Racing’s incessant demands did not allow the family adequate time to grieve following the May 25 death of trainer Christophe Clement, a Hall of Fame finalist. His loved ones instead found the best way to honor his memory – by banding together to continue his decades of success.

Led by Christophe’s 34-year-old son, Miguel, through a testing and emotional transition, the stable posted 18 victories during the always-contentious Saratoga Race Course meet to finish fourth overall in the trainer standings. To fully appreciate the level of success Miguel achieved in his first Saratoga meet on his own, he finished ahead Hall of Fame conditioners Bill Mott (16 wins) and Steve Asmussen (15).

Six turf graded stakes triumphs headlined Clement’s bang-up meet. Deterministic provided him with his first Grade 1 score in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes and that 4-year-old Liam’s Map colt then doubled down in the FanDuel Fourstardave Stakes. There also were Grade 2 victories with Far Bridge in the Bowling Green Stakes, La Mehana in the Glens Falls Stakes, Ozara in the Ballston Spa Stakes and Bellezza in the Flower Bowl Stakes.

Deterministic wins the Fourstardave. (Eclipse Sportswire)

As Miguel sees it, he is only doing what is expected since his father was lost to a rare form of eye cancer at age 59. “The standard has always been very high from the beginning,” he said. “Dad had unbelievable success.”

The family continues to emphasize the importance of the quality staff Christophe assembled. As proud as she is of Miguel, his mother, Valerie, was quick to note, “It’s very important to remember with the success of Miguel that he is carried by a village behind him.”

Miguel’s sister, Charlotte, is a key member of that village. She jumped in to oversee the business side of the business on an interim basis and enable her brother to focus solely on the many horses in their care. Valerie expressed her gratitude for the long list of owners who stayed the course.

Miguel is eager to generate more opportunities with quality dirt horses and prove himself there. Otherwise, he is intently focused on following his father’s lead. “The entire philosophy and organization and work ethic of the stable was instilled by my father, so it’s very much his company that still goes on,” he said.

He feels immense pressure because strong results are the norm for an operation designed to succeed on grand stages such as Saratoga. “The stable’s philosophy is in such a way that in the winter we hibernate,” he said, “and then we bring them back around April or May, the top horses, and we expect them to hit their best performance from June to around November.

“With Saratoga being in the middle of that timeframe, we do expect good results because we do emphasize New York racing and our stable is more oriented toward turf. As a result, I am not surprised because this is something we have been doing for many years.”

Still, there were equal measures of joy, relief and sadness when 4-year-old Deterministic, with jockey Kendrick Carmouche aboard, set the pace in the Manhattan, then fought for all he was worth to withstand Integration’s furious charge by a head. That provided Clement with his first Grade 1 score, one he will always treasure.

“It was awesome. We all needed a distraction, my family and the stable,” he said. “I thought Deterministic merited a Grade 1 for a while. He’s always been top class.”

Christophe Clement in 2024. (Eclipse Sportswire)

As jubilant as the winner’s circle scene was, as warm as the ovation was that descended from the grandstand, Clement told reporters of the “massive emptiness” he felt without a father who meant everything to him and his family.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions,” said Miguel’s wife, Acacia, a broadcaster for the New York Racing Association. “Obviously, there have been some tremendous, wonderful celebrations of Grade 1s on the track but, of course, it’s been very hard personally and professionally. Miguel worked alongside his dad as an assistant trainer for many years and they had a wonderful father-son relationship as well. It’s certainly been a period of adjustment and it’s been difficult.”

If there is a sense of unfinished business, it involves the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

“Truthfully, the stable had an ongoing struggle with the Breeders’ Cup,” Clement said. “I think we finished second eight or nine times, something astronomical. We came awfully close many times.”

Pizza Bianca produced the lone victory from 49 starts, taking the Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2021. There were seven second-place finishes and six thirds. Coretta (Filly & Mare Turf, 1999), Za Approval (Mile, 2013) and Best Performance (Juvenile Fillies Turf, 2017) missed by less than a length as runners-up.

Hall of Famer Gio Ponti found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had the misfortune to collide with two Breeders’ Cup buzzsaws. He was second best to the magnificent mare Zenyatta in the 2009 Classic and to the great Goldikova the next year in the Mile.

Clement wants to take more time before determining his lineup for the season-culminating championships. Whichever horses he sends will be well meant.

“To run a horse in the Breeders’ Cup that is an outsider or doesn’t really have much of a chance is not our objective,” he said.

Success at this year’s event would mean everything to Clement as he finds his way forward. His father’s birthday is Nov. 1.