The spotlight on Pegasus World Cup Day will naturally fall on the marquee contests, but for trainer Graham Motion, one of the afternoon’s most meaningful moments may arrive quietly in the middle of the program.
Motion saddles No Show Sammy Jo in the $175,000 Christophe Clement Stakes Pegasus World Cup Day, a race that carries far more weight than its placing on the card might suggest. The 1½-mile turf event for fillies and mares will be run for the first time in memory of the late Christophe Clement, who passed away last May at the age of 59 following a battle with a rare form of eye cancer.
For Motion, the race represents both competition and commemoration.
The Christophe Clement Stakes Pegasus World Cup Day marks the 56th renewal of a race historically known as the La Prevoyante, first contested in 1974. Few names are more closely associated with it than Clement’s. Across three decades, he captured the race a record six times, saddling winners such as Sardaniya, Trampoli, Coretta, Irish Mission and, most recently, Beautiful Lover in 2022.
Motion stands second on the all-time list with four victories of his own, achieved with New Economy, Film Maker, Si Que Es Buena and Mean Mary. That shared history makes Saturday’s edition especially poignant.
“I remember talking to Christophe at this time last year,” Motion reflected. “I had heard some rumors that he had some health issues, and he was very strong about it. He said yes, but he wasn’t concerned. It’s so sad. He was younger than I am and had so much ahead of him. I just feel so sad for the family. It’s so difficult.”
Their careers followed remarkably parallel paths. Clement saddled his first North American winner in 1991, Motion struck out on his own two years later, and both built reputations as elite horsemen with international sensibilities. Clement retired with 2,576 victories and more than $184 million in purse earnings, highlighted by Tonalist’s Belmont Stakes triumph in 2014. Motion, now 61, has amassed 2,842 wins, more than $164 million in earnings, and claimed his Classic moment with Animal Kingdom in the 2011 Kentucky Derby.
Though both excelled on dirt, their lasting imprint has arguably been on turf. Clement’s résumé included a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victory with Pizza Bianca, while all four of Motion’s Breeders’ Cup wins have come on grass, led by dual champion Main Sequence.
“We were big competitors,” Motion said. “We trained for a lot of European owners and very similar horses, and I think we had a mutual respect. We competed more than most people I would compete with on the circuit. It’s a great thing for Gulfstream to do this. It’s quite fitting.”
Christophe Clement Stakes Pegasus World Cup Day: No Show Sammy Jo’s Moment
No Show Sammy Jo enters the Christophe Clement Stakes Pegasus World Cup Day in sharp form following a commanding 5Âľ-length victory in the Via Borghese over 1â…ś miles at Gulfstream on December 24. That effort came on the heels of consecutive runner-up finishes in the Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct, where she was beaten a combined margin of less than a length and a half.
“Last time out she showed the form I expected from her all year,” Motion said. “I always thought she was one of my best mares. She had a disappointing summer, but her last two races have been really good.”
The mile-and-a-half distance remains a mild question, but one Motion believes could play to her strengths.
“It’s a bit of an unknown,” he admitted, “but I think it’s probably what she wants to do, to be honest.”
Consistent almost from the outset, No Show Sammy Jo has finished first or second in nine of her 13 career starts, winning six times. She captured the All Along Stakes at Laurel Park at 1⅛ miles in each of the past two seasons and has also scored at a mile and at 1 1/16 miles. Her graded-level résumé includes appearances in the Jenny Wiley, Gamely and Glens Falls.
“I think it took me a while to figure out what she really wanted,” Motion said. “I probably threw her into the deep end last year. Starting her in a Grade 1 at Keeneland was asking a lot. I got a little off track, but she’s a really classy mare and a pleasure to be around.”
The opposition is formidable. Brad Cox trains Fionn, a $2 million earner who has won seven of 10 starts, including last year’s Belmont Oaks Invitational and Jockey Club Oaks. Speed Shopper arrives off a victory in the Florence after a narrow second in the Rodeo Drive. Alluring Angel, Gallant Greta, Ramsey Pond, Arya Stark, Venencia and Weighted Average add further depth to a competitive field of nine.
Yet on a day defined by spectacle, the Christophe Clement Stakes Pegasus World Cup Day offers something quieter and rarer: a race shaped by memory, respect and the enduring legacy of excellence.
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