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Blinkers Help Gufo Regain Winning Ways In Inaugural Grand Couturier

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo capitalized on Joel Rosario's patient ride, rallying from last-of-six to make a strong move out of the turn and press on for a one-length victory over Tide of the Sea in the $150,000 Grand Couturier on Monday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. It was the inaugural running of the 1 1/2-mile test for 4-year-olds and up over the Widener turf course.

The ultra-consistent Gufo entered his 11th career start having finished in the money in each of his previous races. The Christophe Clement trainee kept that record intact with his sixth career victory and fourth stakes score, benefitting from class relief after running third last out in the Grade 1 Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day June 5.

Gufo, who broke from post 6, was content to save ground in last as Tide of the Sea led through an opening quarter-mile in 26.09 seconds, the half in 51.03 and three-quarters in 1:16.48 over the turf labeled good.

Rosario urged Gufo up out of the far turn, tipping him out as he picked off rivals one-by-one. Straightened for home, Gufo overtook Shamrocket and Tide of the Sea. In the final sixteenth, Tide of the Sea re-bid from the inside under Luis Saez, but Gufo completed the course in 2:28.73, winning for the first time since the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational in October.

After running second in the Grade 1 Man o' War when rallying from 14 lengths back in May and earning black type, coming from 17 lengths back, in the Manhattan to start his 2021 campaign, Clement said adding blinkers for the Grand Couturier paid off.

“I think the blinkers helped because he was, without a doubt, a bit closer,” Clement said. “He ran very well. He was closer to the pace. He was giving weight to most of them. With that big sweeping move five-wide, by the time he came against [Sadler's Joy] we had already cleared him. I was very happy with Gufo.”

Gufo, the 4-5 favorite, returned $3.80 on a $2 win bet. Bred in Kentucky by John Little and Stephen Cainelli, he improved his career earnings to $738,510. The 4-year-old Declaration of War colt is 6-2-3 lifetime.

Jose Ortiz, aboard fourth-place finisher Sadler's Joy, lodged an objection against Gufo after he appeared to lug out slightly in the stretch. The stewards also put up the inquiry sign but upheld the order of finish.

“I corrected him. He always likes to look around a little bit, and that was it. He was fine after that,” Rosario said about his stretch run. “He was a little more focused with the blinkers. It was a slow pace, but he was a little more up in the race. It seemed like they helped.”

Clement said the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer also going 1 ½ miles on Travers Day, August 28, at Saratoga Race Course is likely next on tap. The Sword Dancer is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf November 6 at Del Mar.

“The Sword Dancer is next. That's the plan,” Clement said. “He has three starts this year and the plan was always to give him three starts. I was going to run in the United Nations, but the [Monmouth Park] whip rule and the fact that things have been a bit speed favoring at Monmouth, I had to think about it. I figured that the Bowling Green was a touch too close to the Sword Dancer, so I ran him today. The next two or three weeks I'll start playing with him and breeze him around the first week of August. Then we'll be ready for the Sword Dancer.”

Tide of the Sea, owned by Three Diamonds Farm and trained by Michael Maker, edged the Todd Pletcher-trained Shamrocket by a neck for second. Following in the order was Sadler's Joy, Red Knight and Kinenos.

“He broke pretty well and was trying pretty hard,” Saez said. “When we came to the stretch, the six-horse [Gufo] came pretty quick. He tried to fight with him. If the ground was a little bit faster, it would have been better. He never gave up but we were second best.”

Fantasioso, Epic Bromance, Moon Over Miami and Burning Bright scratched.

Live racing resumes Friday at Belmont with a nine-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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Grade 1 Winner Gufo Stretches out, Add Blinkers For Monday’s Grand Couturier

Otter Bend Stables' Grade 1-winner Gufo will stretch out in distance for Monday's inaugural running of the $150,000 Grand Couturier, a 12-furlong Widener turf test for older horses at Belmont Park.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old Declaration of War chestnut won 4-of-6 sophomore starts, including victories in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park and the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.

Clement said Gufo will add blinkers following late-running losses in his last three starts, including narrow defeats in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby by a neck in November at Del Mar; and the Grade 1 Man o' War by a nose in May at Belmont.

Last out, Gufo raced from 17 lengths off the pace before closing to finish third in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Manhattan on June 5 at Belmont.

“He's always way, way out of it and we're just trying to get him closer,” said Clement regarding the equipment change. “He's not going to be on the pace, but it would be great to have him not too far out of it. He's doing well and training well and I love the idea of running him back at Belmont.”

Clement said the Grand Couturier could serve as a steppingstone to the 12-furlong Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer, slated for August 28 at Saratoga, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Del Mar.

“The plan is to get to the Sword Dancer at Saratoga. That's our main summer goal,” said Clement.

Joel Rosario retains the mount from post 6.

