Gufo (foaled February 28, 2017) is a retired American multiple

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

turf-winning

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. His

wins include the

Belmont Derby The Caesars Belmont Derby is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred race horse run over a distance of miles on the turf at Belmont Park in July. The purse for the event is US$1,000,000. The event is the first of three of ...

in 2020 and the

Sword Dancer Stakes The Sword Dancer Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses, aged three and up, run annually in mid August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A prep for the Breeders' Cup Turf, it is set at a distance of one and one-half ...

in 2021 and 2022.

Background

Gufo is a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

horse that was bred in Kentucky by John Little and Stephen Cainelli. He is a son of

Declaration of War A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state (polity), state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a nationa ...

out of the Petionville mare Floy, who also produced millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner Hogy (Grade III

Canadian Turf Stakes The Canadian Turf Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race, by invitation for four-year-olds and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf track, held annually in late February or early March at Gulfstream Park ...

). Sire Declaration of War was relocated to stand at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association

Shizunai Stallion Station Shizunai Stallion Station is a Japanese Thoroughbred horse farm was opened in 1963 and is located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA), it is located in Shizunai whose sister city is Lexingto ...

, where he stood for ¥2,300,000 in 2020. Gufo is currently owned by Otter Bend Stables and trained by

Christophe Clement Christophe Clement (born November 1, 1965 in Paris, France) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist. Racing background Clement initially acquired his training skills from his father, Mi ...

Racing career

As a two-year-old in 2019, Gufo finished third in a maiden special weight event at Aqueduct, then won first place at Gulfstream Park. After winning two more events in July 2020, Gufo won his first Graded stakes event, the GIII

Kent Stakes The Kent Stakes is a Listed American race for Thoroughbred race horses, age three, run on the turf at Delaware Park Racetrack located in Stanton, Delaware. Set at a distance of one and one eighth mile (9 furlongs), the race currently offers a purs ...

at Delaware Park. He broke the track record for the -mile distance. Gufo was entered in the NYRA Turf Trinity events at

Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes The Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of one and three-sixteenths miles on the turf held annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Spr ...

and the

, which were moved to a later date in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

. Gufo finished second to the British-bred Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby but then turned the tables in the

, capturing his first Grade I event. In 2021, as a four-year-old, Gufo ran well at the highest levels at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

, finishing second in the Grade I

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and older. It is run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New Y ...

to Channel Cat by the smallest of margins (a nose) and then third in the Manhattan Stakes again to Domestic Spending after settling last and finishing wide beaten by four lengths. Later in the summer, Gufo captured his second Grade I event at Saratoga in the

with a game victory over British-bred and trained Japan by a neck. Gufo finished the season with a third as the 9/5 favorite in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and tenth in the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

. In his first start as a five-year-old, Gufo returned to the winner's circle with a comfortable two-length victory in the GII

Pan American Stakes The Pan American Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses that are four years or older held over a distance of one and one-half miles (twelve furlongs) on the turf usually scheduled annually in late March as an under card e ...

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

. Gufo followed the same path as he had in 2021, running unsuccessfully in the

, finishing second to the longshot Irish-bred Highland Chief in a small field of five and once again finishing third in the Manhattan Stakes. Returning to Saratoga, Gufo showed his preference for the longer-distance

and displayed a strong finish to win the event for the second time. In his next start, Gufo was beaten by a nose in the GII

Kentucky Turf Cup The Kentucky Turf Cup is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three years olds and older, over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in September at Kentucky Downs racetrack in Franklin, Kentucky during their short turf meeting ...

Kentucky Downs Kentucky Downs is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee, in the city of Franklin, Kentucky, just off Interstate 65. It is unique among American tracks in that it is a European-style course—its su ...

as the 8/5 favorite. On October 8, she ran in the Grade I Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct. Gufo settled on the outside in the three-to-four path without the benefit of the cover, came under urging with three furlongs to run, turned into the upper stretch under a drive, and failed to rally, finishing last in a field of seven won by

War Like Goddess War Like Goddess (foaled April 14, 2017) is an American multiple Graded Stakes winning Thoroughbred racehorse. Her graded wins include the Grade I Flower Bowl Stakes in 2021 the Grade II Glens Falls Stakes twice (2021 and 2022) at Saratoga R ...

Retirement

On April 4, 2023, Gufo's retirement was announced by his trainer, Christophe Clement. Clement said that Gufo suffered a setback the previous month, citing owner/co-breeder Dr. Stephen Cainelli's assessment that Gufo had "done enough." Gufo is scheduled to be sent to

WinStar Farm WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and horse racing, racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky, owned by Kenny Troutt. It won the 2010 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner and 2016 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder, Outstandi ...

, where he will be presented as a stallion prospect. It was announce that in 2024 Gufo will stand at Ballycroy Bloodstock, outside Toronto, Ontario for a fee of CAN$4,500.

Statistics

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Gufo was the post-time favorite.

Pedigree

References

{{reflist, 2 2017 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 21-a American Grade 1 Stakes winners Horse racing track record setters