Saratoga: Sword Dancer is renamed Christophe Clément Turf

The Grade 1, $750,000 Sword Dancer Stakes will be renamed next year to honor the life and legacy of Christophe Clément, the late trainer who won the prestigious turf route at Saratoga a record five times.

Beginning next August, the race will be known as the Christophe Clément Turf.

Clément dies after fight with cancer.

Clément, who secured his record fifth Sword Dancer victory with Far Bridge in last year’s running, died in May at age 59 following a battle with metastatic uveal melanoma, a rare cancer of the eye. The veteran conditioner was a respected member of the New York racing community for more than three decades. He notably trained 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist and multiple Grade 1-winning dual champion turf star Gio Ponti.

After the death of Clément, his son and longtime assistant Miguel Clément took over training duties and sent out LSU Stables’ Far Bridge to a sixth-place finish in his Sword Dancer title defense. Last year’s one-length win was the next to last Grade 1 victory of Christophe Clément’s career.

Clément is survived by his wife, Valerie, who handles the stable’s business affairs and operates her own design company, as well as their two children, Charlotte and Miguel. Charlotte is married to Shaun Collins, and together they have one son Hugo Christophe Clément Collins. Miguel is married to NYRA TV analyst Acacia Clément and won his first race as the stable’s head trainer with Coach Case on June 4 at the Spa. 

“On behalf of our entire Clément family, we would like to thank NYRA for this honor. It’s a race that meant a lot to Christophe, and we know his spirit lives on through all of us,” Valérie Clément. “His love for the horses, his friendship with fellow trainers and owners, and his dedication for mentoring others are just a few things we miss daily in the sport without Christophe. We look forward to cheering on some of the most talented horses annually and participating in this race. And as Christophe reminded us regularly, we must live life to the fullest every single day.”

The Sword Dancer is a race Clément dominated since starting his first contender in 1993. Nine of Clément’s 13 Sword Dancer starters won or hit the board. They were led by Gufo, who captured back to back editions in 2021 and 2022. The 2022 race also saw Clément saddle Soldier Rising to finish third.

Clément’s other Sword Dancer victories came with Honor Glide in 1999, Winchester in 2011 and Far Bridge in 2024. Additionally, he earned placings in this event with Flag Down third in 1996, Relaxed Gesture second in 2005 and Soldier Rising second in 2023.

A native of Paris, Clément posted a lifetime record of 2,576 wins from 13,270 starts with $184,121,369 in total purse earnings.

Clément conditioned more than 20 millionaires, earning 41 Grade 1 wins and adding a Breeders’ Cup triumph to his résumé when Pizza Bianca captured the 2021 Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. He posted a remarkable 33-year run of winning at least one graded event each year dating to Passagère du Soir’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) at Gulfstream Park in 1992.