Christophe Lorieul is honored with new D. Wayne Lukas award
The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association announced Saturday that the inaugural D. Wayne Lukas Award will be presented to Christophe Lorieul, the right-hand man to Christophe Clement for nearly three decades. Lorieul now serves as assistant to Miguel Clement, who officially took over his late father’s stable at the end of May.
The D. Wayne Lukas Award was created by NYTHA this year and will be given annually to a New York-based assistant trainer who demonstrates the qualities that the late Hall of Fame trainer himself exemplified-dedication, a strong work ethic and a high commitment to excellence. The winner receives a trophy and $10,000. This year, the presentation will be held on closing day of the Saratoga meet.
“We established this award to spotlight the dedication of these unsung heroes that are so crucial to the success of every stable," said NYTHA President Tina Marie Bond. "Christophe has demonstrated this work ethic and commitment for over 30 years, and is an incredible role model for everyone in New York. We are so pleased to have him be the inaugural winner of the D. Wayne Lukas Award."
Lorieul, a native of Normandy, France, has been part of the Clement organization since 1994.
“I worked with Christophe over half, maybe two-thirds of my life,” Lorieul reflected. “Everything that I know is because of him; I wasn’t even 20 when I started working for him. I could come to him about anything and learned many life lessons. I learned a lot and had many opportunities to travel, to Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong. He always said, 'be patient with the horses. Take care of them, and they will take care of you.'
"It has been a rough year for us and we are just trying to continue his legacy,” Lorieul continued. “We are lucky enough to have good horses in our stalls. Miguel is doing a great job and I’m just trying to assist him the best I can, the same as I did with Christophe. Miguel had mentioned to me that I would be nominated, and I’m very thankful.”
Miguel, who credits Lorieul with teaching him to understand the Daily Racing Form as a child, is now at the helm of Clement Racing. The stable has made a strong showing this summer, especially at Saratoga. Lorieul supervises the Belmont string, as is his custom.
“He is the backbone of our stable,” said Miguel Clement. “He is amazingly reliable, talented, and devoted to his profession. We are all very lucky to have him, especially when it was so tough, and he really stepped up when we needed him the most.”