SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - When Flavien Prat came to the top of the stretch aboard Zulu Kingdom in Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga he wasn’t exactly sure which path he was going to take to make his bid.
When an opening presented itself along the rail, Prat guided Zulu Kingdom to it and the Irish-bred 2-year-old didn’t hesitate to go on through, and he went on to win the With Anticipation by a neck over Tenacious Leader. It was three lengths back to Cavallo Bay in third.
Nudge, Test Score, and Without Caution completed the order of finish in a scratch-reduced field of six.
The win was the 15th in a stakes for Prat at the meet, tying John Velazquez (2005), and Joel Rosario and Irad Ortiz Jr. (both 2022) for the most stakes victories by a rider at a Saratoga meet. It was also Prat’s 11th graded stakes win of the meet, which is one shy of Rosario’s record of 12 set in 2022.
“I’m very grateful, it’s been a great meet,” Prat said. “I’ve been on good horses and they’ve been running well. It’d be amazing to break the record, but if not at least we tied it.”
Prat’s success with Chad Brown this meet has been uncanny. They have teamed to win eight stakes, seven graded. Overall, Prat is 15 for 55 for Brown at this meet.
The With Anticipation was the third of what would become four wins for Brown on Thursday’s card. He has 35 for the meet and is a virtual lock to win the trainers’ title, the seventh he has either won outright or shared. Brown’s 11 graded stakes wins are a personal best for a Saratoga meet.
Three of Brown’s wins Thursday were for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, which opened a four-win lead on Flying P Stables for leading owner by wins at the meet.
Following a debut victory in France, Zulu Kingdom was purchased privately by agent Hubert Guy on behalf of Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss, and Michael Caruso, and was transferred to Brown.
Brown said the horse has been very straightforward since he came to him, though he said he was a bit curious.
“He’s always trained well, I thought the one obstacle he’d have was seeing everything here at Saratoga,” Brown said. “Man, he gave me a good feel in the paddock. He acted like he’d been here before. He sure ran professional.”
Zulu Kingdom broke well and put himself within 2 1/2 lengths of the lead established by Nudge and stalked by his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Tenacious Leader. At the head of the lane, Nudge, under Ricardo Santana Jr., came off the rail a bit and Prat took advantage of the opening. Zulu Kingdom got through inside the eighth pole and was able to outfinish Tenacious Leader and Irad Ortiz Jr.
“I didn’t exactly know if Irad any horse underneath him, he looks he could have some horse, I stayed inside hoping I could maybe split horses,” Prat said. “When Irad made a run, I was able to get to the rail and he was very professional and brave enough to get through the hole and from there he got the job done.”
Zulu Kingdom, an Irish-bred son of Ten Sovereigns, covered the 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:41.79 and returned $6.20.
Ortiz, aboard Tenacious Leader, felt he got a good enough trip.
“[Prat] cut the corner there, probably helped him, but I don’t feel I lose too much ground to be honest,” Ortiz said. “Just got beat today.
Brown said he would likely point Zulu Kingdom to the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes on Sept. 28 at Aqueduct as a stepping-stone to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
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