Bottas Capped an Unforgettable Day for the Clements and Franco in the Hall of Fame Stakes

The son of Vekoma captured the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) just hours after Christophe Clement's induction into the Hall of Fame, while Manny Franco tied an all-time record by riding six winners on a single card at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York.— There are days when horse racing seems to write its own scripts. This Friday at Saratoga Race CourseHacer clic para abrir el panel lateral y obtener más información was one of those days. Just hours after Christophe Clement was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame, his son Miguel Clement found the perfect way to honor his legacy by capturing the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) courtesy of a brilliant performance by Bottas.

As if fate had decided to add one more chapter to the story, the victory came with Manny Franco in the saddle, who capped an extraordinary card by scoring six victories, tying the all-time record for wins by a jockey on a single day at Saratoga, a mark he now shares with Irad Ortiz Jr., John Velazquez, and Ramon Dominguez. Even more striking: five of those wins came in consecutive races.

"I'm on cloud nine right now. It's incredible to do it here at Saratoga. It means the world to me," Franco summarized, still visibly moved.

For Miguel Clement, who earned his first victory in this feature as head trainer, the win carried immeasurable significance.

"There are three races that mean everything to us during this meet, and this was one of them," he explained. "The others are the Fourstardave, with Deterministic (Liam's Map), and the Christophe Clement Stakes. Those are the three I really wanted to win this summer."

His father had captured this very same stakes back in 2020 with Decorated Invader (Declaration of War). Now it was the son's turn to keep the family tradition alive.

Carrying the silks of Qatari businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, who races under the banner of Dahman, Bottasonce again put his formidable turn of foot on full display. After being rated patiently for much of the journey over the turf mile, he found daylight turning into the stretch and unleashed an explosive change of gear to score by a length and a half over Blinging It Back (Volatile), while favorite Touch of Fire (Constitution) had to settle for third. The son of Vekoma covered the distance in 1m34s67/100, finishing off his final furlong in a blistering 11s64/100.

With this triumph, he elevated his record to three wins from six starts, boosting his earnings to nearly $461,000 while securing his second graded stakes victory, following his win in the Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) last season.

Case Clay, representing the owner at Saratoga and responsible for securing the colt for $300,000 at the OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, explained the rationale behind the purchase: "We bought him specifically targeting turf racing in the United States," he commented regarding the maternal grandson of the notable Lemon Drop Kid.

Yet the emotion of the afternoon extended far beyond the statistical achievement.

"It is so special to win the Hall of Fame on the very day Christophe was inducted. He was an extraordinary horseman, and the entire Clement family is truly special."

At a track accustomed to producing unforgettable moments, Saratoga delivered another afternoon destined to linger in memory. The immortalization of Christophe Clement, Miguel's milestone triumph in such a symbolic race, and Manny Franco's historic riding performance all converged on a day where the sport seemed to pay tribute, simultaneously, to the present and the legacy of one of American racing's most beloved families.