Hard-Trying Gunnevera Still After First Grade 1 Win

It's easy to love the great ones, those horses who win races in bunches and make millions with ease.

But talk to horse trainers long enough and you'll discover many find a different type of horse most endearing.

Horsemen love triers—those who put out a tremendous effort every time—even when things don't go their way.

Few equine athletes fit that moniker more than Margoth's Gunnevera, who will continue his quest for grade 1 glory in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

The aspect of Gunnevera's effort, however, doesn't diminish his talent. He won the 2016 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), the 2016 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3), and the 2017 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), but a top-level score has eluded him in 10 grade 1 tries. His past two starts resulted in runner-up efforts in the Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

But with the lack of victories has come a whole lot of money. The chestnut son of Dialed In , now 5 years old, has earned more than $4.1 million under the care of trainer Antonio Sano. He's cashed a check (finished in the top five) in 17 of his 19 races, with his only misfires being a rough-trip seventh over a wet track in the 2017 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and an eighth in the 2018 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) in which he sustained a bloody foot injury so severe that photos posted of it on social media caused stomachs to turn around the globe.

Despite the gruesome injury, the chestnut kept on trying at Meydan in March, even as pain came with every step.

"This horse, he tries every time—win or lose," said Sano, who beams with pride whenever he talks about Gunnevera. "The way he raced (in 2018), it felt the same as winning. … A normal horse with the same (injury) doesn't finish that race—he gets pulled up. (Gunnevera) finished that race. (Jockey) Joel Rosario never knew (Gunnevera was injured). Then he looked down and saw the blood."

For Sano, he's not just looking forward to seeing his prized pupil get his first grade 1. The Venezuelan-born trainer is also seeking a first grade 1 win for himself, and it would carry even more significance if it were to occur at Gulfstream Saturday.

"We'll pray to win for my wife, for my kids, for the owner, and for Venezuela," said Sano, who became a U.S. citizen Jan. 18. "It would be very important for me to win the Pegasus—my first grade 1 and my first stakes as a U.S. citizen. I am honored to run in this race as a U.S. citizen. This country gave my family a new opportunity—a new life."