Miguel Clement, the 34-year-old son of the late Christophe Clement, is sure to win many major races during his career, but the one he will surely never forget was when Deterministic (Liam's Map) took the GI Manhattan Stakes June 8. The win came just 13 days after his father passed away from cancer. But for this one race and one moment in time it was as if nothing had changed. Christophe Clement collected three Manhattans over the course of his career and Miguel almost pulled off a one-two finish as his stable's Far Bridge (English Channel) was third.
“My father would have been very proud, Clement said. “He loves this race, the Manhattan, and he's won it three times in the past. The Manhattan is a great race because is brings together some of the best turf stayers and some of the best turf milers. Anything that is a Grade I in New York is a big deal.”
The last month-and-a-half had to be a challenging one for the younger Clement. He had to largely run the stable all by himself, while he was dealing with his father's illness. The Clements tried to get licensed as co-trainers, which is allowed in Europe (e.g. John and Thady Gosden), but weren't permitted to do so in the U.S.
“How did I get through it? Plenty of work and a strong support group,” he said. “As hard as you have to work as a trainer, that's probably not healthy, but during a difficult time like this I think it is a blessing. The outreach from everybody was overwhelming in a positive manner, but it was also tough because his passing was very much a public affair. Most people are able to take some personal time to grieve after losing a family member. In this profession, there's no time for that.”
The Clement stable has been a major force stateside–particularly on the turf–since Christophe emigrated to the U.S. from France in 1991. The elder Clement, who was 59 when he passed away, knew he wanted his son to be a major part of the team and eventually take over. But he thought it was important for Miguel to learn not only from him, but from some of the best horsemen in the world. After he graduated from college, Miguel entered the prestigious Godolphin Flying Start program and he then apprenticed with several European trainers.
Deterministic (inside) wins the Manhattan at the Spa, with Far Bridge (center) in third | Sarah Andrew
Once Miguel returned to the U.S. and went to work with his father, it was a joint production with Christophe being the boss. However, the father was always open to hearing ideas from his son.
“He was very open-minded,” Miguel said. “He liked to be challenged. He might not agree with you, but he was always open-minded and ready to adapt. You have to adapt to be able to survive in this industry. It's very competitive. Many top horsemen don't win as much as they used to. It's not that they forgot how to train a horse, it's that they didn't adapt to the times. Training regimens, managing owners, dealing with bloodstock advisors, forces you to always adapt.
“Have there been times when I felt lost or had a moment where I thought I needed my dad?” he said. “Well, whatever questions I had, I probably already asked him 700 times over the span of the last 10 to 15 years.”
There has been at least one major change since his father's passing. Miguel became responsible for the stable's bottom line. His father earned a career best $12,722,301 in 2024, but that didn't mean the stable was making a lot of money.
“I'm actually cash flow negative,” Miguel said. “Welcome to working in an industry where there seems to be a negative cash flow at all times. You get 25 pieces of bad news hoping you get one piece that's good. That's what my dad and I were dealing with for many years. It was a constant stress.
“You find ways to deal with it,” he said. “To be based in New York, financially, it's not the wisest thing to do. The labor costs are through the roof. Financially speaking, I would be much better off to have a string in Kentucky or New Jersey. But we'll accept the consequences and work here.”
Clement is married to the racing television personality Acacia Clement.
Dylan Davis with Clement after the trainer's first win | Tod Marks
“I'm happily married and I'd like it to stay that way,” said Miguel. “If I told Acacia that we were going to move to Kentucky or New Jersey one day, I may not be as happily married as I thought.”
Miguel said that one of his regrets is that his father won't be around to see this upcoming group of juveniles run.
“He would have loved to see these 2-year-olds get to the races,” Miguel said. “He picked them out, he bought them. Some would have disappointed him. He'd say that they were not as strong and powerful as he had hoped, and they were not moving as great as he thought.
“There's also the other side to that,” he said. “I have a $100,000 New York-bred yearling I like a lot. When he bought it, he was saying he's too big. I would agree, but he's turned out to be a phenomenal mover and really efficient. So, thank goodness we bought him.”
With each day handling everything becomes easier. Miguel is 6-for-38 (16%) since taking over the stable and he picked up a second stakes win with Love Cervere (Into Mischief) in the Alywow Stakes at Woodbine last weekend. Of course, Saratoga is an important meet for the stable because so many grass races are carded there.
“What I learned about myself as a human being, a boss and as a horseman, is that a tremendous amount comes from my dad,” Miguel said. “I'd much rather be doing this with him, but we were very aware that we might have to go on without him some day.”
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