Down the Shedrow with Christophe Clement

Christophe Clement made the move from France to the U.S. in 1991 and quickly established himself as a top turf trainer. He has churned out top grass runners, such as three-time champion Gio Ponti; MGISWs Voodoo Dancer, Winchester and Hard Not to Like; and Grade I winners Rutherienne and Discreet Marq.

In 2014, Clement proved his talent also extended to dirt runners when Tonalist captured that year's GI Belmont S., ending now four-time Eclipse winner California Chrome's bid for Triple Crown glory. The “TDN Rising Star” also provided his conditioner with back-to-back victories in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and closed out his career with an exciting score in the 2015 GI Cigar Mile.

While Tonalist has since retired to Lane's End, Clement still has a Grade I-winning dirt horse in the barn in Yellow Agate (Gemologist) and, as always, is loaded with top turf horses.

BEST PERFORMANCE (f, 2, Broken Vow)

West Point Thoroughbreds and Tango Uniform Racing's Best Performance donned cap and gown on debut at Belmont May 17 (video) and followed up with a game second in that venue's Astoria S. June 8.

“She came out of it in great shape. Unfortunately, we don't have any races until the Saratoga meet. We have two stakes over there, which are the [GIII] Schuylerville [S. July 21] and the [GII] Adirondack [S. Aug. 12].”

CELESTINE (m, 5, Scat Daddy)

Winner of the 2016 GII Honey Fox S. and GI Just a Game S. for previous owner Phaedrus Flights and trainer Bill Mott, Celestine was purchased by Moyglare Stud Farm for $2.55 million at the Keeneland November sale and transferred to Clement to race another season. Kicking off her 2017 season for these connections with a victories in the Mar. 4 Sand Springs S. and Apr. 1 Honey Fox at Gulfstream, the dark bay was a disappointing fifth when attempting a title defense in the Just a Game June 10.

“She was a little jarred up after the Just a Game and a little bit stiff, but very manageable. She's getting a little bit of a break and then we will bring her back. I'm not sure where at the moment. We will put her well being first, then work her, then go from there.”

DISCO PARTNER (h, 5, Disco Rico)

Patricia Generazio homebred Disco Partner is two-for-two so far in 2017. Kicking off this term with a win in the Elusive Quality S. at Belmont Apr. 29, the gray set a new world record for six furlongs on the turf with a sizzling victory in the GIII Jaipur S. in 1:05.67 on the GI Belmont S. undercard June 10 (video).

“He trained very well before the race and he was actually very impressive when came back going 7/8ths at Belmont this year. We are going to train him for a race called the Forbidden Apple [S. July 15] in New York. We are going to try and stretch him to a mile or more. Obviously he stays a mile, we will have much more choices, and if he doesn't, I will bring him back to sprinting afterwards.”

PURE SENSATION (g, 6, Zensational)

Three-time graded winner Pure Sensation finished a respectable third in last term's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and checked in fourth in his seasonal bow in Churchill's GIII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S. May 5. Sent off as the second-choice in the Jaipur, the Generazio homebred could not hang on after setting very sharp fractions early and finished fourth to his stablemate.

“I think he was very unlucky in the Jaipur. He got into a speed duel and they went too quick, but he still had a good race and only got beat in the last sixteenth of a mile. He is set to work this weekend with Kendrick Carmouche and if he is doing well, the plan would be to run him in the [GIII] Parx Dash [July 8].”

FROSTMOURNE (c, 3, Speightstown)

Winner of the Awad S. last term, Green Lantern Stables homebred Frostmourne checked in second in Aqueduct's Woodhaven S. Apr. 22 and returned to winning ways with his first graded success in the GIII Penn Mile June 3 (video).

“Frostmourne came out of the Penn Mile in very good shape and is training forwardly. The plan is to run him in the [GIII] Kent [S. July 15] at Delaware, but he is still possible for the [GI] Belmont Derby [July 8].”

LULL (f, 3, War Front)

Winner of the Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs last term, Lull finished second to the highly-regarded La Coronel (Colonel John) next out in Keeneland's GIII Jessamine S. and closed out 2016 with a fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 4. A disappointing seventh behind La Coronel in the GIII Appalachian S. in Lexington Apr. 13, the Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred missed by just a nose when second in Belmont's Soaring Softly S. May 20 and is entered in Saturday's Wild Applause S. over that course.

