With three horses confirmed for stakes at Belmont Park and another headed for
Woodbine, next weekend promises to be a busy one for the Christophe Clement
stable. At Belmont, Clement has Discreet Marq for the Grade 1 Garden
City, Naples Bay for the Grade 3 Noble Damsel, and Lubash for the Ashley T.
Cole, all on the turf.
Discreet Marq, a Patricia Generazio homebred, brings a three-race winning
streak into Saturday’s Garden City, a 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-old
fillies. In her most recent start, the New York-bred flew west to earn her first
Grade 1 victory in the Del Mar Oaks on August 17.
Clement said that by running Discreet Marq in the Del Mar Oaks, the filly was
guaranteed a start over firm turf and would also retain the option of running in
the Garden City or the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October at Keeneland.
“It seems to me that year after year, you’re always guaranteed to have firm
ground in the Del Mar Oaks, but not always at Belmont or Keeneland,” Clement
said. “Let’s go for the first one — at least we’ll get firm ground. She ran
very well, and obviously she did stay a mile and an eighth over firmer ground,
and now we’ll go for number two.”
Edward Cox’s Naples Bay has been training at Saratoga in preparation for
Saturday’s Noble Damsel, a race she won in 2012. She seeks her first win since
last year’s edition of the one-mile race for fillies and mares. She enters the
2013 Noble Damsel off a second in the Matchmaker on July 28 at Monmouth Park.
“She trains better there (at Saratoga) than at Belmont,” Clement said. “She
had her last work a few days ago there (four furlongs on the Oklahoma training
track in :51 1/5 on Wednesday). She went well, came back in good shape. She’ll
be at Belmont Park on Friday and we’ll school her.”
Lubash also is aiming for a title defense, having won the 2012 Ashley T.
Cole, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for New York-breds three-years-old and up. On
Sunday, he’ll try for his first win since the Fort Marcy on May 4. Most
recently, he was fourth in the West Point on August 15 at Saratoga.
“He’s trained well (since the West Point) and had a decent work, so as of now
he’s a ‘go’ as well,” said Clement, who trains the homebred for Aliyu Ben J
Stables.
Live Oak Plantation’s Za Approval, winner of this season’s Appleton and Red
Bank, will carry the torch for the Clement barn on Sunday in the Grade 1
Woodbine Mile.
Clement had a successful Saturday, unveiling sharp debut winner Bikini
Beauty at Belmont and capturing the Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Stakes
with Mystical Star.
Bikini Beauty, a two-year-old filly owned by L. Neil Jones, rallied from
10th to break her maiden by 3 3/4 widening lengths in a seven-furlong turf race.
Clement said the Bernardini filly could make her next start in the Miss Grillo
on October 6 at Belmont.
“She just won yesterday. Let’s enjoy it for a few days,” Clement said. “I
will confer with my owner this week, but I keep her under consideration for the
Miss Grillo.”
Cheyenne Stables’ Mystical Star was rerouted to Kentucky Downs after
Saratoga’s Glens Falls on Labor Day was transferred to the main track. She made
a late surge to win the Ladies Marathon by a neck in course-record time, and
Clement said she could make her next start in the Flower Bowl Invitational on
September 28 at Belmont, the Spinster on October 6 at Keeneland, or the E. P.
Taylor on October 9 at Woodbine.
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