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‘Durability,’ ‘Excellence’: Personal Ensign Next Major Goal For Eclipse Hopeful Clairiere

Just like the fine wine she is named for, Clairiere gets better with age.

The Stonestreet Stables homebred Clairiere, whom Barbara Banke named after the lush pinot noir produced at one of the 40 wineries she owns in the Jackson Family Wines portfolio, on Saturday won the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps for the second straight year with a courageous late rally to get up just in time.

“We've been very blessed to have her and have had extraordinary fillies and mares like [Champions] Rachel Alexandra, Untapable and Midnight Bisou over the years, but you cannot compare racehorses because what defines them is how they step up to their competition and who they are on the racetrack,” Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen said of the 5-year-old mare. “The uniqueness about Clairiere is her pedigree. For her to win the Ogden Phipps two years in a row, and that being a race that her mother Cavorting won [2016], wow. The uniqueness of that speaks volumes.”

Clairiere is by Curlin, whom Asmussen trained to back-to-back Horse of the Year Honors in 2007-08.

“What Curlin represents in horse racing, the durability and the excellence is unmatched. It's impossible for me to put into words what Curlin means to me,” he said. “It's all in the family, absolutely. It makes it that much more special.”

Asmussen said the long-term goal is to bring Clairiere back to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Santa Anita, which she qualified for with the Phipps win through the “Win and You're In” Challenge series, in hopes of improving upon her third-place finish behind eventual Champion Older Dirt Female Malathaat last year.

The mid-range goal is the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign on August 25 at Saratoga, a race in which she ran fifth to Malathaat last year.

The short-term plan has yet to be formulated.

“I would expect her to have another run before the Personal Ensign. I will discuss it with Barbara and the whole Stonestreet team once we get her moved to Saratoga and into her regular training regimen we will make that decision,” said Asmussen, who reported that the mare was came back from her race in fine form.

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Three-Year-Old Division Up for Grabs After Eventful Triple Crown Season

Trainer Brad Cox has several 3-year-olds in his barn who could have a say in the race for the champion of that division before all is said and done in the division. With that in mind, it could be surprising to hear who Cox says is the current leader of the 3-year-old crop on June 11, less than 24 hours after the completion of the 2023 Triple Crown chase at Belmont Park.

Kaukokaipuu Wins Queenston, Stamps Himself As Horse To Watch For King’s Plate

Kaukokaipuu rallied impressively to take the $125,000 Queenston Stakes, Sunday afternoon at Woodbine.

Fresh off a 9 ¼-length maiden-breaking win at seven panels on May 20, Kaukokaipuu (a Finnish term meaning 'wanderlust') was equally impressive in his first stakes test, powering by a pair of rivals late to win the seven-furlong feature for 3-year-olds foaled in Canada, and a key race on the road to the King's Plate (August 20).

With Rico Walcott in the irons, the son of Mr Speaker broke alertly and was joined quickly by Paramount Prince and Poulin in O T. It was Paramount Prince who claimed a narrow lead and took his 11 rivals through an opening quarter reached in :23.42. The trio continued to slug it out through a half in :46.44, with Poulin in O T holding a head advantage as the front-runners navigated the turn for home.

Down the lane, it was Paramount Prince who emerged on top, hounded by a game Poulin in O T, as Walcott found himself hemmed in and fifth at the stretch call. With the finish line looming, Walcott and Kaukokaipuu finally found daylight and began to reel in their rivals, getting up to post a 1¼-length win in a time of 1:23.55. Paramount Prince finished a head in front of Poulin in O T for second. One Bay Hemingway was fourth.

“I leave the gates not bad, but Patrick's (jockey, Husbands) horse (Paramount Prince) left pretty sharp too and he was right next to me,” Walcott said. “The horse kind of came over to the rail, so then I was behind him. I was kind of boxed in and I had to wait and wait and wait until the head of the lane and there was still nowhere to go when I straightened up. Halfway down the stretch, I pulled out and he kicked on again and I kept riding him to the pole.”

