There were 10 betting favorites on the June 4 card as the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course opened.
But the day also featured what may be remembered as the biggest sentimental favorite of the five-day meet.
When 5-2 betting choice Coach Case eked out a neck win in the 10th and final race of the day, it sparked the kind of emotions so much different than seen in a typical New York-bred maiden special weight race on the turf.
It gave the Clement family a chance to put grieving aside for a short while and look forward to the bright future a father so deeply desired for his son.
Just 10 days after top New York trainer Christophe Clement passed away at the age of 59 after battling a rare eye cancer, his son Miguel, who had been an assistant trainer and assumed the reins of his dad's stable, notched his first victory as a trainer through the grit and determination of Coach Case.
"There's a big emptiness in my life unfortunately. Dad and I were very close personally and professionally. Nevertheless (he would want us) to keep going forward. It's a very rewarding day," Clement said.
Miguel, who lost in three other races Wednesday and twice before at Laurel Park and Woodbine, said his initial thoughts were for his mother, Valerie.
"It was for tough for my mom. She sacrificed everything. Her and my sister (Charlotte), they dealt with my dad through the less than ideal scenes, the clinical trials and the tests, and the bad news, which I was not as involved in as I was taking care of the stable. My sister is a Harvard graduate working at McKinsey and she left that job to look after dad and to search all over the country for a cure. They deserve this moment more than me."
For Valerie, the moment produced a wealth of emotions.
"This is a challenging time. I have difficulties realizing he's not coming," she said. "We never expected the sudden loss to a very cruel cancer. But when I say the words 'cruel cancer' I have to be fair. (Christophe) had no anger. And when I was very angry for there being no cure and the gravity of the situation, he told me not to be angry because he had such a beautiful life. So, we have to honor the happiness we've had here in America rather than the sadness. He left a very happy man."
Miguel's wife, New York Racing Association analyst Acacia Courtney Clement, said the victory reflected how the stable will carry on in Miguel's hands, as Christophe would have wanted.
"It's obviously a bittersweet moment in that Christophe is no longer with us, but I am incredibly proud of the way Miguel has handled everything. He wants to carry on his father's legacy and the stable will always be a family affair. I know his father was looking down and is very happy that this win came at Saratoga."
Coach Case, a 3-year-old son of Slumber , is a Head of Plains Partners homebred that owner Sol Kumin named after his son Jax's lacrosse coach in Massachusetts. Coach Colin Casey was there in the winner's circle along with members of the Clement family, including Christophe's brother, Nicholas.
"This makes me so happy," Kumin said. "We are going to continue to support Miguel. I hope they can enjoy the weekend and I was happy to be a part of such an emotional win."
