Coffee Clique eyes Ballston Spa as career winds down

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Brian Lynch had a huge weekend, capped by Shaman Ghost’s victory Sunday at Woodbine in the Queen’s Plate. Last Saturday, Lynch sent out Coffee Clique to capture the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap at Parx, and Clearly Now to finish second behind the odds-on Private Zone in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint.

The victory was the first for Coffee Clique since she won the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont in June 2014.

“I was happy to see Coffee Clique show she was back in her form by knocking out that race at Parx,” said Lynch. “I was looking for a little easier spot to get her confidence back, but it was also a $200,000 purse, and by winning, it puts her over $1 million in earnings. I’m going to find a race for her at Saratoga next. It definitely won’t be the Diana, but maybe the Ballston Spa or something like that. We’ll try to duck the heavy heads with her. This is likely going to be her last season, and if we keep chipping away at them, she can have a productive year.”

Clearly Now got back on track in the Belmont Sprint following a dull effort four weeks earlier in the Grade 2 True North. Lynch said Clearly Now had minor throat surgery following the True North.

“That was a productive race; it showed he was back in form,” said Lynch. “The myectomy was a success. He was displacing and had trouble correcting himself. I think it helped we also took the blinkers off him. He broke better and got himself right into the race.”