Like so many others, Acacia Clement's favorite meet is Saratoga. As part of the Saratoga broadcast team and the wife of trainer Miguel Clement, she has to work long hours and juggle a hectic schedule. Preparation is something she takes seriously. But Saratoga also means great racing in a beautiful and historic location, a lively nightlife and so much more. There's a lot to like about this place. Appearing on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland as the Gainesway Guest of the Week, Clement said what she loves most about Saratoga is that everyone there is immersed in racing.
“What I really like is the energy and the synergy between the town and the racetrack,” she said. “I remember we were coming back to our apartment building and one of our neighbors was having a nightcap out on their balcony and they yelled out, 'Hey Miguel, nice win in the last race.' That's just really cool. I don't think you get that a lot of other places. People are downtown having dinner, but they're also paying attention to what's happening at the races. It's a small town feel, but there's also such a great connection between racing and everything else that's going on in the area.”
While there are so many heavenly aspects to being in Saratoga for the summer, this is not the easiest of times around the Clement barn. Acacia's father-in-law, Christophe, passed away May 25 at age 59 from a rare form of eye cancer. Among other things, that meant that Miguel Clement would be taking over the barn. Less than two months later, he has proven that he was ready for the job. As of July 9, he is 10-for-63 and has won three stakes, including the GI Manhattan.
“It's been incredibly tough, Acacia admitted. “Christophe handled his journey with cancer with the utmost class and bravery and grace, which I think comes as a surprise to absolutely nobody. And it's very hard to say goodbye to him. As a family that I married into, I really hit the jackpot because I am so fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with my in-laws and Christophe is one of those people that, I would come over to the house and he'd sit me down and say, 'tell me everything that's going on. Tell me about work. What about this? What about that?'
“He was somebody that really genuinely cared about what was happening in your life and how he could help. He was like that for a lot of young people in the industry. And when we lost Christophe, just the amount of people that came out and said how he had impacted their life or their journey in racing, I thought was really amazing. So of course it's been very tough for the family, but also for the whole team at the stables, which is like a family.”
It was pointed out to Clement that there are many women working in the racing broadcasting field, something you did not see 20 years ago.
“I totally agree,” Clement said after Randy Moss pointed out that she is one of many women who are making an impact with their work in front of the camera. “I do think that there are so many talented women along the entire racing industry, whether it's assistant trainers who maybe are not necessarily in the spotlight. We've seen a lot more female trainers having success as well, which I think is awesome. So I think it's not just for the racing analysts. Yes, there are more opportunities, but I think it's, thankfully, throughout the entire industry becoming a little bit more prevalent.”
Nonetheless, some stereotypes never quite go away.
“It's funny,” she said. “I was actually working on a social media site following some trends and looking back at some real questions that I have been asked throughout my time as a racing analyst that I don't think any male would ever be asked. People have asked, 'does somebody do your handicapping for you or do you do it yourself.' And 'is your husband going to let you keep working after you get married' and things like that? So there are still some stereotypes, sadly, that do exist, but I am very proud that I know I got my position on merit and I've worked so hard. This is my seventh summer at Saratoga with NYRA.”
In our “Fastest Horse of the Week,” segment, which is sponsored by WinStar, we went over the many reasons there are breed to WinStar stallion Timberlake. The fastest horse of the week was Bring Theband Home (Into Mischief), who earned a 109 Beyer figure when winning the Harvey Pack Stakes at Saratoga.
Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the KTOB, Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association, West Point Thoroughbreds, 1/ST Racing and 1/ST TV, the team of Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley concluded that the July 4-at-Saratoga meet is here to stay. NYRA handed $83 million over the four days as compared to $38 million over the same four days last year when the races were run at Aqueduct.
Other topics of discussion were the smashing debut at the Spa by 'TDN Rising Star' Ewing (Knicks Go) and the win by Magnitude (Not This Time) in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows July 5. The colt, who won the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds missed the GI Kentucky Derby due to a minor injury, but is now set to have a big summer.
To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.
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