2026 Christophe Clement Turf Results

Exotic Payoffs:

• $1.00 Exacta (7-6) Paid: $19.84
• $0.50 Trifecta (7-6-4) Paid: $29.45
• $0.10 Superfecta (7-6-4-1) Paid: $12.28

Watch the 2026 Christophe Clement Turf

Christophe Clement Turf Race History

First run in 1975, the Christophe Clement Turf is a Grade 1 race contested each summer at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Known as the Sword Dancer Stakes for its first five decades, the race was renamed in 2026 to honor Hall of Fame trainer Christophe Clement, who died in 2025 and won the race a record five times. Under its former name, the race honored Sword Dancer, the 1959 Horse of the Year who won the Belmont Stakes and finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes during a memorable three-year-old campaign.

The race has evolved considerably since its early years, including changes in distance before eventually settling at its current 1 1/2 miles on turf. At that distance, Awad established the race record with a time of 2:23.20 in 1997. Seven horses have won the race twice: Majesty's Prince (1983, 1984), El Senor (1989, 1990), With Anticipation (2001, 2002), Grand Couturier (2007, 2008), Telling (2009, 2010), Flintshire (2015, 2016), and Gufo (2021, 2022). Pat Day leads all jockeys with four victories, while Clement's five training wins came with Honor Glide (1999), Winchester (2011), Gufo (2021 and 2022), and Far Bridge (2024).

The race's honor roll also includes a number of accomplished turf stars, including John Henry, Theatrical, Fraise, Better Talk Now, and Main Sequence. The latter four went on to win the Breeders' Cup Turf, further establishing the Saratoga fixture as an important late-summer showcase for elite grass runners.

As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, the Christophe Clement Turf is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Turf, awarding its winner an automatic berth in one of the world's premier turf races.

Christophe Clement Turf Past Winners