Clement Back in Belmont With Governor Malibu

On his way to school a few horses in the gate June 9, an onlooker standing on the rail in the chute on the Belmont Park backstretch asked Christophe Clement how he was doing.

"Everything is great—running in the Belmont," Clement said.

That sentiment is genuine from the 50-year-old trainer. Although he was born in France, he aligns himself very much with New York, where he is primarily stabled, and he's proud to run in the state's biggest races.

"New York is very meaningful to me," said Clement, who trained Tonalist   to his lone Belmont win in 2014. "I like New York and I think all of us stabled here should support it, so running in the Belmont is very exciting."

His Belmont runner this year, Governor Malibu—owned in partnership by Jump Sucker Stable and breeder Oak Bluff Stable—is also generating some buzz off a second-place run in the Peter Pan (gr. II) last time out May 14. A New York-bred by Malibu Moon  , out of the Clement-trained mare Akilina, the colt has been steadily improving.

Governor Malibu won the Gander Stakes, restricted to New York-breds, to debut as a 3-year-old in February at Aqueduct Racetrack. He crossed the wire first but was disqualified in the April 9 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, then just missed catching Unified late in Belmont's Peter Pan.

NOVAK: Unified Stays Perfect in Peter Pan

"He ran very well," Clement said of the colt's effort in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan, in which Governor Malibu rallied from seventh early to finish three-quarters of a length short. "I would have been the first one to find a reason not to be in the Belmont, because I don't won't go in the Belmont if I didn't think he could be competitive.

"After the Peter Pan my feeling was, as long as he trains well, we'll show up, and I think he has trained well. My idea always was, if he runs well (in the Gander), go in the Peter Pan. If he runs well in the Peter Pan, go in the Belmont."

Governor Malibu's last bit of training came Thursday morning in an easy half-mile move that Clement timed in :52 3/5.

"Today, I don't consider that a work. He was just stretching his legs," said the trainer, who also commented that his colt is getting feistier as he gets fitter in his 3-year-old year. "As the year goes on, he's getting a little more aggressive, which is normal. He's a colt getting fit. It's a good problem to have."



Governor Malibu's fitness doesn't seem to concern Clement as much as his pedigree, which the conditioner is more than familiar with after training the colt's dam.

"Pedigree-wise, you'd think he would be a miler," Clement said. "I trained the dam. She was a nice New-York-bred who competed on dirt and turf. On pedigree, there is a strong question mark about if he can stay, but in his races, the way he ran, he should stay."

Another aspect Clement does not fret over is the way the race might shake out from a setup standpoint.

He entirely puts the decision of race tactics in the hands of jockey Joel Rosario, who was aboard for the Peter Pan, as well as Governor Malibu's maiden-breaking win—by six lengths—in November at Aqueduct Racetrack. The jockey has also been in the irons for the colt's key recent workouts. Plus, he piloted Tonalist to the Belmont Stakes winner's circle.

"My worry as a trainer is to get the horse there, feeling as good as possible and as sound as possible, and as fit as possible," Clement said. "I've got a top guy on him. I'm going to let him worry about the race.

"It's a mistake to lock a top-class jockey into firm instructions. Things change—it's a race. Things change all the time. You just don't know. If you use top jockeys, let them do the job."

As for the colt's prospects in the 1 1/2-mile classic, the topic is more complex. From a fitness standpoint, everything seems to be right in line, but the true test will come Saturday.

"I'm delighted with everything," Clement said. "I hope he's good enough."