Decorated Invader Takes On Stablemate Gufo In Saturday’s Hall Of Fame Stakes

Trainer Christophe Clement will saddle a formidable pair of graded stakes winners in Decorated Invader and Gufo, both of who will carry winning streaks into Saturday's 36th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader arrives at the 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-olds off a victory in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont Park, where the son of Declaration of War tracked the pace while saving ground along the rail, made his move at the quarter pole and drew off to a 4 ¾-length triumph.

The win, which netted a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure, came after a victory in his 2020 debut in the Cutler Bay on March 28 at Gulfstream Park, where he was 15 lengths off the pace and made a five wide move to secure a three-quarter length score.

After finishing second on debut to subsequent graded stakes winner Field Pass over Saratoga's inner turf, he followed up with a turf maiden victory at the Spa over next-out winner and eventual graded stakes placed Summer to Remember.

Decorated Invader took things to the next level in striking Grade 1 gold in the Summer at Woodbine en route to a fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita.

“The challenge is when you have a horse that's a standout in a short field, there's going to be a target on his back,” said Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds. “The break and the first eighth of a mile will be important. Ultimately, it will be up to [jockey] Joel [Rosario]. He really fits the horse. When they walk out of the paddock, you just have so much confidence and no concerns that you'll get a top class ride from him. It's very good to have the option to be a closer, but we have seen time and time again where you have the best horse in the race, and they [the pacesetters] don't come back.”

Decorated Invader will be stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time.

“He's doing very well,” Clement said. “He had a good work last Sunday at Belmont [half-mile in 47.79 seconds over the inner turf]. A mile and an eighth should be a good distance for him. We're excited to see him back.”

Finley said that the distance will not be an issue and said that the horse could even be capable of going beyond 1 1/8 miles.

“You can never be certain. Sometimes horses that show you and give you that indication are just not the same horse once they stretch out past a mile and an eighth,” Finley said. “It's a fascinating part of our business and our industry. I would be kind of surprised if he were to not relish the added distance, but I wouldn't be stunned if he didn't. We've seen it many times. That question is still to be answered and I think we'll get a lot of answers on Saturday.”

Jockey Joel Rosario, who piloted Bricks and Mortar (2017) and Raging Bull (2018) to Hall of Fame wins, will retain the mount aboard Decorated Invader from post 7.

Decorated Invader will square off against fellow Clement trainee Gufo, who won his last four starts and is a perfect 2-for-2 when going 1 1/8 miles.

Following a maiden victory on December 29 at Gulfstream Park, Otter Bend Racing's Gufo, who also is by Declaration of War, defeated winners at the South Florida oval en route to a score in the English Channel on May 2, where he gave Clement his 2,000th career victory.

Owned by Otter Bend Stables, Gufo will arrive at the Hall of Fame off two weeks rest having last raced when shipping to Delaware Park to win the Grade 3 Kent on July 4, where made up nearly 10 lengths off a slow pace, began moving into contention around the far turn and made a five wide move to secure the win by a half-length.

Clement was originally planning on training towards the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 15 with Gufo. But he said he likes the way his horse is training and believes that the possibility of Friday showers in the forecast could be to the horse's benefit.

“The original idea was to target the Saratoga Derby, but there's possible rain in the forecast on Friday and he came out of his last race in good order,” Clement said. “It just keeps our options open, so we'll have a look at the race.”

Jockey David Cohen will be aboard Gufo from post 5.

Trainer Chad Brown will seek his sixth win in the Hall of Fame when he saddles Domestic Spending for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables.

Unbeaten in two starts, the son of Kingman bred in Great Britain by Rabbah Bloodstock won on debut at Tampa Bay Downs on February 12 over next-out winner Maroon Maniac and returned to victory off a four-month layoff to defeat winners over a firm Widener turf course at Belmont Park on June 7.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. won two of his three Hall of Fame victories for Brown and will pilot Domestic Spending from post 1.

Completing the field are Moon Over Miami [post 2, Junior Alvarado], Get Smokin [post 3, Jose Ortiz] and Ever Dangerous [post 6, Javier Castellano].

