Getty
Flavien Prat was the jockey for the winning horse in the 2019 Kentucky Derby – Country House.
However, the long-shot victory was not without controversy. In a stunning surprise, the horse believed to be the first-place finisher, Maximum Security, was disqualified for bumping and impeding another horse.
That has all eyes on jockey Flaven Prat. He’s 26-years-old and was born on August 4, 1992.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Flavien Prat Was Born in France & Has Been Racing for Less Than a Decade
Jockey Flavien Prat celebrates with the connections of Country House #20 after winning the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky.
By the standards of some jockeys anyway, Flavien Prat is somewhat new to the horse racing world. He was born in France, according to Kentucky Derby.com. According to America’s Best Racing, he’s the son of a trainer.
The site says he’s ridden in Germany, Italy, and France.
The Kentucky Derby says that Prat has been racing horses professionally since 2009. He also spent time competing in Europe.
“Prat is rising up the rankings and is one of the future stars of the sport. He has also competed in Europe,” wrote the Kentucky Derby – and that was before he won it.
2. Pratt’s First Graded Stakes Victory Came in 2015
Flavien Prat
According to the Kentucky Derby “Prat committed to American Thoroughbred horse racing and began to generate impressive results almost immediately.” That was in 2015. That was his first full season in the United States.
His first graded stakes victory “was the 2015 Precisionist Stakes aboard Catch a Flight,” says the Derby.
“He also won the American Stakes with Bal a Bali and the Bing Crosby Stakes with Wild Dude that very same year. In total, he would gross $5,247,773 in career earnings during the 2015 campaign and that has led to greater interest from bigger connections.”
3. Prat Was Called a ‘Difference Maker’ by a Leading Trainer
Flavien Prat
Before 2019, 2016 was Prat’s best season.
“He began the year with a win in the Las Cienegas Stakes with Dreamologist and would go on to win a total of 16 graded stakes races,” says the Derby. “His biggest victories included the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes with The Pizza Man and the LaBrea Stakes aboard Constellation.”
According to The Paulick Report, a leading trainer called Prat a “difference maker.”
4. Prat’s Agent Said They Were Not Comfortable With the Status Quo
Jockey Flavien Prat celebrates atop of Country House.
In 2018, Prat’s agent said the pair was not comfortable with things as they were. Derek Lawson, the agent, told The Paulick Report:
“The goal is to expand his profile, not only here, because we’re pretty well known in Southern California, obviously, but now to branch out to New York. We want the New York trainers and owners to watch the way he rides on a daily basis in their own backyard.”
Looks like they got their wish.
5. Pratt’s Career Earnings Reached Almost $50 Million Before the 2019 Kentucky Derby
Your Kentucky Derby winner Country House!
According to Equibase, Prat has career earning totaling $48,097,149. Of course, that was before the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
He had earned almost $5.5 million in 2019.
That pales in comparison to some jockeys. Of course, jockeys don’t get all of that money. Most make between $100,000 and $200,000 a year.