Clement May Send Gufo In Sword Dancer

Trainer Christophe Clement said he has been delighted thus far with Otter Bend Stables' Gufo following two late-closing efforts against Grade 1 company to commence his 4-year-old season.

The consistent son of Declaration of War kept a never-off-the-board record intact when making up 17 lengths to finish a late-closing third to Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. on June 5, registering a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure. He arrived at the 10-furlong engagement off a narrow runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes on May 8, where he made a five-wide move in the upper stretch with dead aim on pacesetter Channel Cat, coming up a nose shy of victory.

“He was a bit erratic in the Manhattan. We've got to work on that,” Clement said. “I may put blinkers on him, I'm not sure yet. We'll come back somewhere going a mile and a half or mile and three-eighths and get him going longer.”

Clement mentioned the $500,000 Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. as a likely target and said Gufo could run once before said start.

During his 3-year-old season, Gufo won the English Channel Stakes at Gulfstream Park and Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park before coming up a head shy of victory to Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes. He successfully sought redemption next out in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes.

Clement has twice won the Sword Dancer Invitational, with Winchester [2011] and Honor Glide [1999].

Also pursuing Grade 1 turf action from the Clement stable is Plum Ali, who displayed a strong turf of foot with a close second when chasing a leisurely pace in the Grade 3 Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park on June 3. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael Caruso, Plum Ali will target the 10-furlong $700,000 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 10, the first leg of the Turf Triple series for fillies.

“She should get the distance,” Clement said. “She came out of the Wonder Again in good shape. We'll work her next week.”

Plum Ali, a daughter of First Samurai, began her racing career with wins in her first three starts, including the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes on October 4. In two starts as a 3-year-old, Plum Ali gathered more graded stakes black type when third in the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes before the last-out Wonder Again.

Clement has won the Belmont Oaks twice when raced as the Garden City Handicap with Miss World [2009] and Voodoo Dancer [2001].

R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love earned her first North American triumph in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming event over the inner turf on May 23.

The daughter of Sea the Stars earned black-type twice last season with second-place finishes in the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga.

Call Me Love registered her second work since her last out triumph when breezing a half-mile in 49.45 seconds over the inner turf on Sunday morning.

Clement mentioned the $100,000 Perfect Sting on July 3 at Belmont, going one mile for fillies and mares, as an option for Call Me Love.

“Call Me Love worked well today,” Clement said. “There's one stake this meet for fillies on the grass and it's a mile which is a little on the short side for her, but we're going to have a look at it. I think she wants to go further.”

Clement said he would send stakes winners Bye Bye and Bubbles On Ice to the one-mile $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes on June 26.

Owned by Bach Stables, Bye Bye is a winner of both her efforts on grass, most recently in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly Stales on May 15. Bubbles On Ice, owned by Glen Hill Farm, Madaket Stables, and Cheyenne Stables, was fifth in the Hilltop Stakes on May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, M.D. last out after capturing her North American debut in the Memories of Silver Stakes on April 18 at Aqueduct.

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Rubber Match for ‘Liam,’ ‘Spending’ in Manhattan

At the conclusion of the May 1 GI Old Forestor Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs there was no room to spare between Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending (Kingman {GB}) who crossed the wire in unison and the duo will attempt to separate themselves in Saturday's GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. at Belmont. Domestic Spending is trained by Chad Brown, who has won the 1 1/2-mile race on seven occasions, including the last two most recent renewals.

On the board in all five starts at three, including a win on the Saratoga Derby Invitational, Domestic Spending rounded out the year with a score in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in November. Given some time off, he returned to dead heat with Colonel Liam last time.

“He seems to be doing really well and came out of his last race super,” Brown said of the colt, who will break from post 4 with Flavien Prat back in the irons. “He's been breezing like a timepiece, so I think we're in good shape. He ran a faster race than the horse he dead-heated with in the Turf Classic. We're confident he'll run a good race.”

Brown also saddles Group 2 winner Master Piece (Chi) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), MGISP Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), winner of the May 1 GII Fort Marcy S.

