The French Invasion

How a trio of jockeys took America by storm.

They come from varied backgrounds, arrived here at different times and for myriad reasons, but what they share is that they are young, French and have become riding stars in their adopted country. That Julien Leparoux, Flavien Prat and Florent Geroux have all come here from France and are all among the brightest riding stars in the sport cannot be a coincidence. Apparently, the country produces more than good wine and top tennis players (three of the four men quarterfinalists in the U.S. Open were from France) as the three jockeys are proving that their country is fertile ground for riding talent.

Leparoux's success is not exactly anything new as he rode his first U.S. winner in 2005 and is a perennial leader in the standings when it comes to money earned and wins. But for the longest time it seemed that Leparoux, 33, was a singular phenomenon. Geroux took years to make an impact in this country and Prat, who had the makings of a future star in France, did not come here to ride regularly until late 2014.

It has not been until this year that Prat and Geroux emerged from the pack to be where they are no longer just good riders, but among the very best in the sport. Prat is coming off his first ever riding title in the U.S. as he finished in a tie for first place with Rafael Bejarano at the recently concluded Del Mar meet, and Geroux's year has been highlighted by his remarkable tear on the day of the GI Arlington Million. He won four of the five graded stakes on the card, missing only in the Million itself. Geroux is fifth in the country in earnings, Prat is 10th and Leparoux is 11th.

Leparoux is the pioneer, yet his story is much different than that of the his countrymen who followed him here. Prat and Geroux are products of the French jockey school and began their careers riding in their native country. Leparoux did not attend the school and to this day has never ridden a race in France.

Leparoux was a protégé of trainer Patrick Biancone and first rode here in 2005. By 2006, it was clear he was headed for stardom as he won 26 races that year at Saratoga and won riding titles at Turfway, Churchill and Keeneland. He led all U.S. jockeys in 2006 with 403 wins.

“I came here in 2003 and was an exercise rider until 2005,” Leparoux said. “For me, it would have been very hard to be successful in France because I did not go to the jockey school. When you don't go to the school it is very difficult to break in. I came here for a learning experience, to learn English and to improve my riding skills. I just loved the country, loved everything about it. When I had the opportunity to start my career here I was very excited about it.”

Leparoux, who has been sidelined with a broken wrist but will return Thursday at Kentucky Downs, has piloted 2,269 North American winners and has won 196 graded stakes. He married the daughter of the late trainer Mike Mitchell, speaks excellent English and is very comfortable in his adopted home. But he remembers a time when that was not the case.

“It was not easy,” he said. “When I first came here I thought 'Am I doing the right thing?' You ask yourself a lot of questions, but at end of day I came here to learn. I decided to just go for it and see what happens. I love this country and I love everything here, but it still isn't easy because you don't get to see your family much and you miss people's birthdays and other important occasions.”

Leparoux paved the way for Geroux, 30, who first rode here in 2007, going 0-for-10 that year. While Geroux credits Leparoux, he also points to the impact that Cash Asmussen had on international racing. When the South Dakota native moved to France in the mid-80s, he was so successful there that, Geroux believes, it forced other riders to copy his “Americanized” style. That made all future French jockeys a better fit for U.S. racing.

“French riders come here bringing that American style,” he said. “French jockeys ride pretty much like Americans and it is very hard to tell a French jockey from an American jockey. The same goes for jockeys from Italy and Germany. In England and Ireland, they still have their style; they ride longer and they like to keep horses in the center of the course.”

According to Equibase records, Geroux rode his first race in France in 2002 and won 105 races from 1,503 mounts, for a meager winning rate of 7%. In his last full year there in 2007, he won just six races and was eager for a new opportunity.

“I was not riding in any Grade I races in France,” he said. “It's all about being under contract to a big stable, and I wasn't. If you ride first call for the Aga Khan you're going to do great. It doesn't even matter if you ride poorly because as long as you are under contract you keep getting those mounts.”

But, at least initially, his lack of success in France carried over to the U.S. He won just 71 races combined in 2007, 2008 and 2009. His numbers picked up dramatically when he joined forces with Midwest Thoroughbreds, which led to his being the dominant rider in Chicago.

But being the top rider at Hawthorne and Arlington will not do much for you on the national scene and Geroux's ascension was a slow one. He won his first Breeders' Cup race in 2014, capturing the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with Work All Week (City Zip), and that seemed to open some doors for him. Last year, he won four Grade I races, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with Catch a Glimpse (City Zip). He has gone to new heights this year, winning 147 races and six Grade I stakes.

“I think it is just getting opportunities from trainers,” he said. “You have to show people you can do it, owners and trainers. We have the advantage that we went to the jockey school in France, which is very good. They teach you proper way to ride horses.”

Prat, 24, comes from a harness racing family, but, since he was always on the small side, he decided to become a jockey. At age 14, he entered the jockey school and had immediate success in France. He was the country's leading apprentice in 2009 and in 2013 won the GI Prix Marcel Boussac with Indonesienne (Ire) (Muhtathir {GB}).

With the backing of French owners Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, who have horses in California with Richard Mandella, Prat started spending his winters in the U.S., riding sparingly. In 2010, he won two races. But when it became apparent that the Prix Marcel Boussac win was not going to be a springboard to success and that he was never going to be given the opportunity to be the number one rider over Olivier Peslier for the Wertheimers, he decided he would stay in the U.S. permanently.

“When I came back to France (after wintering in California), I thought things would be better because I won the Grade I race,” he said. “But it didn't change anything, so I decided to come to the U.S. When I first came in the winters, I really loved the place. I fell in love with California and the racing.”

Prat won 84 races in 2015, but this has been the year when his career has really taken off. He has already won 132 races with earnings of $8,189,258 and is riding not just for Mandella, but many of the top trainers on the circuit. His three Grade I wins this year have come for Bob Baffert, Michael McCarthy and Simon Callaghan.

Like Geroux, Prat says the jockey school has played a major role in his success.

“One of the reasons French riders are good is because we have the school,” he said. “Here, you just come to the racetrack and have to learn like that. It's so much easier in France to learn because of our school.”

With Leparoux and Geroux both spending much of the year in Kentucky, they have become good friends. They see less of Prat, but all three are friendly and if they ever find themselves at the same place on the same day they make sure to socialize.

“We are friends for sure,” Leparoux said. “Flavien, I don't see him as much because he is on the West Coast. I talk to Florent three times a day and we are good friends. I text Flavien a lot. I follow what he does and he follows what I do. So every time one of us has a good day or wins a graded strakes we text each other.”

Will there be others? Leparoux says he often hears from aspiring jockeys from France who want to follow in his footsteps and he's happy to give them advice. Geroux says he has not had much contact from anyone in France looking to come here.

“I don't know why more don't come,” Geroux said. “But it is hard to leave your family and it can be hard to get a working visa.”

Regardless of whether there are any more in the French pipeline, the trio has had a major impact on U.S. racing. They are not novelty acts or just good grass riders or jockeys who thrive at Turfway or Hawthorne and don't belong competing against the elite of their profession. They are the elite of their profession.