Considered the best horse in the world on dirt (one of the three types of sand track), Flightline confirmed his status by brilliantly winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr. I) over the 2,000m distance, beating his immediate successor by more than eight lengths! Under the saddle of the French, Flavien Prat (second Habs to win this prestigious event after Florent Geroux in 2017), the 4-year-old male remains undefeated in six outings. “He ran magnificently,” said John Sadler, the winner’s trainer. It’s wonderful when everything goes as planned. He is one of the greatest horses of all time. »
Son of Frédéric Prat, a well-known trotting trainer, and brother of Alexis, Flavien Prat abandoned his first love to turn to gallopers: “Like many, I followed my father very young, explains the young man. We went to the races every weekend. Then, between the ages of 10 and 14, I took part in pony races, first in Normandy and Mayenne, then in the Rambouillet region. »
At 14, he joined the Moulin-à-Vent, the training school for future jockeys, in Gouvieux (Oise). “I have always been attracted to galloping. And as my size and my weight seemed to allow me to do this job, I chose to become a gallop jockey. Apprentice to trainer Tony Clout, he quickly revealed his talent and won the Étrier d’or in 2009, which rewards the best apprentice of the year, before winning the important Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr. I) in 2013 in the saddle on Indonesianfor Christophe Ferland, after signing a replacement contract for the Wertheimer Brothers team the previous year.
In 2014, then aged 22, Flavien Prat decided to move to the United States and is now one of the best jockeys on his new continent. He reached the 1,000 victories mark in the United States last winter at the Santa Anita racecourse.