A champion rider and multiple Sovereign Award finalist, Walcott, who won several riding titles in Western Canada, is hoping the Queenston victory will lead to even bigger things at the Toronto oval.

“It feels really good to get started and get going here,” said Walcott, who celebrated his first Woodbine stakes win. “I just want to get a chance to get a break so I can ride. I do my best and I try hard for everybody I ride for. I will keep doing it until the season is over.”

The Queenston also represented the first stakes victory for trainer Tedston Holder in just his fourth stakes appearance.

“First, I would like to dedicate this race to (trainer) Ricky Griffith, who has paved the way for us to be here. He (Kaukokaipuu) had a good winter. We stopped on him at the end of September, early October, and got him down to Florida, so he had a really good winter. He matured a lot and grew.”

As for Kaukokaipuu being able to stretch out and handle 1 1/4-mile King's Plate distance, Holder will take a wait and see approach.

“If he does, it will be exciting to see.”

Owned by Culpepper Island Syndicate and bred by Sean Fitzhenry from the Mizzen Mast mare Gray Pride, Kaukokaipuu is 2-6-0 from 10 starts. The gray/roan colt was a $10,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, where Keith Lancaster consigned him.

Kaukokaipuu paid $15.50 for the win.

Hey Cue was fifth, followed by Cool Kiss, One for Chap, Philip My Dear, Gran Spirited, Keen Flatter, Opposites Attract and Moon Landing. True Temper was scratched.

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Wizard Of Westwood Romps Gate To Wire For Cinema Win

Trainer Michael McCarthy's Wizard of Westwood broke running in Sunday's $100,000 Cinema Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita and he proved dominant on the front end as he repelled a stiff challenge from race favorite Mi Hermano Ramon to prevail by 1½ lengths while getting 1 1/4 miles on turf in 2:01.27.

Second, beaten a head by Mi Hermano Ramon going 1 1/8 miles on turf May 7 at Santa Anita, Wizard of Westwood took a take-no-prisoners approach as he bounded from the gate under Abel Cedillo and was in control when the field crossed the dirt shortly after a hillside start. Shadowed by the favorite up the backside and around the far turn, Mi Hermano Ramon got to the winner's flank at the top of the lane, but Cedillo had plenty in the tank with Wizard of Westwood, who drew clear and was unchallenged through the lane. Maltese Falcon was up for second, three-quarters of a length in front of tiring Mi Herman Ramon in third.

“They went a half in :49 (in the May 7 Singletary Stakes) the other day and I was surprised that he was able to get himself beat off a pedestrian opening half (mile) like that,” said McCarthy. “Today, they went a little bit faster, :47 and 4, but it looked like he was always doing it comfortably. (Mi Hermano Ramon) never came to his hip or anything like that (early), so he was able to get himself into a nice rhythm, he put in a little run around the turn and was good enough to hold on today.

“He gallops big in the morning, gallops a mile and a half, a mile and three-quarters and doesn't seem to blow out a candle. He's got stamina influence (in his) pedigree, today, it kind of worked in his favor.”

Off at 7-2 in field of seven, Wizard of Westwood paid $9 for the win.

A colt by the Chilean-bred Scat Daddy stallion Tu Brutus out of the Purge mare Figrare, Wizard of Westwood is owned by Andrew and Rania Warren and was bred in Kentucky by Pope McLean, who offered him a the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he sold to Patrice Miller, agent for $20,000. Stakes-placed in his last three starts, all on the Santa Anita turf, Wizard of Westwood, in getting his first stakes win, is now 2-2-1 from five career starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, he increased his lifetime earnings to $132,000.

“Last time, he was caught around the quarter pole and when I tried to go with him, he kind of lugged out a little bit,” said Cedillo, who got his first stakes win of the Hollywood Meet. “I think that's what cost me the win. This time he was so relaxed, turning for home today, I grabbed my inside rein and he stayed on the rail the whole time, so that was really good.

“My intention was to just break and try to take the lead. If someone else wanted to go, I was just going to sit second, but they let me take it, so I took it.”

Cinema fractions were :23.58, :47.97, 1:12.61, and 1:37.15.

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