Therapist handles open company in Artie Schiller

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Fan favorite Therapist had been agonizingly close to winning in three starts since a stakes win at Belmont Park in June and Saturday at Aqueduct he finally visited the winner’s circle again after the $100,000 Artie Schiller Stakes.

The 5-year-old Freud gelding, co-bred by trainer Christophe Clement and owner Oak Bluff Stables, broke from the outside stall in the field of eight for the 1-mile open stakes. Racing more than 5 lengths off the leader early, he only had two horses beat while Rinaldi took the field through opening splits of :24.43 and :48.50.

Therapist closed the gap on the far turn and weaved through traffic in the stretch to cut the gap to less than 4 lengths at the eighth pole. Racing down the center of the track, Therapist used nearly every inch of the turf course to get up just in time for a neck victory over Valid Point as the favorite Delaware finished a head back in third. Therapist won in 1:37.16 over the course rated good.

“He’s the perfect advertisement for the New York-bred program; he’s very consistent and can win at a high level against open company,” Clement said. “He’s a very honest horse. He’s a lovely horse and I’m lucky to train him. I’m the co-breeder, alongside the owner, Mr. Richard Leahy [of Oak Bluff Sables].”

Not sold his only time through the ring as a yearling at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling, Therapist was foaled and raised at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains.

One of two stakes winners out of two-time winner Lady Renaissance alongside full sister Fresco, who earned her stakes victory at Saratoga this summer. The winner of nine of his 21 starts with seven other top three finishes, Therapist has earned over $653,345 through his four-year career that includes a champion New York-bred 2-year-old male title in 2017.

Sold in January 2018 for $52,000, Lady Renaissance has had three non-New York-bred foals since going through the ring.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/11/15/therapist-handles-open-company-in-artie-schiller/

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