Clement and Alvarado team up to sweep Gio Ponti and Forever Together stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Christophe Clement continued his sensational Aqueduct fall meet on Friday, winning three races on the card including both $100,000 turf stakes.

Clement won the $100,000 Gio Ponti Stakes with City Man, who got a great trip under Junior Alvarado to win by a nose. A few hours later, Clement and Alvarado hooked up again to win the $100,000 Forever Together Stakes with Feel Glorious, who had anything but a great trip yet was able to get up by three-quarters of a length.

In the Forever Together, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares, Feel Glorious clipped heels about 20 yards into the race. Around the far turn, Feel Glorious got pinched back a little bit, again losing valuable position. Turning for home, Alvarado eventually had to come seven wide and Feel Glorious powered home to get the victory.

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Favored Tapit Today won a three-way photo for second by a nose over Myhartblongstodady, who was a head better than Platinum Paynter. Miss Teheran, Chaleur, No Mo Lady, Sorrentina Lemon, Simplicity, and Story Time completed the order of finish.

Alvarado said Feel Glorious “got a little stunned” after clipping heels early as she raced in seventh position early on while Chaleur set the pace pressed by Platinum Paynter. They went a half-mile in a pedestrian 51.44 seconds.

“It took a little while to get her back in the bridle,” Alvarado said. “Down the backside I knew we were going slow, so I started trying to pick up my spot so I’m not too far back turning for home. Everybody started moving at the same time, and by the five-sixteenths I wasn’t where I wanted to be, but I thought I had just the best filly today.”

Turning for home, Alvarado was able to get Feel Glorious into the clear.

“When she switched leads, she started picking it up and she was just the best today,” Alvarado said.

Feel Glorious, a 4-year-old Great Britain-bred daughter of Bated Breath, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.77 and returned $9.80 to win.

Feel Glorious does seem to do her best work at Aqueduct, winning her third listed stakes in as many attempts here. Last year at 3, she won the Winter Memories and the Memories of Silver at Aqueduct. She is winless in seven graded stakes attempts, having finished second or third in four such races.

“It’s really unfair she hasn’t won a graded stakes,” Clement said. “I’ve got to think about that if they keep [running] her next year because she’s good enough to win a graded stakes.”

Clement trains Feel Glorious for Dean Reeves and Tango Uniform Racing

Reeves is also part-owner of City Man, who under Alvarado was on the right side of a head bob, winning the $100,000 Gio Ponti over Bodecream by a nose.

Clement chose to run City Man in the Gio Ponti over Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Discovery for 3-year-olds on dirt, a surface on which City Man had recorded his two previous victories. He was winless in three previous turf races.

“I just thought his best work had always been on the turf for me, and the Discovery is not an easy race,” Clement said. “For once, we got it right.”

Alvarado had City Man an up-close and joint second, inside of Bodecream, both sitting off of 100-1 shot Sail At Sunrise, who under Luis Rodriguez Castro set a modest pace of 24.26 seconds for the quarter and 49.81 for the half-mile.

While Bodecream, under Eric Cancel, made an early move, Alvarado bided his time before swinging City Man three wide in the lane. Bodecream struck the front in upper stretch and it appeared he was going to hold City Man at bay, but City Man persevered and got up on the wire.

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City Man, a son of Mucho Macho Man who is also owned by Patty and Peter Searles, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.88 and returned $10.40 as the third choice.

“He broke good,” Alvarado said. “I helped him out of there a little bit, got myself a beautiful spot all the way around. I got to tip out right when I wanted to and he responded pretty well at the end. To be honest, I thought it might have been a little easier, but he kind of likes to wait on horses and hang, and I think that’s what he did today.”

Bodecream was second by one length over Price Talk, the 2-1 favorite. Ajourneytofreedom was fourth, followed by Baquiat, Me and Mr. C, Starting Over, Doc Boy, Reconvene and Sail At Sunrise. Fighting Seabee and Vanzzy scratched

The victory was extra sweet for Clement, since he was also the trainer of Gio Ponti, a two-time turf champion and seven-time Grade 1 winner.

Clement said he plans to wheel City Man back in 15 days and put him back on the dirt in the $100,000 Alex M. Robb for New York-breds going 1 1/8 miles.

Earlier in the day, Clement won an off-the-turf maiden race with Shop Girl, a 2-year-old daughter of Constitution owned by the Steinbrenner family’s Kinsman Stable.

Clement, who also won a claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs Friday, is atop the Aqueduct trainer standings with 13 wins from 34 starters. He has four more wins than Todd Pletcher with six days left in the meet.