Clement takes two shots in Wild Applause

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Christophe Clement has four stakes wins at this meet and will seek another Saturday, when he sends out two runners, Walk Close and Courtesan, in the $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on the Widener turf. The Clement duo will face Sweet Acclaim, a British import who has run second in stakes in both of her U.S. starts.

Walk Close, a daughter of Tapit, is 2 for 2 in her career, with both of her wins coming at Belmont. In her last start, a first-level allowance win May 18, she defeated Hillhouse High, who came back to win that allowance condition here Wednesday.

Though both of her wins have come from off the pace, Clement said Walk Close is versatile and can adjust in races where pace is lacking, as this one seems to.

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“You can do whatever you want with her,” said Clement, who has Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride. “She’s an easy horse to ride.”

Courtesan has been scratched out of the last two races in which she’s been entered. Clement said Courtesan “tied up” before the May 25 Wonder Again. She was scratched again from last weekend’s Little Silver Stakes at Monmouth, which was rained off the turf.

Clement said Courtesan wants to run farther than the one mile of the Wild Applause, but he wants to run her. “I think it’s a mistake to wait any longer,” he said.

Jose Lezcano rides from post 8.

Sweet Acclaim, looking for her first stakes win, is the likely favorite for trainer Chad Brown.

Holabird, coming off a maiden win here at 1 1/16 miles, could loom the primary speed from post 6.

Team Valor International and its offshoot Team Valor Ladies send out the uncoupled entry of My Jolie and Nisharora, who are making their North American debuts.