Intricate Spirit returns to familiar site in $150K Paradise Creek
At 0h02, on May 21, 2026 • By Belmont@The Big A
West Point Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, Kenneth Beitz and Gail Beitz’s Intricate Spirit returns to the site of his lone graded score in Saturday’s $150,000 Paradise Creek, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Miguel Clement, the Complexity dark bay captured the Grade 3 Futurity over course and distance in October, which granted a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint later that month at Del Mar, where he finished off-the-board to cap a promising four-start 2-year-old campaign.
“I think he’s very versatile, so I haven’t been overly concerned with which racetrack we run him,” said Clement. “He will break and the plan is to go forward with him. That would be the only instruction on race day.”
Intricate Spirit returned for his sophomore season as a gelding with a 1 3/4-length third as the favorite in the five-furlong Texas Glitter over the all-weather surface in March at Gulfstream Park. He exited to finish off-the-board when steadying near the five-sixteenths pole in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Palisades last out on April 19 at Keeneland.
“He’s doing great. I think you just draw a line through his last race. To be frank, I’m quite bullish about him,” Clement said. “We had a difference in ideologies regarding who was in charge last year, but since gelding him, we’ve come to the conclusion that he’s been much easier to deal with.”
Intricate Spirit has made his six career starts at as many tracks, including a 5 1/2-furlong debut win in August at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a close second in a salty 6 1/2-furlong restricted allowance later that month at Kentucky Downs.
“He’s tremendous. He’s a gorgeous looking individual,” said Clement, who will equip Intricate Spirit with blinkers. “I thought he had a very good race at Gulfstream. Utterly disappointed with his last performance at Keeneland, but I think you just draw a line through it and blame us, because I think he’ll have a strong performance here.”
