Arc-winning trainer Nicolas Clement teams up with assistant Flo Hermans on joint licence

Arc-winning trainer Nicolas Clement has welcomed Flo Hermans as a joint-licence holder, a development his former assistant described as "a huge opportunity for which I’m incredibly grateful".

Having originally ridden warmblood sport horses in her native Netherlands, Hermans spent the early part of her racing career in Britain.

"I went to the British Racing School when I was 17 and spent eight years in England, five of those with Roger Varian," said Frauke Hermans, who is known near-universally as Flo. "I went to Dubai and then arrived in France and joined Nicolas in 2020. I started as a work-rider and wasn’t really meant to stay, but here we are five years later.

"It’s a huge opportunity and I’m incredibly grateful. I don’t come from a racing background and I’ve got nobody behind me, so starting up by myself would be very difficult and expensive. To be able to come into such an established stable, with fantastic horses and such an experienced trainer, is just something else."

Rose Bloom wins the Arqana Series des Pouliches for China Horse Club and Nicolas ClementCredit: Zuzanna LUPA

Clement made his major breakthrough early in his career when sending out the former Henry Cecil trainee Saumarez to land the 1990 Arc and has been a consistent presence at the top level in France ever since.

"We’re really looking forward to the new venture," said Clement, who welcomes back last year's Prix de Diane runner-up Survie as a leading Group 1 hope for the season. 

"I’ve seen it work pretty well with my brother Christophe and his son Miguel in America. Four eyes on the horses is better than two, and they really complement one another.

"This job has changed a lot since I took out my first licence 37 years ago. Race-planning is a big thing and of course watching your horses, checking the legs etc. But we’re big on strategy and data analysis, we use the Arioneo monitors. Then there’s going to the sales, liaising with owners and communication." 

Clement added: "I spoke to my owners a few months ago. They’ve all met Flo and seen how capable and enthusiastic she is. She's very good at building relationships. 

"A lot of other trainers have done this; over jumps you’ve got Guillaume Macaire [with Hector de Lageneste] and Arnaud Chaille-Chaille [with Francois Pamart]. I’ve seen it done in England too, where it’s working well with the Gosdens and the Crisfords. 

"I’m still very hungry and I think I’ll keep going for another five or ten years, and this will allow for some continuity. Flo was going to set up on her own and one morning I said to her, 'you have the talent, why don’t we go for a dual licence'. For me it’s the right idea."

Survie backed up her runner-up effort in the Diane with victory in the Prix de Malleret at LongchampCredit: Racing Post/Burton

Survie built on her narrow miss in the Diane with a Group 2 success in the Prix de Malleret before rounding off her season with a seventh-place finish in the Arc. 

"Flo feeds her every day and feels her legs three times a day," said Clement. "She came back from Haras de Coulonces, where Anna Sundstrom did a great job with her, and she looks fantastic. She’s just back cantering, has put on very nice condition and has a nice topline.

"Most likely she'll go to the Corrida at Saint-Cloud in May, and we’ll try to win a Group 1 with her this year, having been second in the Diane. Very high on the list would be races like the Jean Romanet, the Vermeille and the Opera, while the Nassau also comes into calculations."

With the first Parisian turf meeting of the year coming up at Saint-Cloud on Thursday, Hermans is eager for the season to get going in earnest.

"I don’t think there are words to describe how excited I am for the coming season," said Hermans. "I’m very grateful and I think we’ve both got a lot of energy to put into this association. We’ve got a nice team with quality horses and everything looks very promising."

Clement on the stable's three-year-old hopefuls

Nicolas Clement gives the lowdown on the stable's Classic candidates, including an unraced daughter of Sea The Stars who holds a French Guineas entry.  

Wassail (3f War Front - Wonderment)
Wonderment won the Criterium de Saint-Cloud a few years ago for Stella Thayer, who is a long-standing owner and owns Tampa Bay racetrack in Florida. She bred this filly, who won a maiden at the end of December by four lengths in impressive style, so we’ve got high hopes for her. She’s entered in the Pouliches and the Diane.

Classic hopeful Wassail is a homebred daughter of G1 winner WondermentCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Place Fontenoy (3f War Command - Loutka)
We’ve got a new filly over the winter called Place Fontenoy, who was second in a Group 3 in Germany and also in a sales race. She looks the part.

La Bella Otero (3f Sea The Stars - Miss Mariduff)
She's an unraced Sea The Stars filly, owned by China Horse Club, who comes from a nice Italian family.

Rosapenna (Hello Youmzain - Obedient)
He's an imposing son of Hello Youmzain who we’ve entered in an early trial, the Prix Montenica on March 9. It’s the road we took with Style Vendome on the way to the Poulains more than a decade ago, and we hope he could progress to the Djebel from there.

Read more . . .

'We could see odds-against for Constitution Hill' - Brighterdaysahead decision reduces bookmaker fears of costly day one acca  

Brighterdaysahead to take on Constitution Hill in Champion Hurdle showdown - but Nicky Henderson reiterates confidence in unbeaten star 

'He would've been back in his box having dinner by the time they finished' - quotes of the season on a lively Champion Hurdle cast  

Subscribe to Racing Post+ Ultimate and get 40% off your first six months!

Available to new subscribers purchasing Racing Post+ Ultimate using code ULTIMATE306M through the Racing Post website. First six payments will be charged at £30, subscription renews at full monthly price thereafter. To cancel please contact us at least seven days before subscription is due to renew.