Apollo Ten with Jairo Rendon aboard scoring the $100,000 My Frenchman Stakes. (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)
Clement And Rendon Make It Back-To-Back Stakes Wins
Tom Luicci/Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J. – The duo of trainer Christophe Clement and jockey Jairo Rendon made it back-to-back stakes wins at 5½ furlongs on the grass at Monmouth Park this weekend when Apollo Ten – like his stablemate El Terreno the day before – scored a front-running win in Sunday’s $100,000 My Frenchman Stakes.
For the weekend, Clement and Rendon combined to go 3-for-3, with Leslie’s Humor winning a maiden special weight race on the grass on Sunday as well.
Apollo Ten, a Kentucky-bred son of Violence, beat the similarly-speedy Mattingly to the front and rolled to three-quarters of a length victory over the late-running Roi Soleil in the 5½-furlong feature for 3-year-olds on the grass. Mattingly, worn out trying to keep pace with Apollo Ten early, faded to third.
The winning time over a turf course listed as firm was 1:02.53.
El Terreno also scored in gate-to-wire fashion in winning Saturday’s Blue Sparkler Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 5½ furlongs on the grass.
“We didn’t want him to get into a speed duel (with Mattingly),” said Ed Haney, the assistant to Clement. “The instructions were to go to the front, but if Mattingly has speed and wants the front to let him go. He didn’t listen. He went right to the front and kept going. Jairo Rendon knows what’s going on out there.”
Apollo Ten, now 3-for-5 lifetime, became a stakes winner in his third try. He was cross entered today in the Quick Call Stakes but opted for the Monmouth Park race instead.
“We spoke with the owners (Cheyenne Stable) yesterday about whether to come here or go in the Quick Call at Saratoga today,” said Haney. “He was 15-1 morning line there. Here he was 5-2. So that made the decision a little easier.”
Apollo Ten paid $3.40 to win.
“I know my horse has speed,” said Rendon, who won three races on Sunday’s card. “I know Mattingly was the horse to beat to the front. My horse just put himself there and he was pretty comfortable, so I just went with it.
“The plan was to sit second behind Mattingly, but this horse didn’t want any part of that. He’s a big horse and it makes no sense to take him back when he’s comfortable.”
