Stonestreet Stables’ Kentucky homebred Clairiere successfully defended her crown in the $500,000 Ogden Phipps S. (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, June 10, defeating Search Results by a half-length at the finish to make it back-to-back wins in the 1 1/16-mile fixture. With the win, the daughter of Curlin earned a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) in November at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Joel Rosario for trainer Steve Asmussen, Clairiere raced in last in the six-horse field early. She traveled four wide around the far turn, was roused at the five-sixteenths pole and rallied outside runners to get up in the final sixteenth. Clairiere became the race’s first back-to-back winner since Take D’Tour in 2006-07 and the fourth repeat winner of the race overall.
“I was very confident. However, you never know,” said Rosario. “You never know. A horse got away from me (Search Results), but she was able to put it all together and come with the run that she always does to get it done.”
Clairiere is produced from the Grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, who also annexed the Ogden Phipps in 2016 en route to career earnings of more than $2 million. Clairiere is now a winner in eight of 13 starts and has banked $2,063,000.
“I am very proud and of course her mother won this race, too,” said Stonestreet’s Barbara Banke. “It’s been a family tradition. She does have a late kick and Joel left it just enough to give me a slight coronary condition, but she made it through. We’re trying to (win an Eclipse Award). We were close last year, really close. Buy maybe this year we’ll do it.
“It’s always better when it’s a homebred,” she added. ‘We have her mother and of course, her dad, Curlin. It’s all in the family. I have a really good (foal) that’s a full (brother) to Clairiere.”