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Christophe Clement (November 1, 1965 – May 24, 2025) was an American Thoroughbred horse trainer, who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist.
 Clement in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1, 1965 Paris, France |
| Died | May 25, 2025 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Thoroughbred Horse Trainer |
| Horse racing career | |
| Sport | Horse racing |
| Career wins | 2,576 |
| Major racing wins | |
| |
| Honours | |
| Christophe Clement Stakes Christophe Clement Turf Stakes U.S. Racing Hall of Fame (2026) | |
| Updated on 24 April 2026 | |
Racing background
editClement initially acquired his training skills from his father, Miguel, a leading trainer in France. Clement later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head. In the United States, Clement studied under Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey before returning to Europe to work as assistant to trainer Luca Cumani in Newmarket, England.
Racing career
edit
Clement's first winner was the first horse he saddled, Spectaculaire, at Belmont Park in 1991. He succeeded in graded stakes around the U.S., including wins with Trampoli, Voodoo Dancer, Blu Tusmani, Relaxed Gesture, Flag Down, Statesmanship, Coretta, Honor Glide, Dedication, Dynever, Forbidden Apple, and England's Legend who won the Beverly D. Stakes in 2001. In 2007 he had a repeat win in the Beverly D. with Royal Highness, as well as winning stakes with Meribel, Gio Ponti, Revved Up, Naissance Royale, Vacare, In Summation, and Rutherienne. Rutherienne won six stakes, among them five graded victories. Gio Ponti won Eclipse Awards in 2010 and 2011. In 2014, Clement won the Belmont Stakes and twice the Jockey Club Gold Cup with Tonalist. In 2021, he won the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar with Pizza Bianca.
Christophe Clement Racing Stable has yielded more than $180 million in purses in 2025, over 250 graded stakes wins, over 530 all black type races, and over 2,500 wins. Clement celebrated his 1,000th win in December 2008 and his 2,000th in 2020.
In 2026, Clement was posthumously elected into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.[1]
Personal life and death
editClement was married to Valerie, with whom he had a son, Miguel (married to Acacia Clement), and a daughter, Charlotte (married to Shaun Collins) and a grandson named Hugo. He died of uveal melanoma on May 24, 2025, at the age of 59. Miguel Clement continues to run Clement Stable. [2][3]
References
edit- ↑ Grening, David (April 23, 2026). "Clement, Shirreffs, Kona Gold among 11 elected to Hall of Fame". Daily Racing Form. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
- ↑ Trainer Christophe Clement Passes at 59
- ↑ Collins, Sean (25 May 2025). "Classic-Winning Trainer Clement Dies at 59 Trainer Christophe Clement won the 2014 Belmont Stakes (G1) with Tonalist". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.