“Lull is doing great. She is supposed to run tomorrow. I just hope the weather cooperates. She is a much better filly on firm than on soft. I have always liked her a lot. I think she is a tremendous filly and she trains like a very nice horse. I know she got beat last time, but I don't think she lost anything in defeat. Let's see what happens tomorrow and we will go from there.”

SQUEEZE (f, 4, Lemon Drop Kid)

Robert Evans' Squeeze opened her account with a win at Keeneland in April 2016 and was tabbed a “TDN Rising Star” after an impressive allowance score at Belmont last June (video). Sidelined after that victory, the dark bay is scheduled to return in the third race at Belmont Saturday.

“She is coming off a long layoff and also a major soft tissue injury as a 3-year-old, but she seems to have healed well. Her works have been satisfactory and I guess the next step is to run her.”

YELLOW AGATE (f, 3, Gemologist)

China Horse Club's Yellow Agate followed up on her debut win at Belmont last September with a victory in the GI Frizette S. a month later. A disappointing 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5, the bay made her seasonal bow at Laurel June 17, finishing fourth in the Alma North S.

“I thought the first race back was actually better than it looked. To finish fourth is a disappointing performance, but the winner was very impressive. I thought she went okay to tell you the truth. She was not 100%. She will be 100% next time. I have not yet pinpointed a race that I like. Maybe it will be to go a mile somewhere and we will go from there.”

PORTMAGEE (f, 4, Hard Spun)

Capturing a Gulfstream optional claimer Mar. 19, Waterville Lake Stable's Portmagee made it two in a row with a victory in Belmont's License Fee S. Apr. 30 at odds of 7-1 (video). She led every step of the way in Belmont's GIII Intercontinental S. June 8, but was run down late and finished third, beaten less than a length.

“She's a nice filly, an improving kind of filly. Six furlongs is great for her. Obviously, 7/8ths is pushing it a little bit and she's not a miler. She will run in another sprint stakes somewhere.”

GUCCI FACTOR (g, 4, Gio Ponti)

Shelved after finishing ninth in a nine-panel test on the dirt at Saratoga Aug. 26, Castleton Lyons' Gucci Factor returned from a 10-month layoff to run away to a 16-length graduation going a mile in Elmont June 15 (video).

“He's got talent. He won very impressively. We will probably for Saratoga and find a race over there. The idea at the moment would be to find another race going 7/8ths or a mile. I'd probably prefer to go 7/8ths at the moment.”

GOVERNOR MALIBU (c, 4, Malibu Moon)

Runner-up in last term's GII Peter Pan S. and GII Jim Dandy S., Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bluff Stables' Governor Malibu checked in third in the NY-bred Commentator S. May 29 and returned just 12 days later to be fourth in the GII Brooklyn S. June 10.

“The Commentator and the Brooklyn were only 12 days apart. We will give him a little time now. There is a New York-bred stake coming back up July 2, but we are not in a hurry to run him right back, so we may wait.”

LUBASH (h, 10, Freud)

Hard-knocking, New York-bred veteran Lubash has 12 black-type wins to his credit, including three graded stakes. Closing out 2016 with a victory in the GIII Tropical Turf H. Nov. 26, the Aliyu Ben J Stables homebred was third in the GIII Miami Mile S. Apr. 29 and completed the trifecta agin in the NY-bred Kingston S. last time May 29.

“Lubash is doing great. I wanted to run him last weekend, but we know he doesn't like soft and he is 10-years-old. He can compete on soft, but his best form has been on firm. He is another one that could run in the Forbidden Apple or we could find another spot.”

BLACKTYPE (FR) (g, 6, Dunkerque {Fr})

Victorious in the GII Commonwealth Turf Cup S. last term, Jumpe Sucker Stable's Blacktype checked in fifth in the GI Maker's 46 Mile at Keeneland Apr. 14 and was third last time in the GII Longines Dixie S. at Pimlico May 20.

“Blacktype got sick. He had a high temperature on Belmont week, but he is in good order now. He is another horse that could come back in the Forbidden Apple if we need to.”

DOVER CLIFFS (c, 3, English Channel)

Robert S. Evans homebred Dover Cliffs followed his second out graduation at Gulfstream Feb. 19 with a win in that venue's Cutler Bay H. Apr. 1 (video). The bay weakened to ninth behind “TDN Rising Star” Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) last time in Pimlico's James W. Murphy S. on the GI Preakness S. undercard May 20.

“Dover Cliffs is doing well. He had a disappointing race last time on softer turf. He is training forwardly. There is a stake coming up at Belmont July 4 [the Manila S.] going a mile on the grass for straight 3-year-olds. That will be the plan at the moment.”