History looking to be made in Christophe Clement Turf

Saratoga’s signature 1 1/2-mile grass race has a new name this year but a vintage storyline.

Formerly known as the Sword Dancer, the $750,000 Christophe Clement Turf (G1) highlights Saturday’s card. It was renamed in honor of the late trainer, who won a record five renewals of the Sword Dancer and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame last week. The winner will receive an automatic bid into the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland in October.

It was less than two weeks ago when the five-year-old England-based mare Survie overcame a pedestrian pace to comfortably win the Glens Falls (G2) against fillies and mares. Survie wheels back on Saturday looking to become the first mare to win the Christophe Clement/Sword Dancer since 1988.

That 1988 renewal of the Sword Dancer, held at Belmont Park, was won by Anka Germania, who defeated the budding three-year-old turf star Sunshine Forever. Survie’s opposition on Saturday includes Ancient Egypt, who seeks to accomplish what Sunshine Forever could not by becoming the first three-year-old winner of this fixture.

Ancient Egypt has yet to win a pattern race but narrowly missed doing so twice in recent months. Undone by the bottomless ground that affected others in the Epsom Derby (G1), Ancient Egypt bounced to finish second by a neck in the King Edward VII (G2) at Royal Ascot and then was a head second in the Grand Prix de Paris (G1).

“His last two runs have been fantastic, albeit a bit heartbreaking in defeat,” trainer Charlie Johnston said. “He ran fantastic races in both Ascot and Paris and showed himself as a top-class mile-and-a-half horse on fast ground.

“That was part of the reasoning for thinking about going over for this race, as far as Grade 1 options. In Europe, we were left with the Arc (G1) or races in Germany and felt like those races at that time of year, there’s a reasonable likelihood of soft ground, which we learned in Epsom didn’t suit him very well.”

Program Trading, a multiple Grade 1 winner back in 2023 and 2024, has gotten back into the habit of winning recently. He enters off two straight stakes wins, including a decisive score in the United Nations (G2).

Ole Crazy Bone just lasted as the favorite over Fort George in the Bowling Green (G2), with Minaret Station a half-length behind in third. Cutting back in distance is Tawny Port, who snapped a lengthy losing skid in early June winning the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup (G2). 

Tawny Port is trained by Miguel Clement, who took over the family stable following his father’s death. It would be a remarkable story for the Clement family should Tawny Port topple the European contingent seeking to make history, in other ways.