HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Speed Shopper got a beautiful trip under John Velazquez, split horses in midstretch, and ran down stubborn pacesetter Ayra Stark to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Christophe Clement Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 1 3/4 lengths. Ayra Stark, passed by Weighted Average briefly in midstretch, re-rallied to get second by a neck over Weighted Average. The start of the Christophe Clement was delayed 20 minutes due to a blown tire on the starting gate that needed repair. Horses were returned to the saddling enclosure and the jockeys went back to the room during the delay. It was the second straight stakes win for Speed Shopper and her first in a graded event. While that was certainly meaningful for the horse, this victory was more meaningful to trainer Will Walden in that he won a race named for Clement, the trainer who died last May due to cancer. The Clement was previously run as the La Prevoyante, a race that Clement had won six times. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Walden noted his father Elliott Walden, Clement and Bill Mott all trained together at Payson Park during previous winters. Walden and the sons of those trainers - Miguel Clement and Riley Mott, both of whom have become trainers - spent a lot of winters together “running around causing hell,” Walden said. “Christophe meant a lot to me then, he meant a lot more to me in the most recent years,” Walden added. “When I started training, I took Pipsy up to New York for the [Soaring Softly Stakes]. Christophe grabbed me on the rail for about 10 minutes, just schooled me up the best way he knew how. He knows the future of this game is in the hands of the next generation. He was fit to make sure he saw it through, make sure we knew how to carry it with honor.” Clement developed many top-class marathon mares and Speed Shopper could be on her way to becoming one herself. In October, she was beaten just a head in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita before her victory, from post 11, in the Florence Stakes over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface. On Saturday, breaking from the rail under Velazquez, Speed Shopper sat a ground-saving third as Ayra Stark, under Ricardo Santana Jr., set a tepid pace of 50.20 seconds for a half-mile and 1:15.05 for six furlongs while stalked by Weighted Average. No Show Sammy Jo, the 2-1 second choice, made a bold move from last to make it three across the track at the top of the lane. Turning for home, Ayra Stark and Weighted Average were still duking it out, but No Show Sammy Jo could not continue on. That left plenty of room for Speed Shopper to split horses and run down Ayra Stark. Speed Shopper, a 5-year-old daughter of Quality Road owned by Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:26.76 over firm turf and returned $16.60 to win. Speed Shopper was given an 88 Beyer Speed Figure. “Got behind the speed, which we thought we were going to do, and sat there,” Velazquez said. “I told Will I need to be a little careful how much I use her down the lane. It worked out perfectly, those three lined up, I squeezed between them and she responded right away.” Walden said he had no immediate plan for Speed Shopper as he could run her back in a stakes at Gulfstream or wait for Keeneland. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.