Decorated Invader Back at Spa for Hall of Fame Stakes

A little over a year after a promising debut in a maiden special weight race on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course, Decorated Invader will return to that course looking to add to an already long list of accomplishments in his still burgeoning career when he starts in the $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T).

Campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook, and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader enters the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds July 18 off a pair of stakes wins this season. The son of Declaration of War opened the year with a clear victory in the March 28 Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park and followed with a 4 3/4-length romp in the June 20 Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2T) on the Belmont Park turf.

Video: Pennine Ridge S. (G2T)

Terry Finley thinks Decorated Invader will move forward in what will be his longest race to date, but the West Point president and CEO has learned to never take anything for granted in racing. Decorated Invader finished second in that July 13, 2019, maiden race at 1 1/16 miles at the Spa before nailing down his first win Aug. 10 on the Mellon Turf Course. His past four starts have been at a mile as he closed his juvenile season with a victory in the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine and finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T).

"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 of Decorated Invader's potential to stretch out. "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."

Decorated Invader is trained by Christophe Clement, who comes into the Saratoga meet with some momentum after winning 14 races at the Belmont spring/summer meeting, ranking second.

"He's doing very well," Clement said. "He had a good work last Sunday at Belmont (a half-mile in :49.79 on the inner turf). A mile and an eighth should be a good distance for him. We're excited to see him back."

Clement also has entered a second son of Declaration of War, Gufo, in the expected field of seven. Campaigned by Otter Bend Stables, Gufo was supplemented to the field off four consecutive wins, including a half-length score in the July 4 Kent Stakes (G3T) at Delaware Park.

Clement was originally targeting the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Aug. 15 with Gufo, but he likes the way his horse is training and believes the possibility of Friday showers in the forecast could be to the horse's benefit Saturday.

Starting from the inside will be Domestic Spending, who boasts the reigning Eclipse Award-winning connections of trainer Chad Brown, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., and owner Klaravich Stables (the latter shared the owner award with William Lawrence). The son of Kingman will make his stakes debut after a debut maiden win at Tampa Bay Downs in February, followed by an allowance win June 7 at Belmont, where he rallied from seventh in a perfectly timed ride by Ortiz.

Entries: National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2T)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 18, 2020, Race 3

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Inner turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo
• 2:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Domestic Spending (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2
2	2Moon Over Miami (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	8/1
3	3Get Smokin (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Thomas M. Bush	10/1
4	4Money Moves (KY)	Rider TBA	119	Todd A. Pletcher	4/5
5	5Gufo (KY)	David Cohen	124	Christophe Clement	5/2
6	6Ever Dangerous (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	George Weaver	15/1
7	7Decorated Invader (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Christophe Clement	1/1