Gunnevera could be Breeders' Cup Classic live longshot
Could it be that the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic winner turns out to be a horse that has only one listed stakes win in his last five starts? Crazy as that sounds, for the second race in a row I believe Gunnevera will be a very interesting longshot when the gates spring open for the $6 million Classic.
Gunnevera has come out of his last race very good, and that last one was a big performance. Sent off at 24-1 in Saratoga’s $1.25-million Travers Stakes, the three-year-old son of Dialed In ran one of the best races of his career in the prestigious affair last month. In fact, considering everything, his second-place finish in the Mid-Summer Derby may have been even stronger than it looks on paper.
While the Travers winner was able to set moderate fractions without much pressure on the front end, Gunnevera broke from the far outside in the big field and ran wide much of the way. Still, his strong rally was able to put him in with a shot at the top of the lane. West Coast had a lot left for the stretch drive, so the Antonio Sano-trained chestnut had to settle for second. Left behind him were a number of good horses, such as Irap, Tapwrit, Good Samaritan, Always Dreaming, Cloud Computing, McCraken, and Girvin.
As good as his reputation was earlier this year, it was a bit surprising to see Gunnevera let go at such high odds, but in the race of the year for three-year-olds in 2017, he had become the forgotten horse. And as good as he ran in the Travers, it's hard to believe that he will go off at similar odds in his next race, but given the older competition he will face at Del Mar, that's exactly what will likely happen with the four-time stakes winner.
Granted, the thought of facing the likes of Gun Runner, Arrogate, and Collected in the Breeders' Cup Classic is clearly no small task, but with the three likely favorites all liking to be on or near the lead, the Grade 1 race could be ripe for a rallier. With Shaman Ghost still on the sidelines after a throat procedure, who does that leave to pick up the pieces in the big one on November 4? Keen Ice is one option, but why not Gunnevera?
A graded stakes winner at both two and three, the earner of $1.5 million started off this season looking really good. A rallying second-place finish in the Holy Bull, was followed up by a bang-up performance in the Fountain of Youth.
The flashy win, blowing right by the classy Practical Joke, was enough for him to be one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby. Dreams of Roses never materialized, though. Consecutive losses in the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness temporarily derailed the colt who does not carry a lot of flesh. Perhaps the steady diet of racing, without a break, had caught up with Gunnevera.
A little worse for wear after the Middle Jewel, Gunnevera looked like his old self after returning from some much needed rest and relaxation. In his Travers prep, something called the Tangelo Stakes, he beat a field of overmatched competition just as he was supposed to do, and he looked good doing it.
That easy score was obviously not enough to sway the majority of bettors in the Travers, at least not with so many good options in that race. Clearly Gunnevera outran his odds at Saratoga, and that is something I could easily see him do at Del Mar.
The bargain $16,000 yearling purchase of Brandywine Farm and Stephen Upchurch has been exceeding expectations his entire career. Time off after the Preakness seemed to do wonders for him in his next two races. Because of this, Sano plans to have his stable star fresh into the Classic.
A fresh and fit Gunnevera, uncorking his powerful rally at ten furlongs in a race with plenty of early pace, seems to be worth a bet, even if it comes in America's best race of the year.