Papa Clem
2009 Prep Recap
Date Trk Race Chart Distance Time BSF Video
2/7 SA Robert B Lewis (G2) Chart 1 1/16m 1:41 94
3/14 FG Louisiana Derby (G2) Chart 1 1/16m 1:43 91
4/11 OP Arkansas Derby (G2) Chart 1 1/ 8m 1:49 101
Past Performances
Workouts
Owner: Bo Hirsch
Trainer: Gary Stute
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Future Wager : 47-1
Record: 6-2-2-0
Best Beyer: 101
Lifetime Earnings: $790,940
Profile by Mary Rampellini
Strengths: Papa Clem has tested well against the best of his crop, whether splitting Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge in the Grade 2 Lewis, playing runner-up to Friesan Fire in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, or edging Old Fashioned to win the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby. Along the way, he has proven to be a horse who takes his track with him, and it's encouraging his best race came on dirt, in the Arkansas Derby. Papa Clem earned a Beyer of 101, making him one of just seven in Saturday's field to have put up a triple-digit number. As for distance demands, Papa Clem has never finished worse than second since moving to two turns, while his sire, Smart Strike, produced a top-class 1 1/4-mile horse in Curlin.
Weaknesses: Papa Clem lacks Grade 1 experience, and faced just a single standout rival in each of his final two preps. Further, his winning time of 1:49 in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby could be characterized as average. Papa Clem will also be picking up eight pounds off that race, and he has not turned heads in his works at Churchill.
Strategy: Papa Clem has tactical speed, which gives him advantageous positioning power in a large field. He has been effective on the lead and showed a new dimension in the Arkansas Derby, when he stalked. As a result, he offers pace options to rider Rafael Bejarano.
Value: Although he won a major prep, Papa Clem won't be vying for favoritism and should be a fair price for a colt capable of winning Saturday.
Pedigree Analysis by Dan Illman
Dosage Profile: 9-4-11-0-0
Dosage Index: 3.36
Center of Distribution: 0.92
Auction: Homebred
Sire: Smart Strike is a fantastic sire, but he was also a very underrated racehorse. He won six races in a row between April 28, 1995, and August 25 1996 at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. He twice earned Beyer Speed Figures of 115 or greater, and he won the Grade 1 Philip H. Iselin Handicap at Monmouth.
Smart Strike is a half-sister to the wonderful Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Dance Smartly, and hails from a powerhouse female family.
Dam: Miss Houdini was a fleet and precocious juvenile, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs. She earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure going three-quarters of a mile in her three-year-old debut, but she finished last at 6-5 odds in her only start around two turns in the Torrey Pines Stakes at one mile.
Papa Clem's second dam, Magical Maiden, was a multiple Grade 1 winner between one mile and 1 1/16 miles. She earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure when third to the great Paseana in the Grade 2 Chula Vista Handicap at 11/16 miles.
The female family has produced Avies Copy, the third-place finisher in the 1987 Kentucky Derby
Outlook: There is a lot of speed in the female family, but Papa Clem's best race came in the nine-furlong Arkansas Derby. Ten furlongs may be pushing it just a bit, but Papa Clem should be able to stay the course.
2009 Prep Recap
Date Trk Race Chart Distance Time BSF Video
2/7 SA Robert B Lewis (G2) Chart 1 1/16m 1:41 94
3/14 FG Louisiana Derby (G2) Chart 1 1/16m 1:43 91
4/11 OP Arkansas Derby (G2) Chart 1 1/ 8m 1:49 101
Past Performances
Workouts
Owner: Bo Hirsch
Trainer: Gary Stute
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Future Wager : 47-1
Record: 6-2-2-0
Best Beyer: 101
Lifetime Earnings: $790,940
Profile by Mary Rampellini
Strengths: Papa Clem has tested well against the best of his crop, whether splitting Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge in the Grade 2 Lewis, playing runner-up to Friesan Fire in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, or edging Old Fashioned to win the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby. Along the way, he has proven to be a horse who takes his track with him, and it's encouraging his best race came on dirt, in the Arkansas Derby. Papa Clem earned a Beyer of 101, making him one of just seven in Saturday's field to have put up a triple-digit number. As for distance demands, Papa Clem has never finished worse than second since moving to two turns, while his sire, Smart Strike, produced a top-class 1 1/4-mile horse in Curlin.
Weaknesses: Papa Clem lacks Grade 1 experience, and faced just a single standout rival in each of his final two preps. Further, his winning time of 1:49 in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby could be characterized as average. Papa Clem will also be picking up eight pounds off that race, and he has not turned heads in his works at Churchill.
Strategy: Papa Clem has tactical speed, which gives him advantageous positioning power in a large field. He has been effective on the lead and showed a new dimension in the Arkansas Derby, when he stalked. As a result, he offers pace options to rider Rafael Bejarano.
Value: Although he won a major prep, Papa Clem won't be vying for favoritism and should be a fair price for a colt capable of winning Saturday.
Pedigree Analysis by Dan Illman
Dosage Profile: 9-4-11-0-0
Dosage Index: 3.36
Center of Distribution: 0.92
Auction: Homebred
Sire: Smart Strike is a fantastic sire, but he was also a very underrated racehorse. He won six races in a row between April 28, 1995, and August 25 1996 at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. He twice earned Beyer Speed Figures of 115 or greater, and he won the Grade 1 Philip H. Iselin Handicap at Monmouth.
Smart Strike is a half-sister to the wonderful Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Dance Smartly, and hails from a powerhouse female family.
Dam: Miss Houdini was a fleet and precocious juvenile, winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs. She earned a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure going three-quarters of a mile in her three-year-old debut, but she finished last at 6-5 odds in her only start around two turns in the Torrey Pines Stakes at one mile.
Papa Clem's second dam, Magical Maiden, was a multiple Grade 1 winner between one mile and 1 1/16 miles. She earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure when third to the great Paseana in the Grade 2 Chula Vista Handicap at 11/16 miles.
The female family has produced Avies Copy, the third-place finisher in the 1987 Kentucky Derby
Outlook: There is a lot of speed in the female family, but Papa Clem's best race came in the nine-furlong Arkansas Derby. Ten furlongs may be pushing it just a bit, but Papa Clem should be able to stay the course.
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