Woodslane Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Sadler's Joy will make his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pan American on March 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, the $2.6 million earner, who captured the 2017 Grade 1 Sword Dancer, is in search of his first win since the 2019 Grade 3 Red Smith at Aqueduct. The 8-year-old Kitten's Joy chestnut did cross the wire first in the last year's Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga, but was disqualified and placed fourth.

Jose Ortiz has the call from post 3.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle a pair of contenders in Summer Wind Equine's Moon Over Miami and Trinity Farm's Red Knight.

Red Knight, a New York-homebred, captured the Grade 3 Sycamore in October at Keeneland going the Grand Couturier distance. The 7-year-old Pure Prize gelding boasts a record of 24-8-8-1 with four of those scores arriving on the Belmont turf, including the 2019 Point of Entry at 12 furlongs.

Moon Over Miami, a Kentucky homebred, closed from 15 lengths back to finish third, defeated a neck, last out in the Grade 1 Man o' War going 1 3/8-miles on the Belmont turf. The 4-year-old Malibu Moon colt captured the Dueling Grounds Derby at 1 5/16-miles on the Kentucky Downs turf in September.

Junior Alvarado will pilot Moon Over Miami from post 5, while Manny Franco will guide Red Knight from the inside post.

Three Diamonds Farm's Tide of the Sea, a 5-year-old son of English Channel bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte Farms, will look to make amends after finishing last-of-9 last out in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup contested at two miles over yielding turf.

Trained by Mike Maker, Tide of the Sea captured the 12-furlong Grade 3 William L. McKnight in January at Gulfstream Park and followed with a close second in the 11-furlong Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at the same track.

Tide of the Sea will emerge from post 7 under Luis Saez.

Rounding out a talented field are Fantasioso [post 2, Javier Castellano], Epic Bromance [post 4, Joe Bravo], Burning Bright [post 8, Eric Cancel], Shamrocket [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], and Kinenos [post 10, Jose Lezcano].

The Grand Couturier is slated as Race 6 on Monday's nine-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

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Sadler’s Joy Looking For Firm Turf In Grand Couturier

Trainer Tom Albertrani is hoping for improved weather this summer to allow Sadler's Joy to run on his preferred firm track after rain has twice delayed his plans this spring. The Woodslane Farm homebred is now slated to run in the $150,000 Grand Couturier Stakes on Monday, July 5 as part of the Stars and Stripes Racing Festival at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 1 1/2-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up could mark the return to racing for Sadler's Joy after Albertrani passed on potential starts in the $700,000 Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes in May and the $400,000 Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup on June 4 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival because of earlier rainfall and the potential for softer turf, which the conditioner said does not suit the 8-year-old veteran.

“We've been unlucky with the weather and having a lot of rain leading up to these races,” Albertrani said. “We know he doesn't perform as well on soft turf, so we just decided to pass on it. We'll wait until July and that will be our next move going forward.”

Sadler's Joy, 7-4-11 in 36 career starts, ended 2020 with a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 Red Smith Stakes at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, N.Y., and started the current year with similar finishes in consecutive 1 1/2-mile contests, starting with the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight Stakes in January at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. and following last out at the same distance and track in the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes on March 27.

In August, Sadler's Joy crossed the wire first in the Grade 2 Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. before being disqualified and placed fourth for interference. Consequently, the accomplished Kentucky bred, who has amassed more than $2.6 million in career earnings, has not won in 10 starts but has finished third on four occasions and fourth in his last five, dating to his last victory in the 2019 finale in the Grade 3 Red Smith at Aqueduct.

On Saturday, Sadler's Joy breezed five furlongs in 1:02.40 over the Belmont Park main track. His conditioner said his works, the last six of which have come at Belmont dating to May 8, have continued to be impressive.

“He looks as good as ever and has been training really well,” Albertrani said. “He's had a couple of months off now since his last race, so now hopefully we'll get the weather to cooperate and we'll get him back on track.”

Robert Masiello's Fiya also worked Saturday on the Belmont main track, registering a half-mile breeze in 49.96 seconds.

After going 5-for-5 as a sophomore in 2020, Fiya made his 4-year-old debut on April 30 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, K.Y. but was vanned off after running last-of-11 in the Grade 2 Turf Sprint. Albertrani said the Friesan Fire gelding is back to full health now and could have his next spot picked out when the condition book is released for the conclusion of the Belmont spring/summer meet that runs until Sunday, July 11.

“Everything is going really well. Yesterday's work was really good,” Albertrani said. “We're just waiting for the new book to come out and hopefully we'll be able to find a spot for him in there in a couple of weeks. Yesterday, he worked as good as ever. I was really pleased with it. He's starting to come back around. He's feeling good and we're looking forward to getting him back.”

Fiya, who is 5-1-1 in eight career starts, ended his 2020 with back-to-back stakes wins, capturing the Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap in October at Laurel Park near Laurel, M.D. before winning the Claiming Crown Canterbury in December at Gulfstream Park. His lone previous start at Belmont came with a 3 1/4-length win against allowance company in September in his first start for Albertrani since he took over the training duties from Michael Merryman.

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