OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Eternal Silence and In Time give trainer Christophe Clement a strong one-two punch in Monday’s second-level allowance/optional $75,000 claiming race scheduled for 1 3/8 miles over Aqueduct’s inner turf course, the feature on a nine-race Memorial Day card.
Last July, Eternal Silence defeated In Time in a first-level allowance going 1 1/8 miles on closing day of the Belmont at Aqueduct spring/summer meet. It turned out to be the only start Eternal Silence would make in 2024.
Clement brought her back in the Grade 2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs in March, when she ran into a razor-sharp Saffron Moon in that 1 1/8-mile race. Eternal Silence finished fourth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths.
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Eternal Silence then caught a yielding turf course and was a bit keen for a good part of the early running in the Grade 3 Bewitch, a 1 1/2-mile race, on closing day of the Keeneland spring meet on April 25. Forever After All won by nine lengths.
“To be fair, it was impossible to judge whether she stays due to the ground,” Miguel Clement, assistant trainer to his father, said. “This test is a furlong shorter. She’s probably a true mile-and-a-quarter filly.”
Clement said the key is for jockey Joel Rosario to get Eternal Silence to relax early in the race, regardless of where she is positioned.
“She is a very talented filly with a high cruising speed,” Clement said. “She is a bit strong. Joel will have to do his best to get her to switch off, whether that’s on the lead or covered up. She has an enormous stride.”
Eternal Silence breaks from the rail.
In Time, after losing to Eternal Silence last July, raced three more times in 2024, winning a first-level allowance at Saratoga in August before finishing third as the 2-5 favorite in this condition Oct. 4, her last start.
“The longer the better for her,” Clement said. “The distance is not a fear. The ground being soft would be beneficial for her.”
Drying conditions were forecast from mid-Friday through the weekend.
Seat At the Table, Siempre Elegante, and Allamericanbeauty finished one-two-three in a second level allowance at Tampa Bay on Feb. 8. That was the third straight win at the meet for Seat At the Table, a streak that came to an end when she was beaten two lengths in a Florida-bred stakes at Tampa on March 30. This will be her first time attempting this marathon distance.
Siempre Elegante was making her first start in 19 months in that February race. She came back in April at Keeneland and finished fifth going 1 1/2 miles in this condition.
“That might have been just a touch too far for her,” trainer Chad Brown said.
Jose Lezcano is named to ride Siempre Elegante.
Lady Firefoot beat In Time in this condition at odds of 52-1 here last October. She remains eligible for this condition because her previous two wins came in claiming races. She is coming out of four tries in stakes races, none in which she hit the board.
◗ Following Monday’s card, racing on this circuit is dark until June 4, the start of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Aqueduct. Racing returns to Aqueduct June 12.
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