Flavien Prat is Jersey Shore-bound for Saturday’s Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth Park.
The two-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top jockey is set to ride the favorite in four stakes races, three for trainer Chad Brown and one, 8-5 favorite Bishops Bay, for trainer Brad Cox in the $150,000 Salvator Mile (G3).
For Brown, Prat rides 8-5 favorite Schoolyardsuperman in the $125,000 Pegasus Stakes, 8-5 top choice Whiskey Decision in the $150,000 Eatontown Stakes (G3), and 3-2 favorite Program Trading in the $125,000 Monmouth Stakes.
Prat, who won three graded stakes for Brown on June 5 at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, could have another huge day at Monmouth.
Bishops Bay, a five-time graded stakes winner, comes into the race off a rare loss, by 5 ¾ lengths to Antiquarian in the Westchester Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on May 3. However, it was the 6-year-old's first race since running fourth in the Saudi Cup (G1) on Feb. 14.
He’s won nine of 16 races with four runner-up finishes, and his record with Prat aboard was 6-0 before the loss in the Westchester. Bishops Bay, with Prat aboard, won last year’s Salvator Mile in typical stalking style.
A top challenger looks to be East Avenue (5-1) for trainer Brendan Walsh. Although the 4-year-old Godolphin-owned colt has three wins from 10 starts, he’s raced in top company. He won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) as a 2-year-old and the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) as a 3-year-old. A son of Medaglia d’Oro, he’s 0-for-2 this year, most recently finishing fourth in the Alysheba Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on May 1. He posted a strong 4-furlong workout in 47.30 seconds at Churchill on June 7.
Also, in the field of nine 3-year-olds and up is Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) winner Grande for trainer Todd Pletcher. The 4-year-old Curlin colt was eighth of nine in the Alysheba after getting bumped early on and being unable to recover. The Mike Repole-owned Grande comes into the race with four wins and a second in six starts.
The top two finishers in the Salvator Mile receive free entry and start fees to the Monmouth Cup (G3) on the July 18 Haskell Stakes undercard.
Post time for the Salvator Mile is 5:01 p.m. ET.
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