Jockey Flavien Prat earned his record 56th graded stakes win of 2024, boldly sending King of Gosford to the front in the Mathis Mile Stakes (G2T) Dec. 26 on the Santa Anita Park turf where he turned back repeated pressure before clearing to victory in deep stretch.
The win was the second turf stakes in a row on the Santa Anita opening day card decided by a bold ride as Johannes came running late under Umberto Rispoli to win the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) two races earlier.
Prat broke the record of 55 graded stakes victories in a calendar year held by Jerry Bailey. He low-keyed the accomplishment as he prepared to ride the next race on the card.
“I’m obviously very pleased. There’s obviously a lot of people behind me,” Prat said. “It couldn’t have been a better place to win it than here at Santa Anita.
“It’s definitely worth it,” he added.
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The Mathis Mile lost its only obvious speed with the scratch of Curlin’s Kaos . With no one else interested, Prat gunned King of Gosford to the lead from the inside gate. The Phil D’Amato trainee had to survive repeated challenges from Atitlan but never was quite relegated. Stay Hot rallied to take second by a half-length over Atitlan, one length behind the winner.
Co-owner Michael Nentwig said King of Gosford is aided by his versatility and in 2025 could be pointed to a Breeders’ Cup race at Del Mar.
“He can do it all,” Nentwig said. “He can run six, 6 1/2 (furlongs), a mile, a mile and an eighth. And when this horse gets in front, he sticks his nose out and his neck and he doesn’t want to get passed.
“He’s definitely going to get a little breather after this and we’ll get him ready for races, hopefully in June and through the summer, and you never know. Hopefully we can hit a Breeders’ Cup with him if all things go right.”
Video: Mathis Mile S. (G2T)
Johannes Stays Perfect at Santa Anita
Rispoli gave Johannes the most confident of rides in the San Gabriel and no wonder, as the 4-year-old Nyquist colt was coming off four wins in a row followed by a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T).
After an alert start, Rispoli took back behind the leading duo, lost some ground on the turn and came around the leaders at the top of the stretch to challenge for the lead. Once there, he held on gamely to win by three-quarters of a length, improving to 7-for-7 on the Santa Anita turf and likely earning a transcontinental trip for the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Gulfstream Park in January.
Johannes wins the San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Johannes, owned and bred by Joe and Debby McCloskey’s Cuyathy, is the first foal from their mare Cuyathy . The colt struggled on the dirt in his first three starts in 2022 but, shown the green course, he jumped right up, breaking his maiden by nine lengths Dec. 31, 2022.
He was 2-for-3 as a 3-year-old, finishing with a close fifth in the American Turf Stakes (G2T) in May 2023. After an 11-month absence, he returned on a tear, winning the American Stakes (G3T) and Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita, the Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar and the City of Hope Mile Stakes (G2T) back at Santa Anita before the Breeders’ Cup second to More Than Looks .
The McCloskeys had been pointing to the Pegasus since the Breeders’ Cup and trainer Tim Yakteen said the colt had been training so sharply the San Gabriel became a logical interim start—but with Florida still firmly in mind.
“Hopefully, he comes out in great shape,” Joe McCloskey said. “And we’ve got our Florida tickets already.”
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