Belmont Park: Clement runners look like pick-three keys

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ELMONT, N.Y. – Christophe Clement won’t have time to enjoy the first Sunday of the NFL season as he will be the busiest trainer at Belmont Park, saddling runners in five of the 10 races on the card.

Clement looks extremely live in the late pick three – all allowance races on turf – where he sends out Red Vine (5-2 morning line) in the eighth, Yes It’s Pink (4-1) in the ninth, and With Exultation (7-2) in the 10th. Earlier on the card, Clement has first-time starter Executive Office (5-1) in the first and Kitty Panda (3-1) in the third.

With jockeys Joel Rosario and Jose Lezcano sidelined because of injury and Irad Ortiz Jr. serving out a suspension, Clement has named Joe Bravo on all five of his runners. The Clement-Bravo team has combined to win 117 races from 459 starters, or 25 percent, including 9 for 48 this year.

In the eighth, an $87,000 first-level allowance for males going 1 1/16 miles, Red Vine makes his first start against winners after capturing a maiden race at Del Mar, where, under that track’s “Ship and Win” program, Red Vine earned $61,000 for winning a $75,000 race. The horse ran well twice in New York, getting beaten by a neck in his debut here in June and finishing second to Rapscallion at Saratoga.

“I was not expecting to run him back so early, I expected to run him back late September, but he trained so well since he came back that I just thought let’s have a look at it,” Clement said. “The horse has done amazingly well since he came back, hasn’t missed a beat, hasn’t missed an oat. I always thought he was a nice horse.”

Red Vine seemed to benefit from a fast early pace at Del Mar, a scenario that may not play out here Sunday.

In the ninth, an $87,000 first-level allowance race going a mile, the New York-bred Yes It’s Pink returns to the turf course, where she has two wins and a second from five starts. She has successfully gone through her New York-bred conditions and has run well in two open-company allowance races, including a second to Teen Pauline last out in a two-turn race at Saratoga.

“I think the one-turn mile should be great for her. She always runs good races,” said Clement, who noted that even when she finished fifth, beaten one length here July 5, “she was just getting there, the race was over.”

After winning his debut going a mile here April 26, With Exultation has twice disappointed at short prices. Clement noted that With Exultation “had an erratic trip” when he was sixth at 3-2 here June 22. Though drawn in post 10, With Exultation should benefit from what should be a quick early pace.

In the opener, Executive Office runs in a six-furlong dirt race for New York-bred maiden claimers with the price of $50,000. Though Clement had a terrific meet with first-time starters on the turf at Saratoga, he is only 2 for 13 over the last five years with firsters in maiden claiming dirt races.

In the third, an optional claimer for New York-bred fillies and mares, Kitty Panda returns after finishing 10th as the 5-2 favorite in a similar spot as this on July 21 at Saratoga. Clement said Kitty Panda came back “with a question mark about her soundness” but added she appears to be doing better now.