Ogden Phipps Next Up in Clairiere, Secret Oath Rivalry

Three-time grade 1 winner Clairiere  will face last year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath  for the third time this season June 10 when she seeks a repeat conquest of the $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

A Stonestreet Stables homebred, Clairiere will attempt to join Heatherten (1984-85), Sightseek (2003-04), and Take D' Tour  (2006-07) as back-to-back winners of the Ogden Phipps, a one-and-one-sixteenth furlong test for older fillies and mares and a Breeders' Cup "Win And You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park. A victory for Clairiere would give Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen his fourth win in the last five runnings of the race.

Clairiere, a 5-year-old daughter of Curlin  , has won or placed in seven grade 1 stakes since July 2021. Her career highlights include capturing the Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing in 2021, and defeating eventual champion older dirt female Malathaat  in last year's Ogden Phipps, earning a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure. She handed Malathaat, also a Stonestreet-bred daughter of Curlin, another defeat next out in the Shuvee Stakes (G2). She has compiled a 7-5-3 career record from 18 starts and earned $2,831,392.

The stage was set for a high-caliber season between Clairiere and Secret Oath in March at Oaklawn Park, where Secret Oath beat her rival by 2 3/4 lengths in the Azeri Stakes (G2). Clairiere came back in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), chasing down Secret Oath in deep stretch to beat her by a neck.

Clairiere's connections are hopeful that her season will end with Eclipse Award honors.

"She was a head away from it last year," said Stonestreet Stables adviser John Moynihan. "She was very, very sound last year, and she's always been sound. Steve has always thought she would get better every year she's been in training, and we expect her to continue on with the same form that she had last year. She may be even a little better this year than she was last year."

Engaging in a rivalry last season with Malathaat, who was campaigned by Shadwell Stable, was sentimental for the Stonestreet team.

"For Barbara (Banke), she's loved it," Moynihan said. "She's a homebred product of the Stonestreet program and what Barbara has put together. When she ran against Malathaat, it added a lot of fun for Barbara being at the races and to have had a hand in producing both of them."

Clairiere is out of Stonestreet's multiple grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting , who captured the 2016 Ogden Phipps for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. At 3, Cavorting did the bulk of her running in sprints and captured prominent events like the 2015 Test Stakes (G1) and Prioress Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course before stretching out to two turns at 4. Cavorting retired following a win in the 2016 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1).

"As a 3-year-old we kept Cavorting at one turn. But Kiaran really thought she relaxed quite a bit as she got older," Moynihan added. "She trained herself into races in the morning and put a lot into her training. As she turned into her 4-year-old year, she was a lot easier on herself in her training and he wanted to experiment and take her a little farther."

Joel Rosario retains the mount aboard Clairiere in the Ogden Phipps and will break from the outside post 6.

Briland Farm's Kentucky homebred Secret Oath will be out for revenge following the Apple Blossom when she breaks from post 4.

Trained by legendary Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, Secret Oath has put together a record of 6-4-3 from 16 starts while banking $2,324,767. A daughter of Arrogate, she enters the Ogden Phipps off another neck defeat when second to Rigney Racing's Played Hard  in the La Troienne Stakes (G1) May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Lukas, who saddled Ogden Phipps winners Serena's Song (1996) and A Wild Ride (1991), said his only concern is how his filly will handle the Belmont surface, which she will try for the first time on Saturday.

"It's a much different surface than at Oaklawn or Churchill or even Saratoga," he said. "She's such a good mover, I'm just hoping that she'll adapt to that deeper surface and show up. That's my only concern, but she's training great. The timing is good, she's fresh and ready to go."

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard in all three of her starts this year, retains the mount as Secret Oath pursues her first grade 1 triumph since the Kentucky Oaks.

"Tyler knows her a little better now and will ride her a little smarter than he did in some of those others," Lukas said.

Klaravich Stables' Chad Brown-trained Search Results  (post 2 under Flavien Prat) will make her third straight appearance in a grade 1 on the Belmont Stakes (G1) undercard.

The dark bay 5-year-old Flatter  mare finished third in last year's Ogden Phipps and will be in pursuit of her first grade 1 victory since capturing the 2021 Acorn Stakes (G1) on Belmont Stakes day. She has finished in the money for 12 of 13 lifetime starts, only missing the board in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff when sixth.

"She didn't get a good trip last year. She's doing really well, and she got a nice race that she needed in the La Troienne," Brown said. "She was saving ground, which I like, but she never quite extracted herself off the rail to be outside in the stretch, which is where she might want to be. It was a good first race back and she seems to have moved forward off it."

Played Hard also is among the competitors, breaking from post 5 with John Velazquez, who was aboard in the La Troienne. A 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief  , the mare is trained by Philip Bauer.

Trainer George Weaver will saddle R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, BlackRidge Stables, and James Brown's newly-minted graded stakes winner Pass the Champagne  (post 1 with Feargal Lynch). The 5-year-old daughter of Flatter comes into the race off a 5 1/2-length win in the May 6 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont.

Completing the field is five-time winner Gamestonks  (post 3 with Jean Alvelo), who enters off a Penn National Race Course allowance victory. The daughter of Blofeld   is trained by Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon.