A fresh Decorated Invader turns back to a mile in Hill Prince

Trainer Christophe Clement isn’t sure that it was a distance issue that got Decorated Invader beat when he finished a close fifth as part of a blanket finish in the Saratoga Derby at 1 3/16 miles two months ago.

The Saratoga Derby was Decorated Invader’s third race in eight weeks following victories in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont and the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes on July 18.

“I thought he had three starts back-to-back-to-back and he got beat three-quarters of a length,” Clement said. “I won’t be too judgmental about that. He looks good, has had a break, he’s been training very forwardly in September.”

Sunday, two months after he suffered his lone defeat of 2020, Decorated Invader is back to the races and back to one mile in the Grade 2, $150,000 Hill Prince Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park.

The Hill Prince, originally scheduled for last Monday, was pushed back to Sunday due to rain that would have most likely forced the race to be transferred to dirt. The extra week means Decorated Invader will have nine weeks between starts.

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Decorated Invader is 3 for 4 at a mile, the lone defeat coming in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf where he didn’t have the smoothest of trips. He typically wins with a strong closing kick.

In the Saratoga Derby, the pace was slower and Decorated Invader’s late run was ineffective. Still, he was beaten less than a length by Domestic Spending, a horse he defeated going nine furlongs in the Hall of Fame.

Gufo, Decorated Invader’s stablemate, finished second in the Saratoga Derby and came back to win the Grade 1 Belmont Derby two weeks ago.

As the only graded stakes winner in the field, Decorated Invader will carry 124 pounds, spotting each of his seven turf rivals six pounds. Money Moves was entered to run only if the race is transferred to the main track.

It did rain on Friday in New York, and with cooler temperatures over the weekend, the turf course will likely be less than firm Sunday.

That shouldn’t hinder Decorated Invader too much as his victory in the Grade 1 Summer last fall at Woodbine came on yielding turf.

Trainer Mike Maker has entered three in the Hill Prince, including Bodecream, who won the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston in January on ground labeled good. Most recently, he was third in the Grade 3 Saranac at Saratoga.

Maker also entered Glynn County and Chocolate Bar in the Hill Prince.

Buy Land and See, trained by Steve Klesaris, won the Awad Stakes going a mile here last fall.

In two starts this year, Buy Land and See won an allowance race at Parx Racing and was third in the Mahony Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.

Get Smokin, who is likely to be part of the pace, and Assiduously, who has not been out since July, complete the field.

The Hill Prince, which shares billing with the Grade 2 Knickerbocker, goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 12:20 p.m.