Six-win day puts Prat in rare company

Jockey Flavien Prat had a quick commute on his way to making Santa Anita history on Sunday.

Prat is staying in an RV in a track parking lot on race nights during the coronavirus outbreak, a short walk to the jockeys’ room. That path led Prat to a career-best day Sunday in which he won six times from nine mounts on a 10-race program.

“It was one of those days when everything worked out,” Prat said late Sunday afternoon. “It was really nice.”

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Prat won the first race with Querelle ($10), the fourth with Noor Khan ($7.60), the fifth with Bud Night ($4.80), the sixth with Collusion Illusion ($7.40), the eighth with Bellafina ($3.60), and the ninth on Harper’s Gallop ($8).

A successful day was not a complete surprise to Prat.

“To be honest, I thought I had some good chances,” he said.

Prat won five races on a program at Del Mar last August. He is the first jockey to win six races on a program at Santa Anita since Rafael Bejarano did so in 2016.

There have been 14 occasions in track history when a jockey has won at least six races. Laffit Pincay Jr. holds the all-time record, winning seven times on March 14, 1987. Pincay also won six races on Feb. 17, 1973, and March 4, 1981.

Jockeys Sandy Hawley, Darrel McHargue, Corey Nakatani, Martin Pedroza, Bill Shoemaker, Steve Valdez, and Pat Valenzuela all had six-win days. Hawley and McHargue accomplished the milestone twice. Hawley achieved the feat twice in the same season – Feb. 20, 1976, and again on March 26 of that year.

On Sunday, Bellafina won the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs, her first stakes win in 13 months and seventh stakes win of her career.

“We were expecting a good race from her,” Prat said.

Prat was equally enthused by the comeback victory by Collusion Illusion, winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar last summer.

Collusion Illusion won a six-furlong allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option, closing from fifth to prevail by three lengths in his first start since he was eased in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes last September.

“I thought he was really impressive,” Prat said.

Trained by Mark Glatt, Collusion Illusion is expected to run in the Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes, a $100,000 race for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on June 20.

Through Sunday, Prat, 27, led all riders at the meeting with 55 wins, 13 more than runner-up Abel Cedillo.

Racing resumed at Santa Anita on Friday for the first time since March 22. Riders are staying in temporary housing on track property on race nights and are allowed to return to their homes after their final mount of the week. The process will repeat itself this week when racing resumes Friday and continues through Monday, Memorial Day.

Prat described the accommodations as “not the best, but it’s fine.”

“We’ll get along with it,” he said. “We all tried to do the best for safety and make sure we can ride. We’re happy to be back and riding.”

Sunday evening, Prat returned to his home near Santa Anita for an evening with his wife and year-old daughter.

“We have to celebrate a little bit,” he said.