Gufo Rallies From Last to Take the English Channel

If JBBA Stallion Station in Japan wants to produce a promotional ad for its stallion Declaration of War, it would be wise to reach out to Christophe Clement.

The 54-year-old trainer already had a grade 1-winning son of Declaration of War in his barn in Decorated Invader, who was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) last year and won the Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park this year in his 3-year-old debut.

Now, after the $75,000 English Channel Stakes on May 2, Clement has a pair of stakes-winning sons of Declaration of War as Otter Bend Stables' Gufo rallied with gusto in the stretch to capture the turf stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.

"Declaration of War is becoming a hot sire," Clement said. "I'm a lucky guy to have two stakes-winning 3-year-olds on turf by him."

Though the specifics are still up in the air, Clement is looking forward to the resumption of racing in New York and the prospect of running both Gufo and West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook, and Cheryl Manning's Decorated Invader in the rich Turf Trinity, which typically begins with the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) in early July at Belmont Park.

"All I am thinking about is the turf Triple Crown for these two horses. They will both be pointed to it," Clement said. "I can't wait to see the New York stakes schedule."

Gufo, out of the Petionville mare Floy, made his stakes debut and posted his third consecutive win. He was coming off an allowance optional claiming victory March 27 at Gulfstream Park in which he rallied from 11th to prevail by a half-length at 1 1/8 miles.

He needed every bit of that late speed to rally from last in the field of 11 and catch Proven Strategies, who seemed headed to victory at the eighth pole. Sixth with a furlong to go, Gufo and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. rushed past Proven Strategies in the final 50 yards to draw clear and score by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:39.70 for the 1 1/16 miles.

"We always thought he was a good 3-year-old," Clement said about the 2-1 favorite, who paid $6.40 to win. "He had a great trip with Irad. I was a little bit worried with the mile and a sixteenth at Gulfstream, which is a speed-favoring track, but he was good enough to overcome it and catch the leader. He's obviously a very nice horse."

Bred in Kentucky by John Little and Stephen Cainelli, Gufo was spotted at an Ocala, Fla., farm by Clement's son and assistant trainer, Miguel, setting in motion the purchase of a colt who is a half brother to Hogy, a turf sprinter with more than $1 million in earnings.

"It's interesting in that he looks like he wants to go long, while his brother was a top-class sprinter," Clement said about Gufo, who has three wins from four starts and $102,510 in earnings. "We're happy to have him in the barn."

Leonard Green, Jonathan Green, and Empire Racing Club's Proven Strategies, a son of Sky Mesa  trained by Mark Casse, was second by 1 1/2 lengths over Waterford Stable's Summer to Remember, a Summer Front  colt trained by Todd Pletcher.

Video: English Channel S. (BT)