SARATOGA SPRINGS — The wet weather held off for the 2026 edition of the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes, and Deterministic showed the conditions didn’t matter, anyway.
“He broke a touch slow, which I was very disappointed about,” Clement said. “So, we had to go to Plan B, which fortunately (jockey) Kendrick (Carmouche) rode him brilliantly, and Plan B still worked out anyway, because he’s top class.”
Clement was beaming with confidence heading into the race, and the 5-year-old Deterministic backed him up by displaying true grit fashion every step of the way.
“He’s top class,” Clement said. “I’ve always thought he was the best turf horse in the country. He proved that today.”
Despite his slower-than-desired start under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, Deterministic sat just off the lead of Rhetorical through strong early fractions before coming around the far turn and showing he had plenty left in the tank to earn his ninth career victory.
Carmouche had a good feeling all along, too.
“He was standing perfect,” he said of the early stages of the race. “He just left a tick slow. Once I saw Irad (Ortiz, Jr. aboard Rhetorical) cross over, I just let my horse run a little, just to let the pace go a little quicker. And once we got on the backside I eased him off Irad, and, man, he was sitting in my hand so perfect.”
Deterministic showed that it didn’t matter if it was nine furlongs or 10, he’s comfortable and classy regardless of distance, weather, or day of the week.
Last year’s Manhattan was delayed a day and moved to the tighter inner turf after rainy conditions the previous day, with Deterministic able to hold on by a head to a pair of hard-charging horses chasing him down.
This year, he left no doubt.
“By the time I got to the half-mile pole, his ears started going back, so he was telling me he wanted to get after them,” Carmouche said. “Then, by the time I got to the five-sixteenths pole, I squeezed him a little, and then he really said, ‘Alright, send me home.’ And I knew the last eighth of a mile, the way he had his ears pinned back, they would never catch him, man.”
Deterministic went on to win by a half-length to pay $11.84 to win, $6.72 to place, and $4.94 to show.
Rhetorical led the field at fractions of 22.99, 47.01, 1:09.83, and a mile in 1:32.92, but faded in the final stretch, finishing fourth behind Test Score and One Stripe.