Tag: Christophe Clement

Otello A Narrow Winner In Mucho Macho Man

After upsetting his maiden field at 5-1 odds Nov. 24, Otello shipped south from Aqueduct to Gulfstream to make a successful jump into stakes company Monday, taking the Mucho Macho Man S. under Luis Saez. Favored this time around at 8-5 for Christophe Clement, the newly-turned 3-year-old executed a very similar race plan than that of his debut, sitting off the pace in fifth as longshot Everdoit (Gary D) was intent on the early lead. In a field that remained rather tightly bunched, Otello sat patiently through a :46.63 half before splitting horses to make a late bid. In a driving finish, the son of Curlin got up just ahead of both First World War and Sea Streak to win.

“He won first time out in New York, and he won well, got into a lot of trouble,” admitted Clement. “The same applied today, so I guess he likes to be in trouble. But he won well, and he got out of the trouble. He was good enough to overcome it. I'm not exactly sure what he beat today. I know that they liked the second horse. I'm thrilled. I don't train too many Curlins, so it's nice when it works out.”

“He's had two starts and he's had plenty of schooling,” Clement continued. “We'll see how he comes out of it. As you know, Elliott Walden is very involved, so we'll speak with him and have a plan. We'll enjoy this for a day or so and go from there. He'll have to go two turns next time, obviously, the question is: where? We've got time to think about that.”

The 101st stakes winner for Curlin, Otello is out of successful race mare Isabella Sings who has produced three winners from as many to race. His 2-year-old Into Mischief half-brother brought a final bid of $650,000 from Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm last September at Keeneland and Isabella Sings reported a Gun Runner filly last year before visiting Life Is Good for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $150,000, Gulfstream, 1-1, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.76, ft.
1–OTELLO, 118, c, 3, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Isabella Sings (MGSW-USA, GSP-Can,
                                 $648,170), by Eskendereya
                2nd Dam: Isobel Baillie (GB), by Lomitas (GB)
                3rd Dam: Dubai Soprano (GB), by Zafonic
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm
LLC; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Luis Saez.
$92,070. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $138,820.
2–First World War, 118, c, 3, War Front–Sundaysatthebeach,
by Medaglia d'Oro. ($285,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV; $135,000 RNA
Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Qatar Racing LLC and
Hunter Valley Farm; B-Skyfall Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-Brendan P. Walsh. $29,700.
3–Sea Streak, 118, g, 3, Sea Wizard–High Noon Nellie, by Silver
Deputy. O/B-Holly Crest Farm (NJ); T-Eddie Owens, Jr.
$14,850.
Margins: HF, NK, 3/4. Odds: 1.70, 3.80, 9.00.
Also Ran: Inveigled, No More Time, Everdoit. Scratched: Boy Magic, Orb Alpha.

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Speightstown’s El Terreno Blitzes Over Gulfstream Tapeta To ‘TDN Rising Stardom’

Given the dominance she showed when blowing away a field of Presque Isle maidens by 11 lengths in fast time on her six-furlong debut Oct. 25, the connections of El Terreno (Speightstown–Palma, by Malibu Moon) would hardly have been dismayed when Friday's second race from Gulfstream Park was washed off the turf and onto the synthetic surface. Accordingly smashed into 2-5 favoritism, the Castleton Lyons homebred duly obliged with another commanding performance, this one good for 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

Kicked straight into the lead by Irad Ortiz, Jr., El Terreno set the pace from a couple of paths off the inside down the backstretch and got her opening quarter-mile in a solid :22.15. Traveling well in hand on the turn with her jockey riding high in the saddle, the dark bay opened up on her rivals into the final furlong and was never out of a high gallop while reporting home an eased-down, 4 1/4-length winner. Bubbly Champagne (Bee Jersey), who just missed in the Our Dear Peg S. two starts back and the second choice here at 33-10, made some late headway from the latter half of the field to round out a chalky exacta while never any sort of danger to the winner.

“She was very impressive. She did everything on her own,” the winning jockey commented. “She broke out of there. I didn't have to ask her. She was quick and then she relaxed. Turning [for] home, I just motioned to her and showed her the stick one time and she finished on her own.”

A 25th 'Rising Star' for the sadly lost Speightstown, is out of a half-sister to Argentinian stakes winner and Group 1-placed Meguial, the dam of GISW I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even), SP A Story of Revenge (Tale of the Cat) and Meg Fitz (Tapit), whose son Real Men Violin (Mendelssohn) was runner-up in last month's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs.

