ALTHOUGH he finished second in last Friday’s first race, Santa Anita’s leading rider Flavien Prat was very much undeterred as he proceeded to boot home the winners of the next six consecutive races, culminating with a masterful ride going a mile and one quarter on turf in the seventh race of the day aboard the Richard Baltas-trained Disappearing Act — his final mount of the day.

“It’s been a great day. I’m very fortunate, I was on good horses today and things turned out my way,” said Prat, 28, who now leads Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring Meet jockey standings by a 56-42 margin over Juan Hernandez.

Does winning number six in a row at a mile and a quarter down the hillside turf course make this accomplishment any more special?

“When you win six it doesn’t really matter but it feels good,” said Prat. “I thought I had some good chances today but how many times have I thought I had a good chance and come back with nothing?

“Things have to go your way and some things are out of my hands but there are days that no matter what you do, it’s going to be the right thing so you have to take advantage of it because it’s not always like this.”

A two-time leading rider at Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring stand, Prat, who was born on August 4, 1992 in Melun, France, becomes the first Santa Anita jockey to win six consecutive races since Laffit Pincay Jr did it on March 14, 1987 — en route to winning a record seven races on the day.

Prat becomes the 10th jockey to win six races in one day at Santa Anita, joining Bill Shoemaker (February 23, 1962); Pincay (twice, on February 17, 1973 & March 4, 1981); Steve Valdez (October 15, 1973); Sandy Hawley (twice, on February 20, 1976 & March 26, 1976); Darrel McHargue (twice, on March 5, 1978 & October 25, 1979); Patrick Valenzuela (October 21, 1988); Martin Pedroza (October 31, 1992); Corey Nakatani (April 23, 2000) and Rafael Bejarano (April 8, 2006).