Otter Bend Stables' Gufo (by Declaration of War) won for the fourth consecutive time and improved to 3-for-3 in his 3-year-old campaign after winning the Grade 3 Kent on Saturday at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del.
Gufo ran third in his debut in November at Aqueduct Racetrack and has gone undefeated since, including a 1 1/2-length score in the 1 1/16-mile English Channel on May 2 at Gulfstream Park before a half-length score in his graded stakes debut going 1 1/8 miles on the Delaware Park grass. Gufo covered nine furlongs on firm turf in a track record 1:46.94, lowering the previous course record of 1:47.19 set by American Patriot in the 2016 Kent.
Trainer Christophe Clement said the Kent effort, which resulted in a 90 Beyer Speed Figure, could set up a potential start in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby on August 15 at Saratoga Race Course.
The second running of the Saratoga Derby is part of NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds and is contested at 1 3/16 miles.
“He's a nice horse and getting better,” Clement said. “He'll be trained for the Saratoga Derby. We'll try to train him for that and go from there.”
Before heading up to the Spa, Clement saw a plethora of turf workers breeze Sunday morning at Belmont Park.
Eight-time graded stakes-winner Pure Sensation breezed four furlongs in 50.55. The 9-year-old veteran posted his first work since running seventh in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 20, Belmont Stakes Day, that marked his seasonal bow and first start since running fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Santa Anita.
“He looked good and worked well,” Clement said. “He was very willing. The main thing is to go one step at a time. It was good to get a race. He seems to be sound and willing, so if everything goes well in the next week or two, we'll be looking for another race. There's a race in mid-July [Wolf Hill, July 18] at Monmouth.”
Owned by Patricia Generazio, Pure Sensation is 14-5-7 with earnings of more than $2 million in 37 career starts.
Wegetsdamunnys and Olympic Games breezed four furlongs in 50.33 in company Sunday, setting up potential starts for both of them in the $80,000 River Memories on Closing Day of the Belmont spring/summer meet on Sunday, July 12.
Clement said they are both looking at the 1 ½-mile turf route in the River Memories. The French-bred Olympic Games, owned by Martin Schwartz, made her first North American start and first for Clement by running second by a neck to La Australiana, in the Treasure Coast on June 7 at Gulfstream. The 4-year-old daughter of Olympic Glory made her first five starts in France and raced once in Italy in November for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget before shipping over and being transferred to Clement's care.
Wegetsdamunnys, owned by Scott Krase and Peter Stokes, returned off a near seven-month layoff to beat optional claimers going 1 1/8 miles over the Belmont turf on June 8. She will look to start her 5-year-old year 2-for-2 and win her first stakes in the process.
“They are both coming into the race good and worked well this morning,” Clement said.
Sophomore filly Logic N Reason made her first start of 2020 on June 14 at Belmont, running seventh against allowance company as she wiped off the rust in her first start since a sixth-place finish in the Tepin on December 5 at Aqueduct that was moved off the turf.
The Declaration of War filly, owned by The Elkstone Group, put in an impressive solo work, going five furlongs in 1:02.48 and galloped out strong. Clement said he hasn't decided on a firm target for her next start.
“I'm not sure yet, we're keeping the options open,” Clement said.
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