The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) announced today that the inaugural D. Wayne Lukas Award will be presented to Christophe Lorieul, the right-hand man to Christophe Clement for nearly three decades. Lorieul now serves as assistant to Miguel Clement, who officially took over his late father's stable at the end of May.
The D. Wayne Lukas Award was created by NYTHA this year and will be given annually to a New York-based assistant trainer who demonstrates the qualities that the late Hall of Fame trainer himself exemplified -- dedication, a strong work ethic, and a high commitment to excellence. The winner receives a trophy and $10,000. This year, the presentation will be held on Monday, Sept. 1, which is the closing day of the Saratoga meet.
"We established this award to spotlight the dedication of these unsung heroes that are so crucial to the success of every stable," said NYTHA President Tina Marie Bond. "Christophe has demonstrated this work ethic and commitment for over 30 years, and is an incredible role model for everyone in New York. We are so pleased to have him be the inaugural winner of the D. Wayne Lukas Award."
Lorieul, a native of Normandy, France, has been part of the Clement organization since 1994.
"I worked with Christophe over half, maybe two-thirds of my life," Lorieul reflected. "Everything that I know is because of him; I wasn't even 20 when I started working for him. I could come to him about anything and learned many life lessons. I learned a lot and had many opportunities to travel, to Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong. He always said, 'be patient with the horses. Take care of them, and they will take care of you.'
"It has been a rough year for us and we are just trying to continue his legacy," Lorieul continued. "We are lucky enough to have good horses in our stalls. Miguel is doing a great job and I'm just trying to assist him the best I can, the same as I did with Christophe. Miguel had mentioned to me that I would be nominated, and I'm very thankful."
Though he grew up in a non-racing family, Lorieul was introduced to the sport through an uncle who took him to Longchamp on weekends. His experience in riding pony races led him to attend Ecole des Jockeys in Chantilly, which led to an auspicious trip across the Channel to Newmarket.
"I met Christophe when he was working for Luca Cumani," Lorieul said. "I was too tall to be a jockey, and probably didn't have enough talent to do that. I switched schools and studied breeding instead. A few years later, I met [Christophe's] brother Nicolas at the sales, and I knew he helped young people come to the States. He found me a job in Kentucky [at Taylor Made] in 1994.
"I did that for a while and, when I started for Christophe, I was employed as an exercise rider. After three or four years, he asked if I wanted to help with the office work, and I agreed. The communication with owners was important; we didn't have a fax or anything. I was keeping track of every race, foal papers, certificates, colors--everything like that."
Though many talented horses have sported the iconic CC quarter-sheets, Lorieul definitely has his standouts among the stable legends.
"I used to ride Gio Ponti; not as a young horse, but when he was four or five, I was his exercise rider," Lorieul said. "And there was a very good filly that I loved, Voodoo Dancer. She won the Diana and many, many stakes. I was also associated with a very good sprinter, Pure Sensation, but Voodoo Dancer and Gio Ponti were my favorites."
Valerie Clement spoke about Lorieul with great affection.
"He has been a family member for a long time--when someone has been with you for 30 years, how can they not be part of the family?" she reflected. "We started with so few horses, and he was such a big part of the growth [of the stable]. We are endlessly grateful for his presence through all of the years. He's a very talented horseman.
"His wife Lena--she rode for Shug [McGaughey] for many years, and his daughter Elsa were a massive help this year. My husband knew we would all stay very strong together as a team."
Miguel, who credits Lorieul with teaching him to understand the Daily Racing Form as a child, is now at the helm of Clement Racing. The stable has made a strong showing this summer, especially at Saratoga. Lorieul supervises the Belmont string, as is his custom.
"He is the backbone of our stable," said Miguel Clement. "He is amazingly reliable, talented, and devoted to his profession. We are all very lucky to have him, especially when it was so tough, and he really stepped up when we needed him the most."