Trying to take down Team Brown, Colonel Liam, who finished fourth behind Domestic Spending in last summer's Saratoga Derby, kicked off his winning skein in December with a confident victory in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Derby before eking out a win in the 9 1/2-furlong GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at that venue in January. Prior to his Turf Classic tie, he proved best in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. Fair Grounds in March.

“It's a very deep race and a very good race, arguably the strongest on the card,” said trainer Todd Pletcher of the Manhattan. “Colonel Liam is doing great and he's run well every time; we expect him to do the same again.”

He added, “I think he thought he had [the Turf Classic] won last time and he may have idled a touch when he got to the lead. Depending on the pace scenario, I don't see too much pace. He may find himself closer and possibly on the lead. We'll play it by ear and let him do his thing.”

Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the grey will break from Post 10.

Calumet Farm's Channel Cat (English Channel) comes into this off a career-high score in Belmont's GI Man O' War S. May 8. The 6-year-old was able to withstand the oncoming 2020 GI Belmont Derby winner Gufo (Declaration of War) by a nose at the wire.

“I'm only just getting to know the horse, but he seems to really be coming around in the short time I've had him,” said Jack Sisterson, who took over Channel Cat's training in late 2020. “He was second in the [GII] Elkhorn [S. at Keeneland Apr. 17] and we wanted to give him time to come back for the Manhattan, but he put on 50 pounds after the Elkhorn and his coat was coming around. If horses could talk, he was telling us he wanted to run again. So, we ran him back quick.”

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Brown To Saddle Four In Manhattan; Deep Field Also Includes Colonel Liam, Man O’ War Top Pair

Trainer Chad Brown will be loaded for bear in the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, with four of the 10 horses entered running under his banner in the 1 1/4-mile inner turf test for 4-year-olds and up on Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day, at Belmont Park.

No stranger to success in the Manhattan, Brown will be looking for his third consecutive win – and seventh overall – in the prestigious race, which will be the final undercard contest as Race 10 before the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in Race 11.

Brown's recent dominance in the race is underscored by the fact that a win in the 119th running of the Manhattan would not even be his first three-peat in the race. The four-time Eclipse Award-winner captured three straight editions of the Manhattan from 2014-16. His exploits in the race also include saddling the top three finishers in 2019 and the top two in 2020.

Brown's quartet all have the credentials to win, but that honor may go to Domestic Spending, a 4-year-old son of Kingman who made a successful 2021 debut in the Grade 1 Turf Classic on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Domestic Spending showed much promise as a 3-year-old, beginning his career with a first-out win in February 2020 at Tampa Bay Downs, before making steady strides throughout a sophomore campaign that culminated with a win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on November 28. He still seemed to take his game to another level in the Turf Classic, rallying through traffic to dead-heat with the classy Colonel Liam for the win on Kentucky Derby Day.

“He seems to be doing really well and came out of his last race super,” Brown said of Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending, who will break from post 4 with Flavien Prat aboard again. “He's been breezing like a timepiece, so I think we're in good shape. He ran a faster race than the horse he dead-heated with in the Turf Classic. We're confident he'll run a good race.”

Chilean transplant Master Piece adds a bit of South American flavor to Brown's diverse lineup. Master Piece was a four-time winner in his native Chile, including a marquee win in the Group 2 Gran Clasico Coronacion at about this distance, before he joined the Brown barn late last year and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in his North American debut on October 3 at Belmont.

After receiving some time off following the Joe Hirsch, Master Piece returned on April 16 at Keeneland, where he defeated allowance competition by three-quarters of a length going 1 ⅛ miles with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. He is owned by Don Alberto Stable and will break from post 5 with Javier Castellano in the irons.

Brown will also send out a pair of runners exiting the Grade 2 Fort Marcy, a local prep for the Manhattan. Fort Marcy-winner Tribhuvan was a late addition to the race, while third-place finisher Rockemperor will look to improve upon a runner-up finish in last year's Manhattan, which was won by his stablemate Instilled Regard.

Brown said he is hopeful an equipment change for Rockemperor could be what gets him back on track, as despite running well on a number of occasions he's yet to win a race in the U.S.

