Manon Prat
The life of a racehorse comes full circle, thanks to the many individuals who saw the potential in one retired Thoroughbred. Anyone in the horse industry can attest that no matter how much thoughtful planning and hard work are put into caring for a horse, things can change in an instantâfor better or for worse. Luckily, sometimes unexpected changes are just an opportunity to gain a different perspective. Crosscheck Carlos could have been a great racehorse, but through a series of good and bad events, he was given the opportunity to experience life from a new point of view. Bred by Allen Guillotte Jr., Crosscheck Carlos was foaled in 2015 out of stakes-placed Weepnomoremylady (by Summer Squall). A half brother to Louisiana Cup Distaff Stakeswinner Flower Lady (by Flower Alley), Crosscheck Carlos was acquired by Erik Johnson and Dennis OâNeill at the Ocala Breedersâ Sales March 2-year-olds in training auction for $37,000. The son of Custom for Carlos made most of his eight career starts for trainer Doug OâNeill, under the ownership of Johnsonâs ERJ Racing, Slam Dunk Racing, and Neil Haymes. True to his Louisiana-bred roots, in his second start Crosscheck Carlos won the $100,000 D. S. Shine Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs. âCrosscheck was a very willing, athletic, and competitive horse; the type to separate himself from the pack,â Doug OâNeill recalled. âHe was a real pleasure to work alongside.â Unfortunately, after finishing second best in his 3-year-old debut, the stakes winner suffered a career-ending sesamoid fracture. Despite the uncertainty a diagnosis of that severity can bring, Crosscheck Carlos had all the right people on his side. âYou take on the responsibility and the honor to work alongside these amazing horses and you take care of them every day theyâre with you,â OâNeill said. âWhen they no longer race due to ability or injury, itâs our responsibility to help them move forward in the next chapter of their life.â Unbeknownst to âCarlos,â heâd already caught the eye of Brooke Abbard during his time on the track, and she was ready to give Carlos the soft landing he needed to get back on his feet. âI took Carlos from Doug OâNeill right after his injury,â Abbard said. âI specifically asked for him because I knew him from the barns. I manage a racing stable at the track, so Iâm around all the racehorses all the time and Doug OâNeill is one of our trainers.â Abbard transported the 3-year-old to her barn off of the track where they began the long road to recovery. In time, Abbard hoped Carlos would make a dependable trail partner. âYou never know how the sesamoid is going to heal; if itâs going to heal perfectly or if theyâre not going to be able to have a second career,â Abbard said. âHe stayed in a stall in my barn. I hand-walked him three times a day, wrapped it and unwrapped it every day. A lot of work went into healing him successfully.â After nearly two years with Abbard, Carlosâ playful, intuitive nature shone bright. It was apparent the gelding was ready for his next adventure. âCarlos was a special horse,â she said. âHe would help me rebed his stall every day. I would just throw a bag of shavings in there and he would undo the bag and fluff his own stall for himself.â Abbard did more than just heal his injury, she ensured Carlos was prepared to find his forever family. Enter Manon Prat, wife of successful jockey Flavien Prat. Before moving to the United States, Manon Prat grew up in France, competing in show jumping and eventing, but her passion for the track eventually took over and she made the decision to pursue exercise riding full-time. She worked on the backstretch as an exercise rider both in France and the U.S. for nearly 10 years. After the birth of their first child in 2018, Prat made the tough choice to quit galloping and focus more on her family. Prat felt at a loss without riding on a daily basis, so the new mom decided to trade in morning breezes on the track for something a little slowerâan off-track Thoroughbred. âHorses are my life; thatâs something I need, Iâm not whole if I donât have that,â Prat explained. âMy husband told me, âIf you want a horse, I know you like jumping, so maybe you should start jumping again.â Then, we started looking to get a horse.â Prat began getting back into the swing of English riding with fellow racetracker Maria Falgione, who was retraining two off-track Thoroughbreds and would have Prat out to ride with her. Around the end of 2018, two worlds collided when Abbard sent a certain recently rehabbed stakes winner to Falgione for her to consider buying. With two horses already on her plate, Falgione called Prat, suspecting Crosscheck Carlos might be just what she is looking for. âMaria had two horses at the time that I would ride,â Prat recalled. âThey were nice horses, but for whatever reason, I had no attachment to them and they were for sale as well. But you know that kind of thing where you just get on a horse and get that feeling? When I got on Carlos, I really, really liked him. Heâs everything I was looking for in a horse.â Crosscheck Carlos was home. One canât help but admire the synchronicity. Prat and Carlos each went through huge changes in their livelihoods over the past two years, involving changes to their physical and mental selves, but each leaned on the connections they had made along the way, ultimately leading to one kismet moment. As if that werenât serendipitous enough, when Flavien asked his wife the name of the bay Thoroughbred who had captured her heart, another connection was realized. âFlavien was the first jockey Carlos had on his back and the jockey he won his first race with,â Manon Prat explained. âThat was pretty cool because we had no idea
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