Bottas caps emotional day for Clement, six-win day for Franco in Hall of Fame
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − An emotional day for trainer Miguel Clement and a sensational day for jockey Manny Franco became an even more memorable day for both after the pair combined to win the $400,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes with the promising 3-year-old turf specialist Bottas.
The day began with Clement celebrating the induction of his late father Christophe into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. While Franco joined an elite group of riders, Irad Ortiz Jr., John Velazquez, and Ramon Dominguez, to have won six races on a single card at Saratoga with his victory aboard Bottas in the Hall of Fame Stakes.
Bottas finished fifth, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths, here five weeks earlier in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. Clement opted to turn him back to a mile off that effort to compete in the Hall of Fame rather than wait 24 hours and try him against Grade 1 opposition once again in the richer and more prestigious Saratoga Derby on the Whitney undercard.
Franco, who was 0 for 44 in graded stakes at Saratoga since he won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby aboard Test Score 13 months earlier, allowed Bottas to settle midpack in the run down the backstretch, about four lengths off the pace of Third Coast. Bottas advanced four wide commencing his bid into the stretch, joined the leaders nearing the sixteenth marker then edged away to a 1 1/2-length victory over Blinging It Back.
Blinging It Back prompted the pace from the outset, appeared to stick his head in front briefly through midstretch, but could not match strides with the winner at the end. Touch of Fire, the 6-5 favorite, was rated within easy striking distance while saving ground from the outset, had to steady briefly when trapped behind the leaders in late stretch before rallying belatedly once in the clear to finish a hard luck third.
Bottas, a son of Vekoma owned by Dahman, completed the distance in 1:34.67 seconds over the firm course and paid $9.24 for his third win in six career starts.
“Not a bad day. I don’t know if it was Manny’s hot streak or dad up above deciding to help me out,” Clement said. “But I thought it was great. Manny rode him brilliantly, keeping Irad [Ortiz Jr. aboard Touch of Fire] boxed in for a little bit longer and getting first run. He [Franco] is in great form. When you’re hot, you’re very hot. Any day is a good day to leg up Mr. Franco. But especially today.”
Clement described it as “tremendous” winning the Hall of Fame Stakes just hours after his father was enshrined in the National Museum Hall of Fame.
“Every year we were delighted he was one of the nominees and always a little disappointed that he didn’t get selected,” said Clement. “So it’s a very emotional day.”
Clement, who had also cross-entered Bottas in the Saratoga Derby, explained his decision to run him in the Hall of Fame instead.
“I’m convinced he will stay a little farther, if you watch his last race [Belmont Derby] he was impeded and crowded the whole way and he was beaten only a length and a half,” Clement noted. “But I was worried about two horses, West End Kid and Remember Mamba in the Saratoga Derby. But only one, Touch of Fire, in this one. I also thought he had a better chance of being in the clear turning into the stretch in today’s race than tomorrow. Had things been different in his last race, we may have been more bold, but you can never be blasé about winning a graded stakes at Saratoga.”
Franco said he was “in the sky right now” after joining such a prestigious list of riders to have won six races on a single day at Saratoga. And that it was even “more awesome” to have completed that feat with a victory in a graded stakes.
“It’s unbelievable, doing it right here in Saratoga,” Franco added. “It means a lot. I’m just happy to get these opportunities.”
Brad Cox, who trained the unlucky third-place finisher Touch of Fire, acknowledged the results might have been different had his horse not gotten boxed in until deep stretch.
“It was a good trip to the quarter pole,” Cox said with a laugh. “Manny rode a good race. He held us in there. Good effort. Proud of the effort. But tough trip. Tough beat. Just not his day.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.