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

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

turf-winning

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

. His

wins include the

Belmont Derby The 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 2023 race is US$750,000. Race history In 2014, the race became ...

in 2020 and the Sword Dancer Stakes 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. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

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 announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the public signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national gov ...

out of the Petionville mare Floy, who also produced another millionaire, track record holder and multiple graded stakes winner Hogy (Grade III Canadian Turf Stakes). Sire Declaration of War began his career at Ashford Stud in Kentucky and has been relocated only to sire Grade 1 winners on four continents. Gufo is currently owned by John and Laurie Little's Cave Brook Farm after being campaigned by their friend Steve Cainelli and trained by Christophe Clement.

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 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 and the

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

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

. 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 thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

, finishing second in the Grade I

Man o' War Stakes The Man o' War Stakes is a Graded stakes race, Grade II 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 grass, turf and is scheduled annually for early May at Be ...

to Channel Cat by the smallest of margins (a nose) and then third in the

Manhattan Stakes The Manhattan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is named for Manhattan, the principal Borough (New York City), borough of the City of New York. Currently offering a purse of $1,000, ...

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 Sword Dancer Stakes 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 ...

at Del Mar. 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 horserace, 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 ...

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...

. 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

. Returning to Saratoga, Gufo showed his preference for the longer-distance Sword Dancer Stakes 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 at

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—it ...

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.

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." He was sold to Cave Brook Farm and Gufo was sent to begin his stud career in 2024 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