ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Flavien Prat won his 56th graded stakes of 2024 in Thursday’s Grade 2 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on turf at Santa Anita, surpassing retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey’s previous mark of 55 wins set in 2023.
Riding the strongly favored King of Gosford, Prat dictated the pace and won by a length over 5-2 Stay Hot.
“It’s a great honor,” Prat said in the winner’s circle. “Jerry is someone I admire. I’ve always looked up to him. It’s an honor to break the record.”
The Mathis Mile was Prat’s 81st overall stakes win of the year, another single-season mark. He surpassed Irad Ortiz Jr.’s 2022 record of 79 stakes wins in a single season earlier this month.
In the $201,000 Mathis Mile, King of Gosford ($3.40) set a slow tempo of 23.24 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.04 for a half-mile, leading by as much as a length and as little as a head over 8-1 Atitlan. Turning into the stretch, King of Gosford had a half-length advantage over Atitlan before producing a fine run in the final furlong.
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“I didn’t think there was much pace,” Prat said. “He was waiting for horses. He gave me a good run turning for home.”
King of Gosford was timed in 1:34.49 and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 92.
Stay Hot, the winner of three turf stakes for 3-year-olds earlier this year for trainer Peter Eurton, closed from third to be second.
“They walked up front,” Eurton said. “He couldn’t catch him.”
Atitlan, winner of the Grade 2 Twilight Derby on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 26, but only seventh in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, faded to finish third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths.
Lord Bullingdon finished fourth, followed by Cathal, Call Sign Seven, and Heart Headed. Curlin’s Kaos and Siennois were scratched on Thursday morning.
The Mathis Mile was King of Gosford’s richest win.
King of Gosford won his fourth stakes of 2024 in the Mathis Mile. In the spring, King of Gosford won consecutive starts in stakes on the hillside turf course in the John Shear and Desert Code.
At the Del Mar autumn meeting, King of Gosford won the restricted Let It Ride Stakes on Oct. 31, and was second in the Hollywood Derby on Nov. 30.
Trained by Phil D’Amato, King of Gosford races for the partnership of Sandra Benowitz, John Rochfort, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig, and Jeremy Peskoff. An Irish-bred colt by Zoustar, King of Gosford has won 6 of 15 starts and earned $519,692.
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