Money Moves [post 4] has been entered for main track only.

The National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's 11-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Saratoga Derby Targeted By Clement For Kent Stakes Winner Gufo

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo (by Declaration of War) won for the fourth consecutive time and improved to 3-for-3 in his 3-year-old campaign after winning the Grade 3 Kent on Saturday at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.

Gufo ran third in his debut in November at Aqueduct Racetrack and has gone undefeated since, including a 1 1/2-length score in the 1 1/16-mile English Channel on May 2 at Gulfstream Park before a half-length score in his graded stakes debut going 1 1/8 miles on the Delaware Park grass. Gufo covered nine furlongs on firm turf in a track record 1:46.94, lowering the previous course record of 1:47.19 set by American Patriot in the 2016 Kent.

Trainer Christophe Clement said the Kent effort, which resulted in a 90 Beyer Speed Figure, could set up a potential start in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby on August 15 at Saratoga Race Course.

The second running of the Saratoga Derby is part of NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds and is contested at 1 3/16 miles.

“He's a nice horse and getting better,” Clement said. “He'll be trained for the Saratoga Derby. We'll try to train him for that and go from there.”

Before heading up to the Spa, Clement saw a plethora of turf workers breeze Sunday morning at Belmont Park.

Eight-time graded stakes-winner Pure Sensation breezed four furlongs in 50.55. The 9-year-old veteran posted his first work since running seventh in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 20, Belmont Stakes Day, that marked his seasonal bow and first start since running fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Santa Anita.

“He looked good and worked well,” Clement said. “He was very willing. The main thing is to go one step at a time. It was good to get a race. He seems to be sound and willing, so if everything goes well in the next week or two, we'll be looking for another race. There's a race in mid-July [Wolf Hill, July 18] at Monmouth.”

Owned by Patricia Generazio, Pure Sensation is 14-5-7 with earnings of more than $2 million in 37 career starts.

Wegetsdamunnys and Olympic Games breezed four furlongs in 50.33 in company Sunday, setting up potential starts for both of them in the $80,000 River Memories on Closing Day of the Belmont spring/summer meet on Sunday, July 12.

Clement said they are both looking at the 1 ½-mile turf route in the River Memories. The French-bred Olympic Games, owned by Martin Schwartz, made her first North American start and first for Clement by running second by a neck to La Australiana, in the Treasure Coast on June 7 at Gulfstream. The 4-year-old daughter of Olympic Glory made her first five starts in France and raced once in Italy in November for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget before shipping over and being transferred to Clement's care.

Wegetsdamunnys, owned by Scott Krase and Peter Stokes, returned off a near seven-month layoff to beat optional claimers going 1 1/8 miles over the Belmont turf on June 8. She will look to start her 5-year-old year 2-for-2 and win her first stakes in the process.

“They are both coming into the race good and worked well this morning,” Clement said.

Sophomore filly Logic N Reason made her first start of 2020 on June 14 at Belmont, running seventh against allowance company as she wiped off the rust in her first start since a sixth-place finish in the Tepin on December 5 at Aqueduct that was moved off the turf.

The Declaration of War filly, owned by The Elkstone Group, put in an impressive solo work, going five furlongs in 1:02.48 and galloped out strong. Clement said he hasn't decided on a firm target for her next start.

“I'm not sure yet, we're keeping the options open,” Clement said.

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Gufo Rolls To Fourth Consecutive Win In Delaware Park’s Kent Stakes

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo notched a record-setting victory Saturday in the $125,000 Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.

With Trevor McCarthy aboard, the 3-year-old son of Declaration of War won by a half-length and established a new track record by covering the mile and a sixteenth in 1:46.94 over a firm turf course.  The previous record of 1:47.19 was set in 2016.

Gufo returned $3.20 as the favorite in the field of seven.  Pixelate, with Angel Suarez, finished second.  It was another 2 ½-lengths farther back to Vanzzy, with Mychel Sanchez  third.   Sunsation, with Joe Bravo, cut early fractions of :47.49 for the half-mile and 1:11.31 for the three-quarter miles before finishing in fifth.

