“You put so much work into it and you don’t even think about what could happen next,” Prat said. “You just move on to the next year and just try to get better and have a good season.”
That mentality allowed Prat to turn in a career-best year in 2025 and earn his second consecutive Eclipse Award as the nation’s top rider.
“It’s worth it,” Prat said of a second Eclipse Award. “I am very satisfied. I have had the opportunity to ride good horses all season. I certainly thought it was a good season.”
Prat competed in a career-high 1,256 North American races and achieved career-best figures in both wins and earnings. His 309 trips to the winner’s circle ranked fourth nationally. Prat then became only the second rider in history to have Mounts earn more than $40 million in purse money in a single season, but the first to do so, Irad Ortiz Jr., also reached that milestone in 2025. Despite a remarkable $40,460,428 in earnings, Prat fell just $37,419 behind Ortiz in leading all riders in North America for the second year in a row. Prat had to reflect on how close he had come, but ultimately rates the year as one of his best.
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“I don’t want to be disappointed because it’s been a very good season, if not the best season I’ve ever had,” Prat said.
Where Prat excelled above all other riders in 2025 was on the big stage. Prat led all North American riders, winning 13 Class 1 races and 46 graded stakes.
Prat won twice at the World Breeders’ Cup Championships and won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) with Splendor and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) with Nysos . In fact, his 13 Grade 1 victories came on the backs of 13 different horses, who also won at the highest level with Argos , Brant , Carl Spackler , The Cordobes , Excellent truth , Fion , King of Goford , Raging sea , Segesta , Sierra Leone And Zulu Kingdom .
Flavien Prat celebrates winning the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile aboard Nysos at Del Mar
Considered by many to be a ‘gun for hire’, Prat raced at 17 different North American tracks, winning at the age of 16. He was based mainly in New York for most of the year and won two leading rider titles Aqueduct racecourse during the spring/summer meeting and fall meeting. He was also the leading rider at the spring meetings Keeneland And Pimlico Racecourse.
“I enjoy riding with different riders on different tracks,” said Prat. “The opportunity to ride good horses all over the country is a great motivation.”
On November 2, he tied the New York Racing Association record for most wins on a single card with seven. On June 27, he rode his 2,000th career North American winner.
Perhaps the best praise comes from those you compete with, including five-time Eclipse Award winner Ortiz, who was Prat’s main competition for this year’s award.
“I have a lot of respect for Flavien,” Ortiz said. “He’s a professional guy, both on and off the court. We compete very professionally, we keep everything in the (jocks) room. We get along really well. … I think (the competition) forces you to want to do a little bit extra, a little bit more. He’s really good.”
Prat echoed those sentiments.
“I would imagine (Ortiz) is ahead in numbers of any rider who has ever raced in America,” Prat said. “He’s a bit of a benchmark. He’s a great competitor. To be able to compete with him and against him, it’s great. Just a lot of respect for him.”
If the 2025 revenue battle is any indication, racing fans are in for a special era of competition between the two top drivers for many years to come.
“It’s amazing what we’ve both done over the years. I haven’t seen that in a long time,” Ortiz said. “Maybe we’re helping the sport go to another level, and that feels great.”
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