Christophe Clement headlines the summer issue of North American Trainer

Christophe Clement during training hours at Belmont Park the morning after the Belmont Stakes.

The summer issue of North American Trainer is now available online, with my cover profile on top trainer Christophe Clement. You can read it here or access this and previous issues of North American Trainer and European Trainer through the Trainer magazine website here.

The magazine also has an interesting look at backstretch conditions in the U.S. by Bill Heller and the usual thought-provoking column from Sid Fernando, among other articles.

We decided before the Belmont Stakes that we would feature Clement in this issue. “I will either be very happy or very sad,” he said to me when I scheduled the morning after the Belmont -- his call -- to spend with him. His trainee, the Robert S. Evans-owned Tonalist, won the race, of course, so not only was Clement very happy but it was almost impossible to have a conversation with him for all the people coming up to congratulate him.

Clement will always be remembered as the trainer of three-time Eclipse Award winner and turf horse Gio Ponti, but in Tonalist, a son of Tapit, Clement has a leading three-year-old whose talent matches his pedigree and who could go on to do great things, too.

A brilliant sire, Tapit is not known for getting horses who want to go much further than 9 furlongs (here is a blog post on him from February, 2013), whereas Tonalist’s broodmare sire Pleasant Colony is a source of stamina. Incidentally, in 1981 Pleasant Colony won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, then ran third to Summing in the Belmont. Tonalist extends from one of the great female families in the stud book, tracing to Broodmare of the Year Toll Booth and Missy Baba. He is the third Belmont winner, after A.P. Indy and Lemon Drop Kid, representing this family, which also includes Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. Toll Booth is the third dam of Tonalist and Havre de Grace, while Missy Baba is the fourth dam of those two plus A.P. Indy, Lemon Drop Kid, and Preakness winner Summer Squall.

Christophe Clement is on the verge of a personal milestone: as of the morning of July 26th, his horses have won 1,489 races. It won’t be long before he hits the 1,500 mark. Should Tonalist win this afternoon’s Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, Clement will be one step closer to achieving the momentous win and moving on towards his next milestone.

Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist back at the Clement barn shortly after his big win.

Tonalist was hand-grazed after his post-race bath.

Clement's Green Mask, owned by Abdullah Saeed Almaddah, training on the turf at Belmont, with Ruffian's grave in the background.

Live Oak Stud's six-year-old Za Approval, millionaire and winner of multiple Grade 3s for Clement.

Criquette Head-Maarek profile in the new issue of European Trainer

2013 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Treve at trainer Criquette Head-Maarek's yard.

The Summer 2014 issue of European Trainer is available online here. The magazine features our usual mix of veterinary and nutrition articles as well as my cover profile on Criquette Head-Maarek, the most successful woman trainer of all time.

Head-Maarek is among the most genuinely kind and gracious people in the racing and breeding industry, and even on an overcast and rainy day, as it was when I spent the morning with her at her Chantilly yard a short train ride from Paris, her enthusiasm is indefatigable. I was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon with her and her father Alec at their Haras du Quesnay in late 2007 and was struck by the same impression of her then as now.

Although the season has not started off on a winning note for last season’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Treve, Head-Maarek has had a good start with her two-year-olds after South Bank -- a daughter of multiple Classic winner Special Duty, whom Head-Maarek also trained -- placed second in a black-type stakes race on June 26th.

My favorite photo of the morning.

Head-Maarek's yard is based near Chantilly Racecourse.

Criquette and her "Papa" Alec Head at the family's Haras du Quesnay in December, 2007.

Early morning on Manton Downs

The new issue of European Trainer is online, featuring among other things my cover profile on Brian Meehan. You can access the magazine directly here, or if you don’t mind filling out a 30-second survey (which would be appreciated by my publisher), here.

Among many top horses Brian has conditioned in his 20-plus years as a trainer are two Breeders’ Cup Turf winners (Red Rocks and Dangerous Midge); David Junior (a four-time Group 1 winner); and Donna Blini, the Group 1-winning filly who broke one of Meehan’s fingers and went on to produce Japanese Filly Triple Crown winner Gentildonna (by Deep Impact), who runs in today’s Dubai Sheema Classic in the U.A.E.

The white stones in the distance are glacial deposits.

Brian has been based at the Sangster family’s fantastic Manton House Estate in Wiltshire, U.K., since 2006. Of Manton, he says, “It’s a great place. The trouble is you never want to leave it.” After the morning I spent there last month, I’m going to have to agree with Brian on that.

Manton has a long, storied past that includes many, many, many Classic winners since the 1870s and the murder of an apprentice by Tom Taylor, the son and brother of Manton trainers. Tony Lindsell writes about the training facility in our article “The History of Manton.” The opening spread is of Sir Alfred Munnings’ “Early Morning on Manton Downs,” a beautiful painting by one of the greatest equine artists of all time.

Old Yard, the original training barn at Manton.

Old Yard.

This excerpt from Lindsell’s feature is on George Todd, who was master of Manton from 1947 to 1967:

Todd put up with owners as a necessary evil and told them as little as possible. He preferred the letter to the telephone and would rarely even tell them whether a horse was running, let alone trying. Lord Howard de Walden described Oncidium as his horse behind the Iron Curtain.

One of Todd’s apprentices described his instructions. Most of the time they were “Drop it out,” he said. “I stopped horses for as long as two years. I stopped Tarquinian so many times I wondered, 'What day is this horse ever going to try?’”

In addition to these two features, the magazine has veterinary and nutrition articles, and plenty of other interesting stuff to read.

These photos from my Manton visit do not even begin to do it justice:

Astor Yard.

Animal Kingdom: Before he was a Derby winner

John Velazquez and Heather Craig leading Animal Kingdom after his Derby victory.

Having done a cover profile on Graham Motion for North American Trainer and a Q&A interview with Team Valor’s Barry Irwin for the May issue of Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a special rooting interest in Animal Kingdom to win the Kentucky Derby.

I got a good look at the colt in his stall hours before he won the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway on March 26, and was impressed by what a gorgeous, physically imposing horse he is. My camera’s memory card chose that day to quit working, so I had to rely on my camera phone for my pictures.

Relaxing in his stall before the Spiral.

Graham putting Animal Kingdom's blinkers on at Turfway.

To the winner's circle! Alan Garcia up.

Graham kept Animal Kingdom at my home track, Keeneland (photos below), for most of the six weeks between the Spiral and the Derby, so I was able to see him train some mornings. In retrospect, it was nice to have him all to myself; that will certainly never happen again...!

Animal Kingdom, held by John Panagot, sneaking a look behind him on the track in mid-April.

Out for a gallop at Keeneland.

Graham leads Animal Kingdom off the track.

Returning to the barn.