Christophe Clement | Horse Racing Free Tips

Desormeaux: Horse That ‘Changed My Life’ Continues To Pay Dividends

My Girl Red, who cruised to a 4 3/4-length victory in Friday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sorrento Stakes, is a daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red. Both were/are trained by Keith Desormeaux.

“Texas Red changed my life,” Desormeaux said after the Sorrento. “Texas Red was the culmination of a lifetime of telling myself, and other people, that you don't have to pay boxcar prices (for horses) to win major races.

“I'll always be appreciative of that, and it's icing on the cake to have the same ownership group breed this kind of mare in his first group. Hopefully, it's onwards and upwards for him.”

In making it 2-for-2 for her career, favored My Girl Red ($3.80), was in control virtually from the start without much encouragement and was merely taking stock of her surroundings during the final sixteenth of a mile.

“She's always shown that she has a lot of class and she has the physical attributes that I look for in a good horse,” Desormeaux said. “For her to win first time out is the (epitome) of class. It shows that you don't have to work forty-five and change in the morning to show that kind of speed in the afternoon.”

Like father, like daughter? Not around the barn.

“Texas Red didn't want you to touch him. He's was pretty ornery,” Desormeaux said. “He wasn't a lovable type. This filly really seems to like to be around people. None of those ornery traits for her.”

Asked if the Grade I, Del Mar Debutante (September 6) was next, Desormeaux didn't hesitate. “Oh, of course,” he said.

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Rising Stars Set to Lock Horns in Deep Saratoga Special

With the outposted Roderick (Into Mischief) scratching in favor of a start in Saturday’s GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar, a field of 10 is set to face the starter for Friday’s GII Saratoga Special S.,headed by a trio of promising ‘TDN Rising Stars.’

Trainer Steve Asmussen, already a four-time winner of the Special, sends out Stonestreet homebred Cazadero (Street Sense), who looks to take his record to a perfect three-for-three. The May foal, a son of MSW & GISP Wild Gams (Forest Wildcat), set a pressured early pace before romping clear by 8 3/4 lengths on Churchill debut May 29 and showed a bit of a new dimension last time, sitting off a faster tempo before kicking home to win the June 27 GIII Bashford Manor S. by 4 3/4 lengths. Cazadero will attempt to join former Asmussen trainees Cuvee (2003), Kodiak Kowboy (2007), Kantharos (2010) and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Copper Bullet (2017).

“It’s nice to have a couple of races under his belt heading into a race like this at Saratoga,” said Asmussen’s chief assistant Scott Blasi. “He came in very well-respected and hasn’t done anything wrong yet.”

First-call rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. retains the mount on Cazadero, while Joel Rosario takes the call on Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music), a 2 1/2-length maiden winner at first asking in Louisville June 19. Second on that occasion was Therideofalifetime (Candy Ride {Arg}), who franked the form of the winner when swooshing home to graduate by 8 1/4 lengths at Keeneland July 11, good for the ‘Rising Star’ nod. Jose Ortiz, aboard in Lexington, is at the controls again Friday.

Fresh off a 6 1/2-length defeat of hot favorite Mo Mischief (Into Mischief) in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden over this track July 18, ‘Rising Star’ Momos (Distorted Humor) will try to give Christophe Clement a seventh black-type win at the meet in the Special instead of just waiting for the meet-ending GI Runhappy Hopeful S. over seven furlongs Sept. 7.

“He’s coming back a little quick with three weeks in between races,” Clement said. “I could have trained for the Hopeful, but this is the best of the choices, so to speak. I just would like to keep him going short in a stakes on dirt and this was the logical one. He seems to be very fast, so why change something that is working?”

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Hot-Handed Clement Sends Pure Sensation, Shekky Shebaz Into Troy

Christophe Clement, who topped the trainer standings with 15 wins heading into Wednesday's card at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will look to add to his impressive numbers when he sends out Pure Sensation and Shekky Shebaz in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Troy over the Spa's Mellon turf course.

