ELMONT, N.Y. – Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Michael J. Caruso’s Plum Ali, fresh off a winning seasonal debut in the Plenty of Grace on April 16 at Aqueduct Racetrack, will eye a start at graded stakes level for trainer Christophe Clement.
Plum Ali defeated three other stakes winners when capturing the one-mile Plenty of Grace, securing a ground saving trip under Manny Franco before making a three-wide move in upper stretch to collar the Chad Brown-trained Technical Analysis in the final furlong to win by a half-length.
Clement said Plum Ali will now target either the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at 1 1/16-miles for older fillies and mares on May 14 at Belmont Park or the Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette at the same distance at Pimlico Race Course the following week.
“She’s doing very well,” Clement said. “She’s nominated to the Sheepshead Bay, but most likely she’ll come back in the Gallorette or the Beaugay.”
Plum Ali, a 4-year-old First Samurai chestnut filly, posted the lone win of her sophomore season in her final start of the year, leading through every point of call to win the Winter Memories in November over a good Aqueduct turf. Unbeaten in the first three starts of her juvenile campaign, Plum Ali won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Belmont and the Mint Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs in 2020.
“She’s always been a very nice filly. She’s been unlucky a few times,” Clement said. “The other day she beat a good filly of Chad Brown’s who did very well last year and it was a good race.”
Clement is considering a trip to Royal Ascot in June for a handful of his horses, including Jump Sucker Stable’s Slipstream, a last out winner of the Palisades on April 10 at Keeneland. The sophomore son of More Than Ready captured the Grade 3 Futurity over Belmont’s inner turf in October and could target the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup on June 17 at Royal Ascot.
Clement said stakes-winning stable mates Big Invasion and Derrynane also are under consideration for the Commonwealth Cup.
Big Invasion, a Reeves Thoroughbred Racing-owned son of Declaration of War, was a last-out winner of the Texas Glitter on March 26 at Gulfstream Park. Waterville Lake Stable New York-homebred Derrynane was second in the Limestone at Keeneland on April 15. She shipped to Woodbine last September to win the Woodbine Cares.
Bobby Flay’s Pizza Bianca also could make the trip overseas for the Group 1 Coronation Cup on June 17 at Royal Ascot. The Fastnet Rock dark bay filly gave Clement his first career Breeders’ Cup victory when taking last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar. She finished a close second in the Memories of Silver in her seasonal debut on April 24 at Aqueduct.
“We’ve got time to think about it and see how the horses are training the next couple of weeks or so,” Clement said. “Everyone is eligible. We’ll check them out and see how they’re doing in the next couple of weeks and make a decision.”
Clement said he plans on running City Man in the Grade 2, $150,000 Fort Marcy on May 7 at Belmont Park. Like Plum Ali, the 5-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man also made his yearly commencement a winning one, capturing the Danger’s Hour on April 9 at Aqueduct. He finished second in last year’s Fort Marcy to Tribhuvan.
Bred in New York by Moonstar Farm, City Man was considered for the $125,000 Kingston against fellow state-breds on May 30 at Belmont.
“I was going to wait for the New York-bred stakes at the end of May, but he’s doing too well, and I can’t pass it up, so he’s going to run,” Clement said.
A stakes winner in each season from ages two to five, City Man has amassed lifetime earnings of $543,550. He is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Patty Searles and Peter Searles.
Aqueduct Press Release
Photo: Annette Jasko
