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Decorated Invader, Gufo Among East Coast Invaders For Saturday’s Hollywood Derby

Befitting its Grade 1 status, a field of 3-year-olds of both quality and quantity was entered Sunday for next Saturday's 79th running of the Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

The 1 1/8-mile turf event, won by California Chrome in its initial edition at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif., in 2014 as a springboard to Horse of the Year honors, had 13 set as the entry deadline approached Sunday morning. Among the group were five shippers from East Coast-based trainers with two from Christophe Clement and one each from Chad Brown, George Weaver and Thomas M. Bush.

Clement is sending out Decorated Invader, a winner of the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont Park and the G2 Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga last summer and Gufo, a winner as the favorite of the Belmont Derby on October 3.

Brown is dispatching Domestic Spending, a winner of the Saratoga Derby Invitational in August by a head over Gufo; Weaver will be represented by Ever Dangerous, fresh from a win in a $150,000 stakes at Keeneland on November 6, and Bush sends Get Smokin, a wire-to-winner of the Grade II Hill Prince on a yielding Belmont turf on October 18.

Joel Rosario, who has ridden Decorated Invader for Clement for the son of Declaration of War's last five starts, was in the irons for a four-furlong workout in 51.66 seconds Sunday morning at Belmont Park. Stablemate Gufo also worked the same time and distance.

“He put in a good work,” Rosario said by phone while en route from Belmont to Aqueduct for the Sunday card. “He's doing very well and hopefully he'll make the trip well and run a good race.”

A supplemental entry, at a $3,000 cost, was Roadrunner Racing and Sayjay Racing's Strongconstitution. The Kentucky-bred son of Constitution, a $220,000 purchase at a 2-year-old in training sale last spring, was second in the Bob Hope last year and won the Let It Ride Stakes on the second day of the current meeting.

“The Let It Ride was a really good race for him and we're hoping he can step it up another notch because obviously he's going to have to against the horses he'll be up against this time,” trainer Doug O'Neill said.

The entrants, in alphabetical order with jockeys in parenthesis: California Kook (Juan Hernandez); Decorated Invader (Rosario); Domestic Spending (Irad Ortiz, Jr.); Ever Dangerous (Victor Espinoza); Get Smokin (Mike Smith); Gufo (Flavien Prat); Kanderel (Geovanni Franco); Lane Way (Drayden Van Dyke); Scarto (Manuel Franco); Smooth Like Strait (Umberto Rispoli); Storm The Court (Juan Hernandez); Strongconstitution (Abel Cedillo), and Taishan (Jose Valdivia, Jr.).

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Five-Win Day Propels Abel Cedillo To Jockey Of The Week Title

Abel Cedillo's five-win day at Del Mar, including a victory in the Let It Ride Stakes aboard Strongconstitution, led to Jockey of the Week honors for Oct. 26 through Nov. 1. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Abel Cedillo said he was feeling “lucky” when racing began Sunday afternoon at Del Mar. He had a mount in all nine races and when he won the first one, he said his confidence went up. By the time the day was done, the 31-year-old Guatemalan had finished first five times, including a confident ride in the day's feature, the $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes aboard Roadrunner Racing or Sayjay Racing's Strongconstitution.

As the mile grass stakes race for 3-year-olds unfolded, Cedillo was up close along the rail, but heading home the field bunched at the head of the stretch. He looked outside, but quickly wheeled his Constitution colt alongside the fence where there was the smallest of openings. Both rider and horse were game as they dove on through and held off Hronis Racing's Heywoods Beach for the score.

Cedillo's earlier winners on the card were 1st Race – Spielberg ($3.80); 2nd Race – War Path ($8.60); 4th Race – Freedom Lass ($13.00), and 5th Race – Chollima ($5.40).

“Five wins today, wow. I was feeling lucky and when I won a close one with that first one (Spielberg by a neck in the first race), I had lots of confidence,” Cedillo said. “Then I rode with that confidence from there on out. I'd won five races on a single day once before up at Golden Gate Fields, but this is a first down here. My horse (Strongconstitution) ran strong in the stakes. We got through inside and he got it done.”

Cedillo out-polled fellow riders Jose L. Ortiz who won two stakes at Belmont Park, Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. who won two stakes at Indiana Grand, Luis E. Perez who won the most races for the week with nine and Ricardo Santana, Jr. who was third in total purse earnings.

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Strongconstitution Completes Five-Win Day For Cedillo At Del Mar

Abel Cedillo said he was feeling “lucky” when racing began Sunday afternoon at Del Mar. He had nine races to ride on the nine-race card at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif., and when he won the first one, he said his confidence went up.

By the time the day was done, the 31-year-old Guatemalan was brimming with conviction after he finished first five times, including a daring ride in the day's feature – the $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes aboard Roadrunner Racing or Sayjay Racing's Strongconstitution that got him home by a head.

The mile grass race for 3-year-olds unfolded well enough for Cedillo as he lay up close along the rail, but heading home he had to step on the brakes as the field bunched at the head of the stretch. The rider looked outside, but quickly wheeled his Constitution colt alongside the fence where there was the smallest of holes. But both rider and horse were game and they dove on through and then held off Hronis Racing's Heywoods Beach for the score.

Finishing third three-quarters of a length farther back was MyRacehorse.com or Spendthrift Farm's Lane Way.

Strongconstitution ran the mile in 1:34.09 and returned $7.20, $4.20 and $2.80. Heywoods Beach paid $7.60 and $4.60 and Lane Way returned $2.80.

Cedillo's earlier winners on the card were 1st Race – Speilberg ($3.80); 2nd Race – War Path ($8.60); 4th Race – Freedom Lass ($13.00), and 5th Race – Chollima ($5.40).

The victory run puts Cedillo on the lead in the local jockey standings after two days of racing to start the 15-day Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar.

Racing returns to the seaside oval Friday with an eight-race card around five Breeders' Cup Championship races from Keeneland in Lexington, KY.

ABEL CEDILLO (Strongconstitution, winner) – “Five wins today, wow. I was feeling lucky and when I won a close one with that first one (Spielberg by a neck in the first race), I had lots of confidence. Then I rode with that confidence from there on out. I'd won five races on a single day once before up at Golden Gate Fields, but this is a first down here. My horse (Strongconstitution) ran strong in the stakes. We got through inside and he got it done.”

LEANDRO MORA, assistant to Doug O'Neill (Strongconstitution, winner) – “He was training really nice up to the race and that told us he was ready. We got pretty worried up to the last quarter mile because he got blocked pretty good. But when he got through on the rail we were praying for the other one (stablemate Rookie Mistake) get up there too, and it almost happened. Two winners, one a day (on opening weekend for Team O'Neill), which is nice and keeps everybody smiling”

FRACTIONS: :22.32 :45.62 1:10.16 1:22.45 1:34.09

The stakes win was the first in the Let It Ride for Cedillo and his first of the meeting. He now has nine stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the in the Let It Ride for trainer O'Neill and his first of the meeting. He now has 39 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owners are Greg Helm ((Roadrunner Racing) of La Quinta, CA and Stephen Young (Sayjay Racing) of Baldwin Park, CA.

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