A huge wave of emotions will pour out if trainer Miguel Clement wins a Breeders' Cup race Nov. 1.
Saturday would have been the 60th birthday of his late father, Christophe, who built the successful stable that Miguel now runs.
And for a family as close-knit as the Clements, Miguel knows there would be no better way to honor his beloved dad than to stand in the winner's circle Saturday after a victory at the World Championships.
"To have a Breeders' Cup winner on Dad's birthday would be very, very meaningful," said Clement, whose father died May 25 at the age of 59 from a rare form of cancer. "I would love to have a big winner on the weekend because it will be tough to celebrate his first birthday without him."
A veteran of numerous trips to the Breeders' Cup as an assistant trainer for his father, Clement arrived at Del Mar with four Breeders' Cup starters and one mare, Breath Away, who will be running in the $300,000 Goldikova Stakes (G3T) Saturday.
Two of them are 2-year-olds who will be running Oct. 31: Intricate Spirit in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and Bottas in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T).
Saturday's hopefuls include Tawny Port in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and Bellezza in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T).
"It's exciting. But it's also very sad not to have dad at my side," Clement said. "But it's exciting nonetheless. The horses are doing very well and we have a great team. It's business as usual. There's not much of a change to be frank. It's the same protocol, the same routine."
There has been no drop-off in the Clement stable's success since Miguel assumed the reins in the spring. Since sending out his first starter May 31, Clement has been winning at 21% clip, with 53 victories out of 257 starts and earnings of $6.5 million. He already has 12 graded stakes wins, two of them in grade 1s, and at the Saratoga Race Course meet he was fourth in both wins and earnings with 18 victories for $2.3 million in purses.
The numbers are impressive but, as Clement will point out, failure was not an option.
"If anyone knew my father, they know drop-offs are not allowed. The standards are set high," Miguel said. "Cancer was not overnight, so he had plenty of time to organize things properly for a succession. The family stepped up and the horses are running well, which is a providing a needed distraction for the stable and the family."
As for Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port, the 6-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile is coming into the 1 1/2-mile Turf showdown in superb form. Since Aug. 30, he has been second in a trio of premier turf races. Starting with the Aug. 30 Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs, he was then second in both the Sept. 6 Kentucky Turf Cup Invitational Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs and Oct. 4 Canadian International Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, all three at distances of 1 1/2 miles or more.
"He's funny enough to be improving at 6 which defies most people's logic. No doubt his last three races were the best of his career. I think he'll get plenty of pace to run at," Clement said about the winner of five of 29 starts with earnings of $2.1 million. "It's a spectacular field. But this horse is on the rise. He was unlucky to not win the grade 1 in Canada, A stride past the wire, he was in front. He ran two monster races at Kentucky Downs a week apart to justify his spot in the race. He's a live outsider."
