A Visit to Christophe Clement's Barn at Saratoga

The last day of my Saratoga trip dawned clear and cold -- so cold, in fact, that we had to scrape ice off the car windshield before heading out to the Oklahoma Track. On our arrival at the training track, Nicholas Bachalard graciously showed my colleague, Wayne Atwell, and me around the barns and training track. Bachalard is assistant to trainer Christophe Clement and has a string of horses training at the Oklahoma Training Track until it closes at the end of this month. After that, I am hoping to see him with a string at Santa Anita.


The barn was bustling with activity as horses and riders prepared to head out for their morning jogs, gallops or breezes, then returned for quick cool downs. Everyone seemed to move with a distinct focus, getting their work done in spite of the freezing cold -- or perhaps moving more quickly and purposely as a way of keeping warm.


We watched several of the stable's workers as well as a few from the barns of Todd Pletcher and James Bond. My eye was caught by Laureate Conductor, a lovely 3-year-old bay colt by Bernstein, who was out for a morning gallop for the Clement barn.


I reluctantly left the track to begin my day of travel back to California -- with frozen fingers, a new appreciation for the sturdy people who work with our equine athletes, and memories of Saratoga that will make me smile for years to come.

In Summation Heads Three Grade 1 Winners in El Conejo

In Summation with Nicholas Bachalard, assistant trainer to Cristophe Clemente, in the Santa Anita paddock 12/30/08.

Edited Santa Anita press release.
In Summation, fourth in October’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, will be among three Grade I stakes winners in a field of five set to contest Santa Anita’s 28th running of the Grade III, $100,000 El Conejo Handicap at 5-1/2 furlongs on Thursday, New Year’s Day.

A newly-turned 6-year-old trained by Christophe Clemente for Waterford Stable, In Summation is the defending champion after setting a stakes record of 1:01.27 when victorious one year ago.

Rafael Bejarano will be aboard the Florida-bred who was assigned 120 pounds and will break from the outside post. In Summation has earned $1,115,066. His record of 10-6-1 in 26 starts includes a victory in Del Mar’s Grade I Bing Crosby Handicap in 2007.

Black Seventeen, seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint after taking the Grade I Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park, was assigned high weight of 121 pounds. Clinton Potts rides the 5-year-old trained by Brian Koriner. Black Seventeen has posted a 4-2-1 record in 11 races for earnings of $536,077.

Garrett Gomez is scheduled to ride Johnny Eves after riding the 5-year-old gelding to victory in the Nov. 22 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes, a Grade III event at Hollywood Park. Johnny Eves, victorious in Santa Anita’s Grade I Malibu Stakes in 2007, will carry 119 pounds. The California-bred, trained by Jay Robbins, shows a record of 6-4-0 in 18 starts with earnings of $485,120 for Mooncoin LLC.

The complete field for the El Conejo Handicap, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Machismo, Mike Smith, 115; Its in God’s Hands, Martin Garcia, 109; Johnny Eves, Garrett Gomez, 119; Black Seventeen, Clinton Potts, 121, and In Summation, Rafael Bejarano, 120.