Clement Duo Decorated Invader, Gufo Top Hollywood Derby

The $300,000 Hollywood Derby (G1T) Nov. 28 at Del Mar drew a competitive field of 12 turf sophomores that includes five graded stakes winners from both the East and West Coasts, topped by trainer Christophe Clement's grade 1 winners Decorated Invader and Gufo. 

West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook, and Cheryl Manning's Decorated Invader scored his top-level victory in 2019 when taking the Summer Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine and has collected a pair of graded victories this year, including the July 18 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course going the same 1 1/8-mile distance of Saturday's test. The Declaration of War colt shrugged off a fifth-place finish in the Aug. 15 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes to miss frontrunning Get Smokin by a head in the Oct. 18 Hill Prince Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park.

Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust's Get Smokin is also expected back in the Hollywood Derby after breaking through in the Hill Prince.

Jockey Joel Rosario will be aboard Decorated Invader for the sixth consecutive time and was pleased with the colt's half-mile move in :51.66 Nov. 22 at Belmont.

"He put in a good work," Rosario said. "He's doing very well, and hopefully he'll make the trip well and run a good race."

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo is 4-for-5 this season, including a victory in the 10-furlong Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) Oct. 3. Another Declaration of War colt, Gufo rallied from seventh to finish second, beaten a head, in the Saratoga Derby behind Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending, who will ship to Del Mar for trainer Chad Brown.

"He's a good horse," Clement said of Gufo after the Belmont Derby. "If you look at all his races this year, he's been running well all year round. I know he got beat last time (in the Saratoga Derby), but he actually ran a winning race when you look back on it."

Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait heads the Southern California contingent off a victory in the Oct. 18 Twilight Derby (G2T) at Santa Anita Park covering nine furlongs. He already has two graded victories at Del Mar in the Aug. 9 La Jolla Handicap (G3T) and the 2019 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T). The locals will also be represented by Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Susanna Wilson, and Dan Hudock's reigning champion juvenile colt, Storm the Court, who will be making his first start since running sixth in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Storm the Court was second in his only start on turf behind Smooth Like Strait in the La Jolla.

The field also consists of Kanderel, reported as a gelding Oct. 1; Twilight Derby second Scarto; grade 2-placed Taishan; grade 1-placed filly California Kook; Let It Ride Stakes winner Strongconstitution; and Let It Ride third Lane Way.

Entries: Hollywood Derby (G1T)

Del Mar, Saturday, November 28, 2020, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo
• 4:25 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Kanderel (KY)	Geovanni Franco	122	Richard E. Mandella	30/1
2	2Smooth Like Strait (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	122	Michael W. McCarthy	7/2
3	3Scarto (KY)	Manuel Franco	122	Mike Puype	10/1
4	4Taishan (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Richard Baltas	12/1
5	5Storm the Court (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Peter Eurton	8/1
6	6California Kook (CA)	Ricardo Gonzalez	119	Peter Miller	20/1
7	7Strongconstitution (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
8	8Domestic Spending (GB)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	5/1
9	9Get Smokin (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Thomas M. Bush	12/1
10	10Decorated Invader (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Christophe Clement	3/1
98	11Ever Dangerous (KY)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
11	12Lane Way (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Richard E. Mandella	20/1
12	13Gufo (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Christophe Clement	4/1