SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It was around 5:20 a.m. one Sunday morning on the Saratoga backstretch and 17-year-old Will Walden was nursing a hangover after an ill-advised night on the town.The young man was doing his best to hotwalk his first horse of the day for Bill Mott. Walden took the job that summer with the Hall of Fame trainer after his father Elliott Walden told him it was time to start earning his keep.Riley Mott–Bill's son–was in worse shape than his friend and in no condition to do anything but hold up a nearby tree.It just so happened that Mott's outfit shared a barn with fellow trainer Christophe Clement, who was heading towards his office just as Walden was coming along the shedrow towards him.“I went by Christophe like 40 times a morning, so I didn't think much of it when I saw him,” said Walden. “But as he's passing me, he suddenly gives me a shot right in the gut and says in a loud voice, 'Good morning, William!' I held on to the horse as I went down on my knees and just dry heaved. He knew what we'd been doing and that's what always kept us on our toes.”Young blood like Walden, Mott and of course, Christophe Clement's son Miguel Clement, over the years would get their fair share of opportunities to watch and learn from the Frenchman who came to America, built his own stable in 1991 out of nothing and impacted a generation of future horsemen. CC OriginsA master tactician with a penchant for the sublime who relied on his intuition, Christophe Clement blazed a trail for himself and for his family before his untimely death from cancer last year.Clement's great horses–like Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat), Tonalist (Tapit), Dynever (Dynaformer), Gufo (Declaration of War), Pure Sensation (Zensational) and the list goes on– are one of the reasons why the trainer finally landed a spot in the National of Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame where he will be posthumously inducted next week.Christophe Clement | Sarah AndrewBut it's also the impact Clement made on those that he left behind, which might be deemed a far greater accolade than the number of graded stakes wins he accrued. His strength resided in what he expected of himself and in turn what he demanded from others.“I can tell you he was adamant that we should look after the younger generation,” said Miguel Clement, who was sitting in his father's old office at Saratoga. “English wasn't his first language and America wasn't his culture, so he knew how tough it was to break into this business. He came in with just a handful of horses when he first started. Also, remember that he didn't have the same family structure in place that the rest of us do.”Part of a racing lineage in France, Clement was dealt a blow when his father died suddenly and it was his brother who inherited the stable. That was a crossroads moment for the future trainer because it eventually led him to take a chance and emigrate to the U.S.Miguel Clement | Sarah AndrewOnce stateside, Clement organized a system that his son said had seemingly six-million parts. He streamlined everything from billing to the way stablehands kept their quarters tidy at the track. Like a stone, no detail was left unturned.“I always admired Christophe's attention to detail, and he always knew every horse inside and out,” said Riley Mott. “He knew their race record, pedigree and what they needed to improve upon. I was in a similar environment with my Dad. Christophe's horses always thrived in the springtime and that's because of how he prepared them at Payson Park. He's the one that really gave my Dad a push on using that as a winter base and to make the shift away from Gulfstream Park.” By ExampleFor Miguel Clement, his father was always out to find ways to improve the operation whether it be through training methods or other innovations.“All of it was the stable and nothing else,” said Miguel Clement. “My Dad was focused on competing at the highest level and that's the way he lived. He was very disciplined and it was always routine, routine, routine. He checked every horse's leg everyday himself and didn't leave it to his assistants.“When he was here at Saratoga, he would always drive down to Belmont to check on the horses that were there,” Clement said. “He never missed. He did it religiously and it didn't matter what the weather was doing.”Miguel Clement said he has tried his best to be as intentional as his father was when it comes to the details.“We've begun to transition from the 'CC' to the 'C' logo, but the colors of navy and yellow will remain,” Miguel Clement said. “He did not like baby blue, it had to be navy or you would hear about it!Miguel Clement with the “CC” emblem | Sarah Andrew“As a leader and a boss, he's always with us because of how he carried himself,” he said. “He was the toughest individual you probably worked for in your entire life. I know he was tough on me and expected perfection. But I can tell you he was incredibly fair and always twice as hard on himself. That's how he created an empire.”Clement said that his father never rested on his laurels though. Normally the day after a big win was more stressful than a loss because he said the expectations were raised.For Will Walden, he took to heart the elder Clement's ideas about what the game of horse racing meant.“I got the sense that for him it was always about how to conduct yourself,” said Walden. “When you have the chance to be in the public eye, then he would say that you look for opportunities to be an ambassador for the sport. You have a platform and don't take it for granted.”Miguel Clement said that his father never let on that anything was wrong during his bout with cancer.“He just kept going forward,” he said. “He tried to not let what happened to him affect his mood. Even though it was difficult at times, he believed it shouldn't impact the stable.” Recipe for SuccessIf Christophe Clement hadn't been a successful trainer, he might have helmed a Michelin star restaurant.“He didn't like cooking, he loved it,” his son said. “He also loved to garden. When you come to his stable you see flowers and plants. That was important to him and his landscaping was always spectacular. We used to joke that his favorite place to shop was Home Depot and he always made a run there before Saratoga opened.”Riley Mott | Sarah AndrewAs for the trio of Miguel Clement, Riley Mott and Will Walden, they grew up around one another. Being the son of a trainer means you could go into the family business or look elsewhere. All three boys, who are now in their mid-30s, lead budding stables. They all said separately that Christophe Clement taught them the value of making connections and that made them sponges when it came to soaking up new ideas.“No matter what time of year it was Christophe was always bringing over young people to teach and to learn his program,” said Riley Mott. “I got to meet people from all over the world. I went to Royal Ascot and ran into them. They had worked for Christophe and I knew them because of him. He always spoke so eloquently at these dinners he would hold and it was really impressive.”Miguel Clement said he is carrying on the tradition of bringing in new talent established by his father and that “CC Alumni”–which includes Europeans like Alex Elliott, Harry Eustace and Kevin Philippart de Foy–will continue to be strong.Walden has taken a different approach to the Christophe Clement talent program. With a recovery background and going on six years sober, Walden has developed his own network of outreach.“Guys in recovery are at rock bottom,” he said. “No job, no money, no family, no car, no house and no nothing. I was there. They're hungry to get to work. The racetrack operates seven days a week, so it's the perfect job for someone new to recovery because they don't have time to do anything but sink their teeth in. If you apply yourself, then the sky's the limit. So, I took what Christophe taught me about bringing people in and it's made a big difference in people's lives.”Will Walden | Sarah AndrewWhat did Christophe Clement bequeath these three young trainers who are making their way in the world, building their own families and competing on the biggest stages in Thoroughbred racing?Maybe what he offered them was a timely punch to the gut, the show of commitment to a prescribed routine or maybe it was hope that people of different backgrounds would commune over a meal and find something greater than themselves.What we know is that Christophe Clement's contributions went far beyond wins and losses on the stat sheet. His legacy lives on. The young bloods clearly know what to do with it.The post Young Blood: Christophe Clement’s Bequest To A Generation Of Horsemen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.