The Kent Stakes is the first graded stakes victory for Gufo, who has now won four in a row.  Previously, the Kentucky-bred conditioned by Christophe Clement won the $75,000 English Channel Stakes at Gulfstream Park on May 2.  He raised his career mark to four wins and a third from five starts with earnings of $177,000.

“They wanted me to have him a little bit closer to the pace today, but he just was not comfortable when we I put a little pressure on him to stay up early,” said winning McCarthy, who also won the Christiana Stakes earlier on the card.  “We went a little slow the first quarter but things quickened up.  I felt like I was on the best horse, so I left him alone, kept him out of trouble and gave him time to get himself together.

“I saved a little bit of ground in the first turn and then I got him out down the backside and that is when he really started to gain his rhythm,” McCarthy added. “If there was any horse who could have beaten me today, I thought it was the three, Pixielate, and I just kind of tracked him the whole way.  When we turned for home, I just went outside of Pixieilate, and my horse did all of the work.  He was really impressive breaking the track record and he really stormed home the last eighth of a mile.”

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Half-Brother To Rising Turf Star Mean Mary, Bye Bye Melvin Keeps To Grass In Saturday’s Kent Stakes

Otter Bend's Gufo tops the $125,000 Grade III Kent Stakes at Delaware Park this Saturday. The mile-and-an-eighth grass affair has attracted a field of eight 3-year-olds. The Kent has been carded as the ninth race with an approximate post time of 5:15 p.m.

Gufo will try to extend his current winning streak to four. The Kentucky-bred trained by Christophe Clement, started his career with a third in an Aqueduct turf maiden on November 17. The son of Declaration of War followed with three successive turf victories all at Gulfstream Park. On December 29, he broke his maiden by a nose going a mile and a sixteenth. He followed with a half-length triumph in a mile and an eighth allowance on March 27. In his most recent, he won the mile and a sixteenth $75,000 English Channel Stakes on May 2. He has career earnings of $102,510.

Trainer H. Graham Motion has entered Alex Campbell Jr.'s Bye Bye Melvin who has a career record of two wins and a third from six starts with earnings of $32,840. In his most recent, the son of Uncle Mo was unplaced in the mile and a sixteenth $400,000 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby on March 7. His previous two efforts, on the grass at Tampa Bay Downs, tell the real story of the Kentucky-bred. On December 7, he broke his maiden going a mile and a sixteenth by 8 ¼-lengths and then he followed with a ¾-length score in a one mile allowance on January 8.

“He had two solid turf victories at Tampa over the winter,” said trainer H. Graham Motion. “But, we thought he breezed really well on the dirt, so we decided to run him in the Tampa Bay Derby. After the Tampa Bay Derby, we are excited to get him back on the grass. He is a half-brother to Mean Mary, so we think he has a bright future on the grass.”

Mean Mary has a career turf record of five wins and a second including victories this year in the Grade III La Prevoyante and Grade III Orchid at Gulfstream Park and Grade II New York at Belmont Park.

$125,000 Grade III Kent Stakes

For 3-year-olds

at a mile-and-an-eighth (turf)

# HORSE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY Wg OD
1 Talking Augustin Stable Jonathan Thomas Daniel Centeno 118 12-1
2 On Base Robert LaPenta, Bridlewoo Jonathan Thomas TBD 118 15-1
3 Pixelate Godolphin Michael Stidham Angel Suarez 118 3-1
4 Bye Bye Melvin Alex Campbell Jr. H. Graham Motion Feargal Lynch 118 6-1
5 Me and Mr. C Stonehedge Edward Allard Carol Cedeno 118 8-1
6 Gufo Otter Bend Stables Christophe Clement Trevor McCarthy 118 5/2
7 Sunsation Newtown Anner Stud Kelsey Danner Joe Bravo 118 6-1
8 Vanzzy Daniel Ryan Michael Pino Mychel Sanchez 118 4-1

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