Quick Facts
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Biography
Christophe Clement (born November 1, 1965 in Paris, France) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States, who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist.
Racing background
Clement initially acquired his training skills from father Miguel, a leading trainer in France, Christophe later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head. In the US, Christophe 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
Christophe's first winner was the first horse he saddled, Spectaculaire, at Belmont Park in 1991. Since then, he has been a prolific force in graded stakes around the country including wins with Trampoli, Danish winner of the 1994 Queen Elizabeth II stakes at Keeneland, 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. in 2001. He had a repeat win in the 2007 Beverly D. with Royal Highness. Other highlights of 2007 were stakes winners Meribel, Gio Ponti, Revved Up, Naissance Royale, Vacare, In Summation, and Rutherienne who won six stakes, among them five graded victories.
Christophe Clement Racing Stable has yielded more than $100 million in purses in 2015 and over 200 stakes wins. He celebrated his 1000th win in December 2008. Clement trained Gio Ponti who won two eclipse awards in 2010 and one in 2011. In 2014, he won the Belmont Stakes with Tonalist.
He and his wife Valerie have a son, Miguel Clement, and a daughter, Charlotte Clement.