Mother Nature will make call on Malthael for Clement

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Christophe Clement has Malthael nominated to the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille for 2-year-olds at Del Mar on Sunday, but said that’s only a backup plan in case he can’t run on the turf in a maiden race at Aqueduct on Wednesday.

“It’s been that way since July,” Clement said. “If the race goes, you throw a party, and if it stays on the turf, you throw another party.”

The DeMille, at one mile, is expected to include Irish import Eagle Song – who is now with Mark Glatt – as well as Flying Scotsman, Rijeka, Takeo Squared, and Vantastic, and possibly Irish Heatwave, and King of Speed.

Also Sunday is the Grade 3 $100,000 Native Diver, the only dirt stakes race for the rest of the meet.

Battle of Midway, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, heads the prospective field for the 1 1/8-mile Native Diver, with Dabster, Gift Box, and Isotherm also expected.

Brown strong in Grade 1 finales

Chad Brown, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer the past two years, will have strong representation in the Grade 1 races that close the meet.

Brown on Sunday said he will run both Instilled Regard and Raging Bull in the Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles on Dec. 1, and three top-class females – Quidura, Rymska, and Uni – in the Matriarch at one mile on Dec. 2. Both races are worth $300,000.

Brown is bringing in an all-star lineup of jockeys for those races, including Joel Rosario, who rides both Raging Bull and Uni. Florent Geroux is on Instilled Regard, while brothers Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. are on Quidura and Rymska, respectively.

◗ Gary Stevens did not ride his lone mount on Sunday owing to a pinched nerve in his neck, the rider said, adding that he expected to be back on Thursday, when he has mounts in three races.