Gufo notches second consecutive Sword Dancer

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Gufo successfully defended his title in the $750,000 Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Saturday and became a Grade 1 winner for a third consecutive year when he rallied strongly down the center of the track to a half-length victory over Mira Mission in the 1 1/2-mile turf race that served as the co-feature on the Travers Day program.

Gufo gave jockey Joel Rosario his third of four winners on the card and trainer Christophe Clement a record-setting fourth victory in the Sword Dancer. A son of Declaration of War owned by Otter Bend Stables, Gufo rallied from last to a neck decision over Japan as the tepid 5-2 favorite in the 2021 Sword Dancer. His first Grade 1 victory came in the Belmont Derby at 3.

Clement put blinkers back on Gufo for the Sword Dancer following his disappointing fifth-place finish five weeks ago in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park.

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Gufo appeared a bit aggressive at the outset, but quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm while in perfect position, about seven lengths off the lead, through the opening mile. Gufo angled about six-wide while commencing his bid into the stretch, finishing strongly once settling for the drive, ultimately running down Mira Mission about 70 yards from the wire.

Mira Mission raced forwardly placed from the outset, quickly overtook the pacesetting Tribhuvan in early stretch, and drew off to a seemingly comfortable advantage, but could not contain the winner’s closing surge. Soldier Rising, Gufo’s uncoupled stablemate, rallied from last to finish third, just a length behind the winner.

Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up Broome, the 3-2 favorite, broke slow and bobbled at the start and raced near the rear of the field into the stretch before rallying belatedly to finish fourth while never menacing the top pair.

Gufo completed the distance in 2:28.92 over a “good” course and paid $10.80. He earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s won a Grade 1 as a 3-year-old, a 4-year-old and now a 5-year-old, he’s been a very good horse these past three years,” Clement said.

“I took the blinkers off because he trained so forwardly earlier in the year, but as the year went on he became lazier and lazier,” Clement explained. “Unfortunately, sometimes he has a tendency to drop too far out of it. Last time (United Nations) he got 17 lengths off the pace and got beat two lengths. He ran very well, but just couldn’t make up the ground.”

Clement said Gufo couldn’t have had a better trip than Rosario gave him Saturday.

“He got a great trip, he was never that far back, he was traveling very well and when Joel asked him, he just exploded in the stretch,” Clement added. “The horse deserved the win.”

On winning his fourth Sword Dancer, Clement said, “this is a fun race. I won it, I was pretty young at the time, with a horse name Honor Glide (1999) and then Winchester, and now this horse two times. I’m very happy.”