Seeking firm ground, Ancient Egypt ships over for Christophe Clement Stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The allure of 1 1/2 miles and firm ground prompted trainer Charlie Johnston to ship the Irish-bred, England-based Ancient Egypt to America for a bid at history when the 3-year-old takes on six older horses in the Grade 1, $750,000 Christophe Clement Stakes at Saratoga.
The Clement was formerly known as the Sword Dancer but renamed for the Hall of Fame trainer who won the Sword Dancer five times and passed away in May 2025. The race has never been won by a 3-year-old. The race was not open to 3-year-olds between 2019 and 2025 but was before then.
Ancient Egypt, a winner of 3 of 7 starts, is by Frankel out of the Oasis Dream mare Atone, who is a half-sister to 2009 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Midday.
“It’s obviously a new test for him, he’s been kept against his own age group up until now,” Johnston said this week from his base in Northern England. “We’re at that point of the year where you have to start taking on your elders, that’s just part and parcel of racing at this level at this time of year.”
Ancient Egypt comes into the Clement off two excruciating beats, first by a neck to Causeway in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting in June and then by a head to Maltese Cross in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp in July. Maltese Cross nailed Ancient Egypt in the final jump.
“If you offered me second place before the race in Paris I would probably have bitten your hand off but then to get beat in what was literally the last couple of strides, it was a tough pill to swallow,” Johnston said. “He proved he was a top-class mile-and-a-half horse on fast ground and that was part of the reasoning that led us to this race.”
The Clement drew a field of just seven, and Ancient Egypt, who breaks from the rail under regular rider David Egan, figures to be on or near the lead.
“We would see it as a positive that it’s a smallish field on Saturday, given the tight nature of the track and the fact positioning can be very important,” Johnston said. “Hopefully, it removes a few variables and makes the race a little less complicated than it might have been if it was a big field.”
The English-bred Fort George, trained by Ed Walker, was beaten a nose by Ole Crazy Bone, whose rider Flavien Prat eased up before the wire, in the Grade 2 Bowling Green. That was Fort George’s first start off a three-month layoff and after racing four times in Dubai winning the Group 3 Dubai Millennium and finishing second to Rebel’s Romance in the Group 2 City of Gold. He also finished ninth in the Group 1 Dubai Turf, a race that was not originally on Fort George’s schedule but was used when he couldn’t ship out of Dubai due to the war in Iran.
Walker, who said he was thrilled to be in this race because of his long friendship with Clement, was thrilled with his horse’s Bowling Green effort.
“I thought it was a huge run really to run on that type of track for the first time,” Walker said. ”Obviously, he raced in Meydan, but [Saratoga’s] sharper than Meydan. I thought he ran very well and I think he learned a lot from that. Kieran [Shoemark] is back over to ride him on Saturday. I think he’ll make a step forward, which if he does, he’ll hopefully be in the mix.”
Survie, a 5-year-old mare, came here from Ascot to win the Grade 2 Glens Falls against females at 1 1/2 miles. She is coming back in two weeks and facing males for trainer George Boughey.
There are only four U.S.-based runners in the Clement field. Tawny Port, trained by Christophe Clement’s son Miguel, is more than just a token entry. Though he is 0 for 10 at 1 1/2 miles, Tawny Port is coming off a 2 1/2-length win in the two-mile Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup.
“I thought the top three from the Bowling Green impressed me,” said Clement, referring to Ole Crazy Bone, Fort George, and Minaret Station, who are all in the field. “Our horse is doing very well and deserves the chance.”
Ole Crazy Bone won the Bowling Green under a heady front-running ride from Prat. That rider is committed to Program Trading, the Grade 2 United Nations winner trained by Chad Brown. Irad Ortiz Jr. was named to ride Ole Crazy Bone, but he is sidelined. As of Thursday, trainer Mike Maker had not yet named a rider.
Minaret Station is stretching out to 1 1/2 miles for the first time after making up four lengths of a 4 1/2-length deficit in the final furlong of the 11-furlong Bowling Green.
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