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‘Legend In The Making’: Prat Gets Six Wins, Four Seconds From 10 New Year’s Day Mounts

John Velazquez held a 9-3 advantage in Santa Anita's jockeys' race three days into the meet, but that seemingly large lead dissipated at the Arcadia, Calif., track on Saturday when perennial leader Flavien Prat won six races, closing the gap to 10-9 in a virtual blink.

Prat had mounts in all 10 races, delighting any place parlay players supporting him, as he was second in his other four rides.

The feat was no surprise to those who have watched the 29-year-old Frenchman ply his trade in earnest here since 2015.

Velazquez has registered his 10 victories from 22 mounts, a 45 percent winning average, with purse earnings of $743,850.

Prat has 29 mounts for a 31 percent winning average, with purse earnings of $795,000.

“What can you say?” pondered Doug O'Neill, who has given Prat a leg up on many a winner, including his 3-year-old star of 2021, Hot Rod Charlie, scheduled to leave Jan. 17 for the $12 million World Cup on March 26 in Dubai, where he will have one prep race at Meydan Racecourse before the World Cup.

“Flavien is so good,” O'Neill said. “I've been around here since the 80's with Shoemaker, McCarron and all the legends. Prat is still young with a big future.

“I think we're looking at a legend in the making.”

The post ‘Legend In The Making’: Prat Gets Six Wins, Four Seconds From 10 New Year’s Day Mounts appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Express Train Derails Hot Rod Charlie In San Antonio

With a perfectly timed ride by Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza, CRK Stable LLC's Express Train was up in the final jump to defeat 1-5 favorite Hot Rod Charlie in Sunday's Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on the opening day of the Santa Anita meet in Arcadia, Calif.

Eight Rings, who set the pace and gave way begrudgingly in the final sixteenth of a mile, finished third, with Go On fourth and Azul Coast fifth in the field of seven 3-year-olds and up.

Express Train paid $16.40 after covering 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.82.

This was the fifth win in 15 career starts for Express Train and third in a G2 race after victories earlier this year in the San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita and San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. A 4-year-old colt by Union Rags out of I'm a Flake, by Mineshaft, Express Train was bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farm LLC, Express Train was a $500,000 yearling purchase.

Express Train was entered in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 6 at Del Mar but scratched from the race after suffering a minor injury to his hock while schooling in the paddock earlier in the week.

In the San Antonio, Espinoza put Express Train in a good position down toward the inside while Eight Rings set fractions of :23.87, :47.37 and 1:11.89 for the opening six furlongs.

Doug O'Neill-trained Hot Rod Charlie, a 3-year-old by Oxbow who ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic after winning the G1 Pennsylvania Derby, was pushed to challenge Eight Rings approaching the far turn. Espinoza took that move as a cue to switch Express Train to the outside and had dead aim on the leading duo as the field rounded the stretch turn.

Hot Rod Charlie put his head in front of Eight Rings after passing the furlong pole, covering a mile in 1:37.97, but Express Train and Espinoza, racing to their outside, had all the momentum and got up in the final yards.

“The last two races he did not break well,” said Lee Searing, who with wife Susan operates C R K Stable. Searing was referring to a sixth-place finish in the G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August and a third-place finish in the G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita in October. “Victor did a great job. He's a really good horse when he's a stalker, when he gets to the outside.”

The post Express Train Derails Hot Rod Charlie In San Antonio appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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TVG Live On Site As Santa Anita Re-Opens The Day After Christmas

Hot Rod Charlie will square off against older horses in the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes (Grade 2) on Sunday at Santa Anita as the prestigious winter meet kicks off on Dec. 26 with an eleven-race card and TVG, America's horse racing network, will bring live coverage of every race, every day into the homes of horse racing fans across the country.

TVG's Todd Schrupp, Mike Joyce, Britney Eurton, Christina Blacker, Scott Hazelton and Simon Bray will be reporting live from Arcadia, Calif. throughout the day with exclusive interviews, analysis and features. Sunday's eleven-race card includes six graded stakes races – the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes (G2), the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2), the $200,000 Mathis Mile (G2), the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1), the $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) and the $300,000 American Oaks (G1).

Some of the features scheduled throughout the day include a spotlight on Flightline, a top contender in the Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) as well as features on the recently-retired Art Sherman, the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome as well as the history of Santa Anita. TVG's coverage will also include the addition of the drone camera to provide viewers additional perspective on the races.

Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie will square off against six rivals in the $200,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2) for trainer Doug O'Neill. One of two sophomores in the race against older horses, the bay son of Oxbow was last seen finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and will have Flavien Prat in the irons. His rivals include Eight Rings, one of two horses in the race for trainer Bob Baffert.

The Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) will be the stakes debut of the undefeated Flightline, a $1 million purchase as a yearling. The 3-year-old son of Tapit is two-for-two since his debut at Santa Anita in April for John Sadler. Flavien Prat will be aboard for his first start since a win at Del Mar on Sept. 5.

The Santa Anita Winter/Spring Meet runs through June 19 and will feature 94 stakes, 54 of which are graded including the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 9.

In addition to racing from Santa Anita, TVG will be featuring racing from Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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‘Charlie’ Looms Large in San Antonio

While his fellow sophomores square off in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. later on Santa Anita's Sunday opening day card, talented and accomplished Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) stays around two turns for the GII San Antonio S. The GII Louisiana Derby winner was third in the GI Kentucky Derby and second in the GI Belmont S. before being DQ'd from first to last for interference in the GI Haskell Invitational S. in July. He got his Grade I in the Sept. 25 Pennsylvania Derby, defeating the likes of subsequent GI Cigar Mile H. hero Americanrevolution (Constitution), and earning a career and fiel- best 111 Beyer Speed Figure. Hot Rod Charlie was far from disgraced last time when fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and a repeat of anything close to that effort would probably be enough to get the job done here.

Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) took back-to-back runnings of this race in 2016 and 2017, and Azul Coast (Super Saver) will carry the same red and yellow silks. The 4-year-old defeated Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) and stablemate Eight Rings (Empire Maker) in the GIII Native Diver S. Nov. 20.

Express Train (Union Rags) probably needs to rediscover his best form to defeat Hot Rod Charlie, but he's a two-time Grade II winner in spots like this one over the past year or so and exits a pair of Grade I tries, most recently finishing third behind ill-fated Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the GI Awesome Again S. Oct. 2.

The post ‘Charlie’ Looms Large in San Antonio appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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