Breeders’ Cup Connections: Deterministic Anchors Miguel Clement in New Chapter

[Wandering Eyes]

Miguel Clement has many memories of the conversations he had with his father about Deterministic (Liam's Map).

In Christophe's book, a good horse could perform well across different surfaces and distances, and he always believed Deterministic fit that description. Over the past two years, Deterministic has proven him right, checking both those boxes for the Clement racing stable and serving as a steady presence through a poignant period of change following Christophe's passing in May.

“My dad and I both loved him from the get-go and he has been a joy to train,” said Miguel Clement. “This horse has been great to us because when we needed him most, he provided a well-needed distraction for both the stable and the family. I guess the one great constant thing I've got going on in my life, especially at this moment, is having a horse like Deterministic.”

Liam's Map).
In Christophe's book, a good horse could perform well across different surfaces and distances, and he always believed Deterministic fit that description. Over the past two years, Deterministic has proven him right, checking both those boxes for the Clement racing stable and serving as a steady presence through a poignant period of change following Christophe's passing in May.”>

Campaigned by St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker and Vicarage Stable, Deterministic arrived in the Clement barn when Miguel was in his sixth year of working as an assistant for his father. The colt was a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut, breaking his maiden going seven furlongs on the main track at Saratoga.

While a seven-month layoff forced the Clements to adjust their plans for the promising youngster, Deterministic returned in style in last year's GIII Gotham Stakes. Two unplaced efforts on dirt followed, prompting father and son to make a change they had been considering for the colt from the start.

Christophe and Miguel Clement | Tod Marks

A move to the turf proved to be a turning point. Deterministic hit the board in his next five starts at three, highlighted by wins in the GIII Virginia Derby and GIII Hill Prince Stakes. This spring, he added another graded score in the GII Fort Marcy Stakes, just three weeks before Christophe passed away at the age of 59.

Less than two weeks after Miguel officially took up the reins of the stable, the young trainer earned his first Grade I when Deterministic put in a front-running effort in the Manhattan Stakes.

“The ground was a bit soft, which may not have been ideal for him,” explained Clement. “Nevertheless his class prevailed. He showed tactile speed straight from the gate and he always looked like he was in control of the race.”

Returning to Grade I company for the Fourstardave Stakes, Deterministic revealed a different dimension when he settled just off the pace and took command in the final furlong.

“The fact that he's that versatile, where he can just wait for the rider's command, was quite impressive,” explained Clement. “He was able to sit second, just half a length off the leader, and wait for his cue. Per usual, he showed a great turn of foot and his athleticism carried us.”

The Fourstardave win earned Deterministic an automatic entry into the GI FanDuel Mile at the Breeders' Cup—a stage that has been woven into Miguel's life for as long as he can remember.

Miguel was always destined to follow in his father's footsteps. His mother Valerie said that early on, she and Christophe had hoped their son might pursue a different career, but the pull of racing proved too strong.

“We pushed Miguel away from horse racing, to the point where if people were going to give Miguel a job over the summer, Christophe would call them and tell them not to,” Valerie admitted. “That's how he ended up in a bank in California for one summer, but he disliked it passionately.”

Before joining the Clement stable as an assistant in 2017, Miguel graduated from the Godolphin Flying Start program, working for top trainers around the globe like Chris Waller in Australia and Mike de Kock in South Africa. He later spent two years in Newmarket as an assistant for Hugo Palmer.

By the time he returned full-time to the family stable, the Breeders' Cup was already woven into his earliest memories. Some trips from his early childhood might be a bit hazy—like Flag Down's third in the 1997 Turf or Coretta's runner-up finish in the 1999 Filly and Mare Turf—but others are unforgettable. Christophe had seven runner-up finishes at the Breeders' Cup, a testament to how difficult it can be for even the sport's best to reach the winner's circle there. His lone victory came in 2021, when Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) claimed the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Deterministic scores in the 'Win And You're In' GI Fourstardave | Sarah Andrew

“When Gio Ponti struck the front and got ran down by Zenyatta [in the 2009 Classic], I thought he was going to win that day,” Clement admitted. “Then the very next year he was second to Goldikova [in the Mile]. That was a painful memory too. But the stable highlight was Pizza Bianca for Bobby Flay and with Jose Ortiz. When she had that incredible turn of foot to weave through traffic and get up, that was impressive.”

For everyone at the Clement barn, getting Deterministic to this year's Breeders' Cup will carry special significance. For Valerie, it will be one of the last opportunities for Christophe to have a presence on one of racing's biggest stages.

“Every time I walk in the barn now, it's Christophe's story, but I know one day Miguel will train horses that Christophe has never seen,” she said. “So that will be different as things progress, but at the moment every horse has had a story from the beginning where I know what Christophe was hoping for each one.”

For most of Deterministic's time in the stable, Miguel and Christophe shaped the colt's career together. Now, the talented runner is a living connection to the way they worked and dreamed as a team.

“It would be very rewarding and very fulfilling for many reasons,” Clement said. “We're very lucky in the sense that [the Breeders' Cup] is something we've done many times, but I guess not with Dad by our side. So it will be a bit different, but we will have to make it work.”

Different, yes, but in many ways, Deterministic's path to the Breeders' Cup mirrors Miguel's own—shaped by years of preparation, patient guidance, and Christophe Clement's unwavering belief in them both.

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