time in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 20.

Trainer Bob Baffert said on Friday the decision was finalized after Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens chose to ride the mare Beholder, who won the 2015 Pacific Classic.

Stevens rode Dortmund to a second in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 23, losing by a half-length to California Chrome, the favorite for the Pacific Classic. Stevens rode Beholder to a second-place finish by a half-length to Stellar Wind in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar on July 30.

Stevens has ridden Beholder in her last eight starts, seven of which were wins.

Dortmund has won 8 of 11 starts and earned $1,752,480 for owner Kaleem Shah. The San Diego Handicap was his first start since November.

Prat has ridden sporadically for Baffert, winning 3 of 6 starts in the United States for him. In March, Prat rode the Baffert-trained Hoppertunity to a third-place finish behind California Chrome in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

“He’s a strong rider,” Baffert said.

As of Friday, there were nine candidates for the Pacific Classic, the track’s richest race. California Chrome, Dortmund, and Beholder are the leading contenders. Other probable starters are Dalmore, Hard Aces, Hoppertunity, Imperative, War Story, and Win the Space.

On Friday, Beholder was ponied on the main track. Trainer Richard Mandella said he was confident about the mare’s chances in the Pacific Classic.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Mandella said.

The Pacific Classic is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering a fees-paid berth to the $6 million BC Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

Hard Aces won the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at 1 1/2 miles on July 24 and was sixth in the 2015 Pacific Classic. Such a lucrative race is hard to pass, said trainer John Sadler.

“He’s in good shape, he’s ready to go, he’s here, and it’s a big pot,” Sadler said.

Santiago Gonzalez will have the mount on Hard Aces. Beholder and Hard Aces, both 6, are the oldest runners in the expected field. Dalmore, who won the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on July 2, is the lone 3-year-old among the probable starters.