Palma, bred in New York by Newtown Anner Stud, was purchased for $500,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale by Castleton Lyons, where her sire stood from 2004-2007 after relocating from Country Life Farm in Maryland. From 2008 to his death in May 2021, Malibu Moon resided at Spendthrift Farm.

The mare's yearling colt by Volatile was knocked down to Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures for $135,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale and she foaled a Knicks Go filly this past Mar. 18 before visiting Dialed In.

2nd-Gulfstream, $61,000, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($75,000), 12-15, 2yo, f, 5f (AWT) (off turf), :55.67, ft, 4 1/4 lengths.
EL TERRENO, f, 2, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Palma, by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Meguial (Arg), by Roy
3rd Dam: Starry Night (Arg), by Fitzcarraldo (Arg)
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $54,600.
O-Castleton Lyons; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Christophe Clement. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.

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Soldier Rising To Skip Longines Hong Kong Vase

Soldier Rising (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was set to become the first American-based participant since 2017 at the Longines Hong Kong International Races in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase a week from Sunday, will instead remain stateside and receive a break before returning to action in 2024.

“We worked him on Sunday [5f in 1:03.45 over the Belmont main track] and I was not satisfied with the work,” trainer Christophe Clement said of the 5-year-old gelding, campaigned by Madaket Stable, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso. “He came back and I don't think he is as good as he could be–not bad, but when you go for such a long trip and such a prestigious race, you want to make sure everything is OK. I wasn't comfortable about it, so we'll give him a break and bring him back next year.”

The hard-knocking bay gelding, who has raced competitively with the likes of globetrotting multiple Grade I/Group 1 winners such as champion Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and State of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) since arriving on these shores in 2021, made six trips to the post this season. Though winless, he ran with credit, with four runner-up efforts in Grade I company, and most recently charged home to miss by a neck in the GII Red Smith S. at Aqueduct Nov. 11.

It has been 30 years since Clement ran his first horse in Hong Kong when Adam Smith (GB) (Sadler's Wells) finished eighth in the race then called the Hong Kong International Cup. Since then, he has started another half-dozen horses, the last coming with Winchester in the 2010 Vase. Pure Sensation was set to represent the stable in the 2016 Sprint and did make the trip over, but was withdrawn in the days leading up to the race.

With few options at home for Soldier Rising at this late juncture, Clement once again looked to Hong Kong.

“Soldier Rising ran a really nice race in the Red Smith and I thought he was doing well, so you just look at your choices,” he said. “The Vase has a big purse of $2 million and we are sure that he stays. So it was attractive at the time to think about it and think a little bit outside the box. But I am a New York trainer, the owners are New York-based and obviously he finished second five times in graded stakes this year, including four times in Grade Is. So that is the priority for next year. For now we'll play it safe and bring him back for the same sort of a program.”

While there are potential early-season targets in the Middle East for a horse like Soldier Rising, the timing isn't quite right, Clement said.

“He could have been one for Saudi or Dubai. I am certainly not against it, but the problem with that is that my idea was to try to go once more [in 2023] and then give him a break and have a fresh horse for next year,” he offered. “Now we are passing Hong Kong and still going to give him a break, which means we also need to pass Saudi and Dubai, as it comes too early.”

Still, it will come as no surprise if Clement circles Sha Tin on his calendar come next December.

“Maybe Big Invasion (Declaration of War) for the Sprint, too,” he said. “Good horses from America compete well in the Breeders' Cup and there's no reason they can't also do so overseas. International competition is good for all of us.”

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Saturday Insights: Daughter Of Arrogate Debuts Over BAQ Turf

5th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:44 p.m. ET
On Friday at the Belmont at the Big A meet, trainer Cherie DeVaux and co-owners Martin Schwartz and David Ingordo celebrated Reagan's Flame (Flameaway) coming home a winner over the turf in her first start.

Now Schwartz and DeVaux send PURLOIN (Arrogate) to the post looking for a similar outcome. A $200,000 Keeneland September purchase by Midnight Bloodstock, the gray filly went for $400,000 during the OBS April Sale with DeVaux signing the ticket after she went 10 2/5 during the under-tack show.

Other runners making their debut here include Cheyenne Stable homebred Style Points (Oscar Performance), who is out of GII New York S. heroine Mystical Star (Ghostzapper). The Christophe Clement trainee is also up against Public Assembly (More Than Ready), a $300,000 Keeneland September buy for Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown. The chestnut filly's dam is a full-sister to two-time GIII Fred W. Hooper H. victor Csaba (Kitten's Joy).

Finally, Don Alberto homebred Lucevan La Stelle (Noble Mission {GB}), whose second dam is a full-sister to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo), goes out for Tom Albertrani. TJCIS PPS

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