Big Everest after his win in last year’s Artie Schiller (Joe Labozzetta)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— Trainer Christophe Clement has already won a trio of stakes at Gulfstream Park this year, but will look to open his 2023 stakes account at Aqueduct this weekend with Big Everest in Saturday’s $100,000 Danger’s Hour and with new acquisition Malavath in Sunday’s $100,000 Plenty of Grace.
Big Everest, a 5-year-old The Gurkha gelding owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and William Branch, is listed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the one-mile inner-turf test for older horses.
Big Everest won 4-of-5 starts last year, culminating with a frontrunning half-length victory in the one-mile Artie Schiller here in November which was contested over a yielding turf course.
While Big Everest won his seasonal debut last year, besting a first-level allowance field by two lengths in June at Belmont, Clement is cautiously optimistic about repeating the feat.
“He’s an overachiever and he’s getting better and better as he’s getting older,” Clement said. “Unfortunately, now we’re having to start him back with better company, but that’s the way it is, the more they win the tougher it becomes.”
Big Everest has trained regularly over the Belmont dirt training track, including a five-eighths effort in 1:02.66 on March 31.
“He’s training well. I just hope I have him tight enough,” Clement said. “He looks well and he’s training well. It’s not an easy race.”
Clement said he is hopeful that Manny Franco can work out a clean trip from post 3 in the six-horse field.
“There’s plenty of pace in the race and he’s one of them. As long as he’s forward, we’re happy with that,” said Clement, who will also be chasing stakes success out of town on Saturday when he sends out Pizza Bianca in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland and Summer Cause in the Federico Tesio at Laurel Park.
Big Everest has banked $329,840 through a record of 10-5-1-1. He is out of the graded-stakes placed Whywhywhy mare Long Face, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner True Quality.
Moyglare Stud Farm purchased Malavath in December for €3.2m at Arqana’s Breeding Stock Sale. The 4-year-old Mehmas chestnut captured the 2021 Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly and last year’s Group 3 Prix Imprudence at Deauville for her former conditioner Francis-Henri Graffard.
Malavath was a deep-closing factor in a pair of Breeders’ Cup appearances, including a fifth-place finish in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland and a close runner-up effort to Pizza Bianca in the 2021 Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf that provided Clement his first Breeders’ Cup win.
Clement said he was impressed by Malavath’s effort against the boys in the Mile.
“I thought it was very good. She raced against the best colts and she got beat, but it was a very good performance,” Clement said of the filly, who has trained extensively at Payson Park in Florida. “She’s doing great. She’s trained well and I’m excited to start her. She came here a week ago and she’s done very well since she came in.”
Clement said he will leave race strategy in the capable hands of Jose Ortiz, who will pilot the late-running Malavath from the inside post.
“There’s not much I change about that [racing style], Jose will ride and he will have to figure it out,” Clement said.
Malavath, out of the New Approach mare Fidaaha, boasts a record of 11-3-3-1 for purse earnings of $526,261. Her full-brother Knight, winner of last year’s Group 3 Horris Hill at Newbury, is undefeated in two starts.
Multiple graded-stakes winning New York-bred City Man worked three-eighths in 39.25 seconds this morning over the Belmont dirt training track in his first breeze since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles, the 6-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man won 5-of-8 starts last year, including scores in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple at the Spa, and the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park. He also enjoyed success at the Big A, taking the open-company Danger’s Hour last April along with state-bred scores in the Ashley T. Cole and Mohawk at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
Bred by Moonstar Farm, City Man boasts a record of 27-9-5-3 for purse earnings of $987,120. He was purchased for $185,000 at the 2019 OBS April Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training where he was consigned by Off the Hook.