“What I'm going to do with him, finally, is put a little blinker on the horse,” Brown said. “He's funny because sometimes he'll drop out of position and look a little funny and lack that turn of foot in his races, but when you train him, he can be a little bit keen going to the pole, so then I end up not putting them on because of the way he trains. I'm going to put the blinkers on.

“Another horse who was like that was [2015 Manhattan-winner] Slumber,” Brown said. “When I first got him, he would go to the pole with an iron jaw and I'd say, maybe I don't want to do that, then I'd see him race and know that I needed to (add blinkers). We'll see with Rockemperor, it may help him move forward. Let's see how he runs with them. I did see an improved workout with them.”

Rockemperor and Tribhuvan will break from posts 6 and 8, respectively, with Jose Ortiz and Eric Cancel named to ride. Both are owned in partnership by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso, while Michael Kisber is also a part-owner of Rockemperor.

A winner of four straight races dating back to December 26 of last year, Turf Classic co-winner Colonel Liam will give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher another strong chance to capture a Grade 1 event on Saturday. A son of Liam's Map owned by Robert and Lawana Low, Colonel Liam exploded onto the 3-year-old turf scene in 2020 when he made short work of an allowance field at Saratoga Race Course in his first try on the surface.

Colonel Liam nearly followed with a win a few weeks later in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, but he had to settle for fourth behind Domestic Spending. The Saratoga Derby marked the last time Colonel Liam has lost, and his victories in the intervening months include scores in the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park, as well as the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial in March at Fair Grounds.

“It's a very deep race and a very good race, arguably the strongest on the card,” said Pletcher of the Manhattan. “Colonel Liam is doing great and he's run well every time; we expect him to do the same again.

“I think he thought he had [the Turf Classic] won last time and he may have idled a touch when he got to the lead,” Pletcher added. “Depending on the pace scenario, I don't see too much pace. He may find himself closer and possibly on the lead. We'll play it by ear and let him do his thing.”

Colonel Liam will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from the outermost post 10.

Trainer Christophe Clement is a three-time Manhattan winner and will send out a pair of runners in Gufo and City Man. The former rose through the stakes ranks last year with Domestic Spending and Colonel Liam, two rivals he's well acquainted with. A 4-year-old son of Declaration of War, Gufo finished second to Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby and third in the Hollywood Derby, beaten a head and a neck, respectively, on those occasions. In his 2021 unveiling in the Grade 1 Man O' War over this turf course, the Otter Bend Stables color-bearer lodged yet another near miss, this time finishing second by a nose.

“He's doing very well,” Clement said of Gufo, who will enlist the services of Joel Rosario from post 9. “I worked him on Friday and he had a nice work. He's a nice horse. He ran very well in the Man o' War. The Manhattan is going to be a very tough race, it always is.”

The Manhattan wasn't originally the plan for New York-bred City Man, who was entered in the Kingston here on Memorial Day, but Clement was forced to call an audible when that race came off the turf. City Man, second last out in the Fort Marcy, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione from post 1.

The upset winner of the Man o' War, Channel Cat, will also be back to try his luck in this spot. The Jack Sisterson and Calumet Farm product was given an aggressive ride by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the Man O' War, which seemed to make all the difference as the sputtering 6-year-old son of Kitten's Cat was able to stir the echoes and just outlast Gufo in the stretch.

“I'm only just getting to know the horse, but he seems to really be coming around in the short time I've had him,” said Sisterson, who took over Channel Cat's training in late 2020. “He was second in the Elkhorn and we wanted to give him time to come back for the Manhattan, but he put on 50 pounds after the Elkhorn and his coat was coming around. If horses could talk he was telling us he wanted to run again. So, we ran him back quick.”

Velazquez will again be aboard Channel Cat and the duo will depart from post 7.

Completing the field will be Masteroffoxhounds [post 3, Manuel Franco], who was eighth last out in the Turf Classic, and Bye Bye Melvin [post 2, Junior Alvarado], most recently fourth in the Grade 2 Dinner Party at Pimlico.