The Troy, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for older males, is one of five graded races on a loaded Runhappy Travers Day card headlined by the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers at 1 1/4 miles for the country's most talented 3-year-olds. The card is bolstered by the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test for sophomore fillies; the Grade 1, $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going seven furlongs and offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya, a 1 ½-mile turf route for older fillies and mares. The card will be broadcast on Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

Patricia Generazio's homebred Pure Sensation, a 9-year-old Zensational gelding, boasts a record of 37-14-5-7 with purse earnings of $2,001,050. The popular grey won 4-of-6 starts last season, including a pair of graded-stakes at Parx where he captured his third Grade 3 Parx Dash [which he also won in 2016-17], and his fourth Grade 3 Turf Monster [2015, 2017-18] at Parx.

Pure Sensation wintered at Payson Park in Florida and made his seasonal debut with a seventh in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 20 at Belmont Park. He posted a pair of turf works following the Jaipur, including a bullet three-eighths in 37.23 seconds on July 31 on the Oklahoma training turf.

“I was very disappointed with his race in the Jaipur. He was in a speed duel that day and I hope it's the reason that he ran poorly,” said Clement. “He came back and had a very good work on the turf the other day here. He worked well and looks well.”

Pure Sensation will be making his third start in the Troy after finishing sixth in 2018 and third last year. Clement said he's hoping the ultra-consistent Pure Sensation will return to form on Saturday.

“He's 9 years old, so we'll go one race at a time with him,” said Clement. “It's an important race for him as he has to do well in order for me to carry on. He's a very good-looking horse. He still looks very well and he's very sound.”

Kendrick Carmouche, who had guided the gelding to seven wins, has the call from post 5.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Shekky Shebaz owns a record of 21-6-5-4 with purse earnings of $382,400 and will look to make the grade in his fourth start of the season.

The 5-year-old Cape Blanco gelding finished third in the 2019 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in his graded-stakes debut. Last out, making his first start for Clement, Shekky Shebaz closed to finish third in the 5 ½-furlong Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park.

Shekky Shebaz posted a bullet three-eighths breeze in 36.98 Sunday on the Oklahoma turf training course.

“He's had one start with us and ran fair at Monmouth,” said Clement. “He ran wide all the way. He also looks good and trained well on the grass here. Irad knows him well, so we'll give him a shot.”

Shekky Shebaz will exit post 4 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breeze Easy's Imprimis, a seven-time winner from 13 starts for trainer Joe Orseno, is winless in four starts since taking the 2019 Grade 2 Shakertown in April at Keeneland.

The 6-year-old Broken Vow gelding shipped to Ascot last June for the Group 1 King's Stand and finished sixth. He returned stateside for a three-race fall campaign that included a fourth in the Grade 3 Runhappy Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs; a third in the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland and a sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Jose Ortiz, who guided Imprimis to victory in the 2018 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park, will pilot Imprimis from the inside post.

Rounding out the field is American Sailor [post 2, Tyler Gaffalione], Lonhtwist [post 3, John Velazquez], Pulsate [post 6, Manny Franco], and Chewing Gum [post 7, Joel Rosario].

The Troy is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's 12-race card, which offers a first post of 12 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Former Stable Employee Charged After 2-Year-Old Filly Suffers Fatal Injuries

The Daily Racing Form has reported that a former backstretch employee has been arrested and charged with burglary in the third degree and reckless endangerment of property after the death of a 2-year-old Frankel filly named Pasta (FR) at Belmont Park.

Ramzan Antooa, 38, was allegedly seen by security personnel as he let the horse out of her stall at Belmont, resulting in her getting loose on the road outside the barn and falling, suffering fatal injuries.

The New York Racing Association told Thoroughbred Daily News that Antooa had been licensed to work on the backstretch in New York and that his license had been in good standing. That license has since been summarily suspended pending a hearing.

Pasta had been in the barn of Christophe Clement, who told the Form he is working with Nassau County police on the incident and declined further comment.

Antooa was freed without bail after his arraignment last week. He is due back in court Sept. 21.