Christophe Clement | Horse Racing Free Tips

Clement Charts Course For Pennine Ridge Winner Decorated Invader

Trainer Christophe Clement was delighted to see Decorated Invader record a second graded stakes victory in Saturday's Grade 2 Pennine Ridge at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and said that both the Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on July 18 and the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 15 at Saratoga Race Course are both likely targets for the Declaration of War colt.

Piloted by Joel Rosario, who later guided Oleksandra to victory in the Grade 1 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, Decorated Invader broke sharply from the rail tracking pacesetter Proven Strategies and took command to the inside around the far turn to draw off to a 4 ¾-length victory as the heavy favorite.

“He came out of the race well. There are two stakes at Saratoga. We'll see how he trains, but the plan is to go there,” Clement said. “We'll go there and if he's fine, we'll do both and if he needs the extra time then we can just run in the Saratoga Derby. He looked great this morning.”

Owned by Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning, Declaration of War made his 2020 bow when taking the Cutler Bay over the turf on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. A winner of four races all over different surfaces, the colt by Declaration of War took the Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine en route to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf – his lone off-the-board effort.

Oak Bluff Stables' seven-time stakes winning New York-bred Therapist is a candidate for either the $100,000 Kingston going 1 1/16 miles on July 5 or the $75,000 Banrock going six furlongs.

“He just worked this morning with Irad Ortiz, Jr. and looked great,” Clement said. “He has two options both for New York-breds either the Kingston or the Banrock a few days later.”

The son of Freud was victorious against open company in the last out First Defense, which was his first victory since taking the Elusive Quality last April.

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Decorated Invader Shows New Dimension Winning Pennine Ridge

The Christophe Clement-trained Decorated Invader continued his steady ascent to the top of the 3-year-old turf division with an authoritative 4 ¾-length victory over five rivals in the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The sixth running of the Pennine Ridge, contested at a mile on Belmont's Widener turf course, was carded as the second of six graded stakes on the loaded 12-race Belmont Stakes day program.

A son of Declaration of War, Decorated Invader showed a good deal of promise as a 2-year-old, including a Grade 1 win in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine and a fast-closing fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to close out the year, but took noticeable steps forward as a sophomore. The bay colt came from far back to win the Cutler Bay by 1 ¼ lengths in his 2020 debut in May at Gulfstream Park and then showed a completely new dimension in the Pennine Ridge.

Breaking from the rail with Joel Rosario aboard, Decorated Invader put himself just off the early pace set by Proven Strategies. As the pacesetter ambled along through leisurely splits of 23.86 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 47.50 for the half, and three-quarters 1:10.61 for three-quarters over firm turf, Decorated Invader tracked him intently in third while covered.

Proven Strategies angled out a bit around the far turn, allowing Rosario and Decorated Invader to quickly seize the opportunity, surging through the vacated inside path and vying for the lead as the field turned for home. The pair soon wrested control away from the frontrunner, and from there they opened up decisively, bounding down the stretch to complete the distance in a snappy 1:33.66.

“He's very classy,” Rosario said. “The pace was OK, but not too fast. He was there for me and so relaxed, so I just let him be there [closer up] because it looked like there was no pace up front. I made a move before the turn and I saw the horse inside [Proven Strategies] come off the rail a little bit, go in and out, and I wasn't sure what he was doing. I let him go inside and started working from there.”

Decorated Invader, owned in partnership by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, bumped his bankroll to $370,535 with the victory. As the odds-on favorite, he returned $3.20 on a $2 win wager.

Clement was content to bask in the victory and marvel at his talented 3-year-old.

“I've always liked him since Day 1 and I think he's been a tremendous horse since the beginning,” said Clement. “He's been a top-class horse even last year. He was very unlucky in the Breeders' Cup. He won a Grade 1 in Canada. He won at Gulfstream this year. He won one today and I think he's good enough to do a mile, a mile and a quarter. I could be wrong, but I think he'll stay.”

Proven Strategies held well for second, finishing 1 ¾ lengths in front of third-place finisher Mr. Kringle, who closed from the back of the compact field to nab blacktype. Vanzzy, Famished, and Venezuelan Hug completed the order of finish. Maroon Maniac was scratched.

Saturday's stakes action at Belmont Park will culminate with the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes in Race 10 at 5:42 p.m. Eastern. The American Classic, contested as the first leg of the Triple Crown this year, will see a 10-horse field led by morning-line favorite Tiz the Law looking to become the first New York-bred to win the Belmont since 1882. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.

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Decorated Invader Runs to the Money in Pennine Ridge

DECORATED INVADER (c, 3, Declaration of War–Gamely Girl, by Arch) was hammered down to 3-5 favoritism for the GII Pennine Ridge S. and ran to the money, charging through late for a dominant score. Stalking from third as Proven Strategies (Sky Mesa) set opening splits of :23.86 and :47.50, the bay pushed through on the fence entering the lane and powered clear to win as he pleased. Following his second-out graduation with a win in the GI Summer S. at Woodbine in September, the bay rallied to be fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 1 and kicked off this year with a win in Gulfstream’s Cutler Bay S. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-0.

O-West Point Thoroughbreds; William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning; B-Redmon Farm LLC (KY); T-Christophe Clement.

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Invader Wages War on Pennine Ridge

Grade I winner Decorate Invader (Declaration of War) looks to secure his second straight win of the season Satuday in Belmont’s GII Pennine Ridge S. Following his second-out graduation at Saratoga in August with a win in Woodbine’s GI Summer S. in September, the bay checked in fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Nov. 1. He kicked off 2020 on a winning note, rallying from last to first in Gulfstream’s one-mile Cutler Bay S.

“Decorated Invader is doing great. He’s had two very nice breezes at Belmont with Joel [Rosario] aboard and he couldn’t be doing better,” Clement told the NYRA notes team. “I think he’s a top class horse and the distance should be perfect for him.”

Should Decorated Invader find himself at the back again, he should get plenty of speed to run into here courtesy of Proven Strategies (Sky Mesa), Vanzzy (Verrazano) and Maroon Maniac (Violence). Proven Strategies, who was fourth in the Summer and sixth in the Breeders’ Cup, broke his maiden two starts after the World Championships in a state-bred test in Hallandale Mar. 4. Capturing a Florida-bred optional claimer next out Apr. 5, the dark bay was second in the English Channel S. last time May. 2.

Vanzzy enters off a win in Turfway’s Rushaway S. on synthetic and has never run on grass before, but also won Woodbine’s Display S. on synthetic.

Maroon Maniac was a close second on debut over the Tampa lawn Feb. 12 and wired the field in an off-the-turf event there Apr. 18.

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