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Clement Has Gufo Training Forwardly For Manhattan

Gufo training forwardly for G1 Manhattan

 

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo registered his first work since running second in his 2021 bow in the Grade 1 Man o' War on May 8 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., with the Declaration of War colt posting a half-mile breeze in 50.85 on Saturday over the Belmont inner turf course.

Trainer Christophe Clement said he was encouraged by the work and will keep Gufo on target for the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan contested at 1 1/4 miles on the turf on Belmont Stakes Day June 5.

“Gufo is doing well and had a good work yesterday,” Clement said. “It was the first maintenance breeze back, and we'll work him next weekend and then go for the Manhattan.”

Gufo won three stakes during his 3-year-old campaign in 2020, starting with the English Channel in May at Gulfstream Park before winning his first graded stakes contest in the Grade 3 Kent on Independence Day at Delaware Park.

After a close second in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, where he finished just a head back to Domestic Spending, Gufo posted a one-length win in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby in October going 1 ¼ miles over a firm turf.

In November, Gufo challenged Domestic Spending again and finished third, just a neck behind his nemesis' winning effort in a blanket finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby over firm going at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar.

After more than five months off, Gufo returned to action in the 1 3/8-mile Man o' War over a Belmont turf course rated good, finishing second by a nose to Channel Cat in a thrilling finish that netted the Kentucky Bred a career-best 97 Beyer.

The Manhattan, one of eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, has been won by Clement on three occasions, starting with Forbidden Apple in 2001 and including back-to-back victories by Gio Ponti in 2009 and Winchester in 2010.

Decorated Invader didn't provide the finish Clement was looking for when fifth in Saturday's $100,000 Seek Again. But the fellow Declaration of War colt still earned a 90 Beyer for the effort, which was the second start of his 4-year-old year after running third in the one-mile Danger's Hour on April 10 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader is 5-2-1 in 12 career starts. The $200,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale won the Grade 2 Hall of Fame and the Grade 2 Hill Prince last year.

“It was a disappointing performance yesterday but he came back in pretty good shape,” Clement said. “We'll just have to regroup and go from there.”

Plum Ali, who started her sophomore year with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Appalachian on April 3 at Keeneland, breezed Sunday in preparation for her next start. Clement said she is on target for the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the turf on Opening Day of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Thursday, June 3.

Plum Ali went a half-mile in 48.25 on the Belmont inner turf as she seeks to earn another stakes win after achieving that status twice as a juvenile. The daughter of First Samurai started her career 3-for-3, following a debut score in July with a victory in the Mint Juvenile Fillies in September at Kentucky Downs before winning the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in October at Belmont.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, Plum Ali's lone off-the-board finish in five career starts was her fifth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She worked for the Wonder Again and did well, so we're really happy with that,” Clement said.

Clement could be well-represented in the annual New York Breeders' Showcase Day, featuring six stakes races for New York-breds on Memorial Day Monday, May 31. The veteran conditioner could have seven contenders in a day designed to show off some of the best talent bred in the Empire State, with Sea Foam targeting the $200,000 Commentator and Timeless Journeyfor the $200,000 Critical Eye.

Waterville Lake Stable's Sea Foam will be making his 6-year-old bow off a nearly six-month layoff, last in action when fourth in the Alex M. Robb in December at the Big A. The Commentator is a handicap for 3-year-olds and up going a one-turn mile on Big Sandy.

Merrylegs Farm homebred Timeless Journey ran fourth in her first start as a 4-year-old, being outkicked in the stretch during a one-mile turf route against optional claimers in May at Belmont after winning her 2020 finale on the Aqueduct main track in December. Clement will have her again try the main track in the Critical Eye, which is also contested at a one-turn mile.

Oak Bluff Stables' Therapist, a winner of eight stakes, is on course for the $125,000 Kingston for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Therapist, who has won stakes in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, will look to extend his streak to five straight years, with the now 6-year-old gelded son of Freud making just his second appearance of 2021. City Man is also a possibility for the Kingston.

Other New York Showcase Day contenders for Clement include Brattle House and Pay Grade for the $125,000 Bouwerie for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs; and Classic Lady for the $125,000 Mount Vernon for older fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf course.

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