Speed Shopper Rolls Late to Claim Inaugural Running of Christophe Clement
By Christina Bossinakis TDN
HALLANDALE, FL–Kicking off the graded stakes action on Pegasus Day, Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Speed Shopper (Quality Road) closed stoutly from off the pace to earn her first graded stakes win in the inaugural running of the GIII Christophe Clement Stakes at Gulfstream.
Arya Stark (Arg) (CosmicTiger {Arg}) popped out to the front straight out of the gate as Speed Shopper settled right behind Weighted Average (English Channel) through an opening quarter mile in :24.76. Remaining largely unchanged up front following a :50.20 half and three quarters in 1:15.05, the 7-1 chance continued to survey the front runners as favored No Show Sammy Jo (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) moved up on the far outside after trailing the field midway around the far turn.
Velazquez tipped off the rail once straightened for home and split horses to set his sights on the leaders, edging clear by 1 3/4 lengths over the game Arya Stark, who held second by a neck over Weighted Average. No Show Sammy Jo came home in seventh.
Commenting on the trip, winning trainer Will Walden added, “It’s kind of usually where she travels. The plan was to kind of get out of there, which Johnny did, and stick her to the rail. We drew there so we might as well stay there, and the rest was textbook.”
Getting her start for Michael McCarthy in California, Speed Shopper made a pair of starts for Walden in Kentucky before breaking through with a victory going 11 furlongs in Saratoga last July.
Fourth over that course and trip later in August, she came home a bang-up second–beaten only a head–in the 10-furlong GII Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 4. In her 2025 finale, the Kentucky-bred came home a 1/2-length winner over Arya Stark on Turfway’s synthetic surface in the 10-furlong Florence Stakes Dec. 20.
Formerly run as the La Prevoyante since its inception in 1974, Saturday’s race marked the first edition since it was renamed for the late trainer that passed away last May from a rare form of eye cancer at the age of 59. Clement won the La Prevoyante a record six times.
Following the race, many of Clement’s friends, family and former owners and associates packed into the winner’s circle to commemorate the newly christened race. Among them was his wife, Valerie, and children Charlotte and Miguel Clement, formerly an assistant to his father before taking over the string.
“It’s a great honor. The family is very much touched by the gesture,” said Miguel Clement. “The competitive side of us would rather have had a runner in today’s event but it didn’t happen. But I was very touched and dad was instrumental to all of us–he touched so many people’s lives. More than just [through] the stable but the direct family. It’s very much a tribe. He’s missed every day.”
The winner of the race echoed the Jr. Clement’s sentiments about the departed horseman.
“Christophe was an important in many people’s lives, but he was especially important in mine,” explained Walden. “I grew up with his son, Miguel, our dads both trained at Payson Park [and] spent a lot of nights over at his house. More so when I started training, Christophe always looked out for the next generation. He wanted to see this sport continue and grow and he knew that the next generation was going to be the one to carry the backpack. He put a lot into us and into me, personally, so to win this race in recognition of him it means the world.”
Pedigree Notes
Speed Shopper, the 49th graded stakes winner for her sire Quality Road, is a granddaughter of SW Shop Again, the half-sister to Grade I winner Miss Shop and GSW Trappe Shot (Tapit) who is also responsible for GISW Power Broker (Pulpit) and Smart Shopping (Smart Strike), herself the dam of GI Preakness winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate).
The fourth foal out of Fast Retailing, the 5-year-old mare has a juvenile sister by Jack Christopher and a yearling sister by Elite Power. Her dam was bred back to Good Magic.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
CHRISTOPHE CLEMENT S. PRESENTED BY DON JULIO TEQUILA-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 1-24, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/2mT, 2:26.76, fm.
1–SPEED SHOPPER, 120, m, 5, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Fast Retailing, by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Shop Again, by Wild Again
3rd Dam: Shopping, by Private Account
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($430,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP; $95,000 RNA 3yo ’24 KEENOV). O-Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-AR Enterprises, LLC. & Edward Easton (KY); T-William Walden; J-John R. Velazquez. $89,280. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-1, $299,678. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Ayra Stark (Arg), 118, m, 6, Cosmic Trigger (Arg)–Delfia (Arg), by Exchange Rate. ($725,000 RNA 5yo ’25 KEENOV). O-Haymarket Farm LLC; B-Marovi Sa (ARG); T-Horacio De Paz. $28,800.
3–Weighted Average, 118, m, 5, English Channel–Charreada, by Kitten’s Joy. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 Ylg ’22 FTSAUG). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $14,400.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.30, 15.60, 6.10.
Also Ran: Venencia (Fr), Ramsey Pond, Fionn, No Show Sammy Jo (GB), Alluring Angel (GB), Gallant Greta.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.