Spring can't be far off if there is activity at the Clement barn
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There are signs of spring popping up everywhere. From the start of daylight saving time to the thermometer surpassing the 60-degree mark on Wednesday to the first turf race showing up in the condition book, albeit not until April 7.
Another sign of spring is activity at the Christophe Clement barn on the Belmont Park backstretch. Clement, himself still in Florida, said he has 12 horses in New York, three of which are in action on Friday’s Aqueduct card.
Clement, who has started seven horses at the winter meet – five in December – has Culdee and Point Pleasant in the day’s opener, a maiden race for 3-year-old fillies. He also has Ready A. P. returning from an eight-month layoff in a first-level allowance for 3-year-old statebred fillies.
In the opener, Culdee will try to improve upon a third-place finish in a mile and 40-yard maiden race on dirt on Feb. 5 at Tampa Bay Downs. That followed a fifth-place finish in a mile and 70-yard maiden race over Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta surface.
Clement said he’s not sure which surface will ultimately suit Culdee, though he’s thinking it might be the turf.
“I thought I’d try her once more on the dirt, if it doesn’t work I’ll switch to the turf,” Clement said. “Her last race was an honest race at Tampa.
“Tampa is becoming the most crazy racetrack; you run for no money and you need to have a champion to win races.”
Clement’s other runner in Friday’s opener is Point Pleasant, a daughter of Cairo Prince, who finished seventh behind Spendarella in a 1 1/16-mile turf race on Feb. 2 at Gulfstream. Spendarella came back to win Grade 3 Herecomesthebride Stakes on March 5 at Gulfstream.
“We might have run her on the wrong surface,” Clement said. “She’s trained very well on the dirt at Payson Park.”
Ready A. P. was a first-out winner last summer at Belmont before finishing second in the four-horse Rick Violette Stakes where she competed against males. Clement said Ready A. P. got 60 to 90 days off for bone remodeling and has trained well at Payson. He expressed concern if Ready A. P. would be ready to handle what has been a demanding Aqueduct surface.
Clement, who was the fourth leading trainer on the NYRA circuit in 2021 with 75 wins, expects to gradually ship more horses in and be prepared for the Aqueduct spring meet, which begins March 31.