Clement hopes to try Decorated Invader going longer

Following Decorated Invader's 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Cutler Bay Stakes going a mile, trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday he hopes to get the chance to stretch the 3-year-old out in distance later this year, with New York’s Turf Triple for 3-year-olds in mind.

“If he stays, he stays, if not we can cut back to a mile in a race like the Secretariat,” Clement said, referring to a one-mile race typically run at Arlington Park in August.

Obviously, Clement noted, this is all contingent on when tracks can get up and operating again and what races are held. Clement said he would love to be able to run Decorated Invader in a race like the Pennine Ridge, a 1 1/8-mile turf race scheduled for May 30 at Belmont Park.

Saturday, Decorated Invader, who won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes last year, was making his first start since he finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November. Clement said he was happy to see Decorated Invader return off the layoff with such a strong effort, one in which he took advantage of a fast pace and rallied from next-to-last in the 12-horse field to get the victory. He ran a mile in 1:33.12 and earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I thought he was extremely unlucky in the Breeders’ Cup, turn the page,” Clement said. “I thought he was impressive yesterday. It’s nice to know he is as good after the break as he was before the break. He came back in good order.”