The Kris Prather phenomenon was as brief as it was powerful.

She began the year an unknown, a raw apprentice from Montana, of all places. Three months later, she was on the cover of the Racing Form, making a shambles of the jockey race and setting records at Turfway Park, raising eyebrows with her no-holds-barred quotes, a Cauthen-esque sensation. Then she disappeared. Poof.

For a while, she was the most intriguing figure in horse racing. Who is she? How good is she? Would she handle challenges greater than Turfway Park? Is she brash or just overly enthusiastic? Prather didn't stay healthy long enough to answer any of the questions.

On December 31st, another chapter will begin, ending one of the most tormenting periods of her 22-year-old life. Prather is scheduled to make her comeback on the last day of the year at Turfway Park. And this time, there should be some answers, some definitive conclusions. Her prediction? She will be more humble, more mature, just as focused and will prove, once and for all, that she is the real deal.

By mid-February, it was obvious that Prather was something special. She was tearing up Turfway, dominating a meet like few jockeys have, at any track, at any time. She won the holiday meet, then set a record at the winter-spring meet, where her 109 winners were more than the second and third jockey had combined. In the national standings, she was running away from the pack. She was living a dream, and she let people know it. She said she would win the Triple Crown one day. She called it being honest and passionate. Others called it cocky.

On March 17, her dream came crashing down. She suffered ligament damage in her right knee in a starting gate accident, starting a chain of events that was as disheartening as her wild run of success had been uplifting.

Prather returned on June 7, hoping to take on Pat Day, Robby Albarado and the rest at Churchill Downs, where she needed to prove she could be more than just a hit in the minors. Five days later, she was out of action again with a shoulder injury. That kept her out until Aug. 19. She won nine races from 29 mounts at Ellis Park, but her shoulder had not fully healed. She rode her last race of 2001 on Aug. 25th and has not been seen since.

"I guess it was similar to a roller coaster," she said. "I was on top of the world, doing about as well as someone could. Then I was out of the game that I love. It was really difficult for me. I experienced the highest times of my life as well as the lowest."

One does not emerge unaffected from such a whirlwind of emotions and such a hard fall from the top. Prather admits the time away was nothing less than torturous, but she believes she is better for the experience.

"I don't feel unlucky at all," she said. "Everything happens for a reason. I had the time to learn a lot about myself, which wouldn't have happened if I had kept on riding. I grew a lot during that time. When I first started out, I was Kris Prather, the jockey. When that was taken away from me I had no idea who I was. But I learned. I learned who I can trust, who my real friends are, who loves me and what is really important in life. I'm comfortable with who I am. I don't think that I have anything to prove anymore. I love the game, the sport and I think I can be good at it. I'll be doing it because I love it, and for no other reason."

The change is apparent. She seems better grounded, savvy enough not to say some of things that got her in trouble earlier in the year. Prather was particularly embarrassed when a Racing Form article had her declaring that she was "the funky stuff," which she denies she ever said.

The non-believers didn't appreciate such articles and predicted Prather would have to eat some humble pie once Kentucky racing went to Keeneland and then Churchill. That won't change when she returns to Turfway. Because of her injuries, she'll have her apprentice allowance for another six months and should pick up at Turfway right where she left off.

"That bad part if that people have labeled me a ‘Turfway rider,'" she said. "I rode at Churchill and won some races, but it was for such a brief period that no one really noticed. I think I will do well at Turfway because I have a lot of good customers there and horses run for me and that's something no one can take away from me. Hopefully, I'll stay sound and do well at Keeneland and Churchill and prove the people wrong who say I can't win there."

Few will welcome the new year more than Kris Prather. The funky stuff in 2002? No thanks. How about just a healthy jockey who has a chance to prove herself? She'll take it.