Gufo possible for Breeders' Cup Turf or Hollywood Derby

Piloted by Junior Alvarado, who also guided Frank's Rockette to a powerful victory in the Gallant Bloom (G2) earlier on the card, Gufo tracked a leisurely pace in fourth and came under urging around the far turn before coming into light contact with stakes-winner Moon Over Miami into the stretch and finishing as a one-length winner, with a career-best 94 Beyer.

The Belmont Derby Invitational is a Breeders' Cup win-and-you're-in event, offering an automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Turf, but Clement has not committed to the race yet and said his newly minted Grade 1-winner could await the Hollywood Derby (G1) on Nov. 28 at Del Mar.

"We'll see how he comes out of yesterday's race and how he trains," Clement said. "He is going to be a stayer. He will be a lovely horse for next year. We always thought about him being an exciting 3-year-old, and he's going to be a fun horse to have."

Never off the board in seven career starts, the five-time winning Gufo won the May 2 English Channel at Gulfstream Park before capturing the Kent (G3) on July 4 at Delaware Park, where he defeated next-out stakes winners Pixelate and Vannzy. He arrived at the Belmont Derby off a late-closing runner-up finish in the Saratoga Derby Invitational on Aug. 15 to Domestic Spending, who was scratched from the Belmont Derby after spiking a temperature.

Gufo, which is the Italian word for "owl," was bred in Kentucky by John Little and Stephen Cainelli and is out of the Petionville mare Floy, who also produced multiple graded-stakes winning turf miler Hogy.

Clement breezed a number of upcoming stakes starters on the inner turf Sunday morning, including Grade 1-winner Decorated Invader, who will run in the $150,000 Hill Prince (G2) on Oct. 12 at Belmont.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Freeman, William Sandbrook and Cheryl Manning, the son of Declaration of War went a half-mile in 49 seconds flat. He has not raced since finishing fifth in the Saratoga Derby Invitational as the beaten favorite. He will cut back to 1 1/8 miles for the Hill Prince after the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby.

"He had a good work this morning," Clement said. "We'll go for the Hill Prince next week and then take things from there."

R Unicorn Stables' graded stakes placed Call Me Love worked a half-mile in 49.07. Nominated to the $250,000 Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) on Oct. 10, the daughter of Sea the Stars will bypass the mile-and-a-quarter event in favor of the 1 1/16-mile $100,000 Athenia (G3) on Oct. 25.

"She worked well this morning," Clement said. "We'll target the Athenia. I think she has too much speed for the Flower Bowl."