Gunnevera Returns to Work Tab at Gulfstream Park West
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Gunnevera will run next in the Dec. 16 Harlan's Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Margoth's multiple graded stakes winner Gunnevera breezed Nov. 25 at Gulfstream Park West, his first work since dead-heating for fifth with Arrogate in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar.
Under jockey Edgard Zayas, the sophomore son of Dialed In went five furlongs in 1:02.15 for trainer Antonio Sano, who plans to give Gunnevera his 4-year-old debut in the world's richest horse race, the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park. Arrogate won the inaugural Pegasus in January.
"He went the last furlong in :11, exactly. The horse did very well," Sano said. "He galloped out (to six furlongs) in 1:14 and (2/5). I was very happy with the way he went. Everything was perfect."
Sano plans to use the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles Dec. 16 at Gulfstream as a springboard to the Pegasus. Three of Gunnevera's five wins, including the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Tangelo Stakes, have come at Gulfstream, where he also ran second in the Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (G2) and third in the Florida Derby (G1).
A $16,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Sano from Brandywine Farm and Stephen Upchurch in 2015, Gunnevera has gone on to win more than $1.6 million, with a 5-3-1 record from 14 starts.