Craig Newitt has scored an emotional win for the connections of Clemo with a rails-hugging ride at Flemington.
Clemo is named after Paul Clements who died in 2011 after a battle with cancer.
Clemo
The second emergency in the race, Clemo gained a start after two scratchings in the Jeune Handicap (1600m) on Saturday and jumped from the widest draw.
Snagged after the start, Clemo ($9.50) was last turning for home before gaining a run on the fence and going on to score a two-length victory over the favourite Refulgent ($4.80) with Burning Front ($9) a half-head away third.
Majority shareholder Arthur Chondros, a good friend of the Clements family, gifted Clements’ wife Rachel a 5 per cent share in the son of California Dane.
The colours carried by Clemo, which include a rainbow logo and a white star on a navy cap, were designed by the Clements’ children.
“It’s great for the kids and to have a relationship that was very much Paul’s and to win at Flemington is fantastic,” Mrs Clements said.
“Paul loved his racing and we hardly did anything on weekends.
“We got married on a Saturday but it was in the morning before the races started.
“It was everything to him.”
For winning trainer Sam Pritchard-Gordon, it was his first Flemington winner and he praised the ride of Newitt for summing up the race.
