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The 2026 Preakness Stakes will feature one of horse racing’s hottest jockeys aboard the morning-line favorite as Flavien Prat takes the mount on Iron Honor in Saturday’s race at Laurel Park.

Prat, the reigning Eclipse Award winner, will ride Iron Honor for trainer Chad Brown in the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes. The colt opened at 9-2 odds after drawing post No. 9 in the 14-horse field.

The pairing immediately drew attention because of Brown’s proven Preakness formula and Prat’s recent dominance on the New York Racing Association circuit.

Iron Honor enters the race after skipping the Kentucky Derby following a seventh-place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes.

Jockey Flavien Prat Brings Winning Preakness Experience to Iron Honor

Prat has already enjoyed success at the Preakness Stakes despite making only three prior appearances in the race.

The 33-year-old jockey from France won the 2021 Preakness aboard Rombauer and finished third and fourth in his other starts, according to America’s Best Racing.

Now, he takes over one of the race favorites for Brown.

Prat’s addition to the mount is notable because of his ability to settle horses early in races, something Iron Honor may need after showing signs of becoming too aggressive in the Wood Memorial.

Brown also removed blinkers from Iron Honor ahead of Saturday’s race, another adjustment designed to help the colt relax.

According to Brisnet.com statistics, Brown wins 24% of the time when making the “blinkers-off” move.

Flavien Prat Coming Off Historic 2025 Racing Season

Prat enters the Preakness following one of the most successful seasons of his career.

In 2025, he established a new New York Racing Association record by winning seven races on a single card during the Belmont at The Big A fall meet. He nearly captured an eighth victory the same day.

The performance capped another standout year for the jockey, who also surpassed 2,000 career wins in North America.

Prat finished the season with more than $40 million in purse earnings while leading Saratoga in earnings for the first time.

The NYRA Press Office highlighted several of Prat’s accomplishments from the year, including 17 graded stakes wins at NYRA tracks and four Grade 1 victories.

He also continued riding at Aqueduct during the winter meet after previously returning to California during past seasons.

Prat made the move toward focusing on New York racing full-time in 2022 with support from his agent, Brad Pegram, and his wife, Manon.

Chad Brown Returns to Familiar Preakness Strategy

Brown has previously won the Preakness Stakes twice using a similar approach with his horses, according to Twin Spires.

Cloud Computing won the race in 2017 after skipping the Kentucky Derby following a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial. Early Voting repeated the formula in 2022 after finishing second in the Wood.

Iron Honor followed a slightly different path.

The colt won his first two starts, including the Gotham Stakes, before struggling in the Wood Memorial after encountering early trouble and wide positioning entering the first turn.

Iron Honor eventually faded to seventh place.

Despite the disappointing result, Brown chose not to pursue the Kentucky Derby and instead focused on preparing for the Preakness.