Christophe Clement

Christophe Clement’s impact on American thoroughbred racing was immediate, significant, consistent, and enduring.

Inducted

2026

Born

Nov. 1, 1965, Paris, France

Died

May 24, 2025

Career

1991-2025

Wins

2,576

Earnings

$184,127,449

Racing Record

19.41

Win %

Biography

Christophe Clement’s impact on American thoroughbred racing was immediate, significant, consistent, and enduring.

A native of Paris, France, Clement announced his presence with authority by winning with his first starter in the United States, sending out Spectaculaire to victory in the first race at Belmont Park on Oct. 20, 1991. With fellow Frenchman Jean Cruguet in the irons, Spectaculaire, a Kentucky-bred son of Spectacular Bid, defeated What Nerve by a neck in a maiden special weight event. Clement, as the saying goes, was off and running.

Throughout a career that spanned 35 years, Clement developed a reputation as a master horseman, training the winners of 2,576 races with purse earnings of $184,127,449 (No. 12 all time). He conditioned three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, winner of four straight Grade 1s on the turf in 2009, as well as 2014 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist, who also won consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in 2014 and 2015.

Clement’s lengthy list of accomplishments included 286 graded stakes victories. At the Grade 1 level, he won multiple editions of the Beverly D. (2001, 2007, 2008), Del Mar Oaks (2007, 2013), Diana Handicap (2003, 2015), Manhattan Handicap (2001, 2009, 2010), Man o’ War (2009, 2010), Turf Mile (2010, 2011), and Sword Dancer (1999, 2011, 2021, 2022, 2024).

The 2024 Sword Dancer, won by the Clement-trained Far Bridge, was the 41^st and final Grade 1 win for the trainer. The sport lost one of its most significant figures less than a year later when Clement died at the age of 59 on May 24, 2025, succumbing to metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer.

In a prepared statement from Clement posted on his stable’s social media accounts following his death, the trainer said, “As I reflect on my journey, I realize I never worked a day in my life. Every morning, I woke up and did what I loved most surrounded by so much love.

“This journey started with my wife, Valerie, and six horses. Being a racehorse trainer is far more than a profession; horses have brought me fulfillment, friends, and such wonderful memories.”

Clement became enamored with racing by studying the methods of his father, Miguel, an accomplished trainer in Chantilly, France. After his father died in 1978, Clement furthered his knowledge of horses and the sport through the tutelage of top European trainers Francois Boutin, Luca Cumani, and Alec and Criquette Head. He also spent time in the United States working in Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey’s barn.

It did not take long for Clement to start making an impact at the top levels of the sport. He won his first graded race in February 1992, when Passagere du Soir took the Gulfstream Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2). He won his second a month later with Sardaniya in the La Prevoyante Invitational Handicap (G2) at Calder Race Course. In 1994, Clement won his first Grade 1 with Danish in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland.

Clement thrived as a turf conditioner. He won 34 of his 41 Grade 1 victories on the grass, including seven with Gio Ponti, who earned more than $6 million and was voted the Eclipse Award for Champion Grass Horse in 2009 and 2010 and Champion Older Horse in 2009. Pizza Bianca, owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, won the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) for Clement.

Although best known for his prowess on the turf, Clement had several top-level wins on dirt. In 2014, he sent out Tonalist, owned by Robert S. Evans, to win the Belmont, thwarting the Triple Crown bid of future Hall of Famer California Chrome. Tonalist went on to defeat elders in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) that October, repeated in the race in 2015, and added another Grade 1 on the dirt in the 2015 Cigar Mile.

In total, Clement trained 24 individual Grade 1 winners and 22 horses who earned $1 million or more. The stable’s other top horses included Big Invasion, Carson’s Run, Discreet Marq, Dynever, Forbidden Apple, Gufo, Mauralanka, Pure Sensation, Relaxed Gesture, Revved Up, Rutherienne, Voodoo Dancer, and Winchester, among others.

Clement’s consistency was a hallmark of his career. From 2000 through 2024, he ranked among the top 25 North American trainers by earnings in all but one year, appearing in the top 10 eight times. Clement had his best statistical year in 2024, with career-high earnings of $12,722,301, wins at 15 different tracks, and 14 graded victories.

Known for his meticulous attention to detail, Clement managed a large stable that featured the intimate attention of a smaller barn, which led to the loyalty of many clients who built personal relationships with Clement, his family, and staff.

“So many of you have supported us since I started training and welcomed Valerie and I into this country with immense kindness,” Clement said while thanking his owners in his final message. “I am very proud that for over 30 years in this industry, we operated every single day with the highest integrity, always putting the horses’ well-being first.”

The loss of Clement hit the sport hard.

“For decades, Christophe was the embodiment of professionalism, dedication, and integrity in our industry. He earned the deep respect of his peers through consistent excellence and a record of success at the highest levels of racing,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “Yet beyond achievements, it was Christophe’s genuine love for the horse that truly set him apart. He was a consummate professional and a welcoming gentleman whose demeanor was always positive, gracious, and upbeat.”

Clement’s passion for racing and dedication to the sport continues to shine through his children, Miguel and Charlotte. Formerly a rising assistant for his father, Miguel Clement has successfully transitioned into a top trainer with multiple Grade 1 wins in his first year leading a stable. Charlotte Clement de Bona, meanwhile, was hired by The Jockey Club in early 2026 as the organization’s chief strategy and transformation officer.

Christophe Clement’s legacy will be recognized annually by the New York Racing Association each summer at Saratoga Race Course. Beginning in 2026, the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational will henceforth be known as the Christophe Clement Turf. Clement’s five wins in the Sword Dancer are the most of any trainer in the race’s 51-year history.

NYRA President and CEO David O’Rourke said Clement was “a kind and generous man who made lasting contributions to the fabric of racing in New York.”