Asmussen Expects Improvement From Clairiere at the Gate

Before the connections of Clairiere  hope for a top effort from the two-time grade 1 winner in the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 5 at Keeneland, they'll first send some good thoughts her way before the gates ever open.

A  homebred for Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, Clairiere knocked off champions Malathaat  and Letruska  to win the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) June 11 at Belmont Park and followed with a clear victory in the Shuvee Stakes (G2) July 24 at Saratoga Race Course. 

But all of that winning momentum would come to a halt in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1)—specifically before the start of that 1 1/8-mile race Aug. 27 at Saratoga. 

The chart tells the story of a race that never really got started for Clairiere, the 7-5 favorite that day: "Clairiere became very fractious in the gate and hit the front of the stall door twice, had the right shoulder of the assistant starter contact the head of the jockey leaving the gate, angled to the rail early, dropped well behind while sluggish on the inside, lagged at the rear under some coaxing, saved ground under stronger encouragement around the final turn, was put to the crop outside the furlong marker and failed to threaten."

She raced last throughout in the field of five. Following that effort, Racing Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has put some added effort in on gate schooling to ensure it doesn't happen ahead of the 1 1/8-mile Distaff.

"It caught us off guard," Asmussen said. "We pride ourselves on how they act and how well they're schooled. That is 100% our responsibility. We feel that we have that base covered (now). 

"If we're fortunate enough to have success in the Distaff, we'll be extremely pleased that it happened last time and not this time."