Clement to run Belmont-loving Therapist in Elusive Quality

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Christophe Clement was considering using Saturday’s $125,000 Elusive Quality at Belmont Park as a prep for Disco Partner to get to the Grade 1 Jaipur here on June 8. But the combination of the race being too close to his most recent start and Friday’s forecast for rain likely making for less-than-firm turf on Saturday prompted Clement to hold him out of that race.

Still, Clement will have a formidable runner in the Elusive Quality in Therapist, a New York-bred who is 3 for 3 over Belmont’s turf. Therapist was one of seven runners entered Wednesday for the Elusive Quality, the feature on Saturday’s 10-race card.

Therapist, by Freud, will be making his first start against older horses and his first start as a gelding in the Elusive Quality. This will be his fourth start at Belmont, where he won a maiden race at six furlongs and stakes at seven furlongs and one mile.

“He loves Belmont,” Clement said Wednesday from Florida, where he was in the process of shipping his horses and himself back to New York. “He’s trained well into this. He does not like soft ground, but I’ve got to start him somewhere.”

Therapist will be making his first start since running third to Breaking the Rules in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park last December.

Eric Cancel was aboard Therapist for his maiden victory in July 2017, and will get on him for the first time since then on Saturday.

Therapist will face a field that includes Big Handsome, winner of the Paradise Creek here in 2017; V.I.P. Code, second to Therapist in the 2017 Awad Stakes at Aqueduct; Krampus, winner of the Grade 3 Canadian Turf in March; and Fixed Point, Emmaus, and Abiding Star.

As for Disco Partner, Clement said he will most likely train him up to the Jaipur, which will be run as a Grade 1 for the first time this year. Disco Partner won the Jaipur when it was a Grade 3 in 2017 and a Grade 2 in 2018. He was beaten a neck by stablemate Pure Sensation in 2016. Pure Sensation, coming off an allowance win at Gulfstream on April 12, is also training toward the Jaipur.