Gufo

By Alan Porter

An earner of over $2,000,000, Gufo won seven black-type events, five graded and three  grade one, and earned places in seven other graded contests, six grade one. By European  Horse of the Year, Declaration of War, the leading sire son of War Front, Gufo is half-brother  to the multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Hogy. He is from the immediate family of  Leading Sire Broad Brush and Champion Two-Year-Old and twice Leading Sire of Two-Year Olds Capote. 

One of the most successful crosses for War Front and his sons has been with Sadler’s Wells  line mares. Gufo is half-brother to the dam of stakes Yamato who is by Artie Schiller, a son  of the Sadler’s Wells horse, El Prado. Overall there are there eight stakes winners by War Front and sons out of mares from the El Prado branch of Sadler’s Wells, including a grade  one winner by Declaration of War out of mare by Kitten’s Joy, and a graded winner out of a  mare by Medaglia d’Oro (sire of Violence, Fast Anna, Vancouver, Astern and Warrior’s  Reward) and El Prado is also sire of Paddy O’Prado. The cross of War Front over mares by Sadler’s Wells son, Galileo has produced eight graded stakes winners, including two classic  winners by Declaration of War. Galileo been represented in the U.S. by Noble Mission, 

Magician, Cape Blanco and Treasure Bay, and other Sadlers’ Wells line horses to have stood  in North America. include Horse Chestnut, Perfect Soul, Northern Spur, Powerscourt and  Sligo Bay. There is also a Declaration of War graded winner out of a mare by Encosta de  Lago, a son of Sadler’s Wells’ brother, Fairy King. 

Declaration of War also has a classic winner out of a mare by Pivotal, a grandson of Nureyev, a three-quarters brother to Sadler’s Wells, which would encourage trying mares  descending from Nureyev through Theatrical, Fasliyev (broodmare sire of a Declaration of  War stakes winner), Peintre Celebre, Stravinsky (broodmare sire of a Declaration of War  graded stakes winner), Unusual Heat, Atticus and Spinning World (broodmare sire of a  Declaration of War stakes winner) and Caesour (broodmare sire of a Declaration of War  graded stakes winner). 

From another branch of Northern Dancer, Declaration of War has four stakes winners out of  Storm Cat line mares including from daughters of Hennessy (sire of Johannesburg, Henny  Hughes and Cactus Ridge; grandsire of Scat Daddy) and Giant’s Causeway (sire of  Eskendereya, Shamardal, First Samurai, Creative Cause, Not This Time and Carpe Diem),  himself a brother to Freud. Other sources of Storm Cat include Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion  Heart and Tale of Ekati and grandsire of Kantharos and Uncaptured), Harlan’s Holiday (sire  of Into Mischief, Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby), Forestry (sire of Discreet Cat and  Shackleford), Stormy Atlantic, After Market, Bluegrass Cat, Cat Thief, Stormin Fever, Forest Wildcat (sire of D’Wildcat and Wildcat Heir), Storm Boot, Bernstein, Mountain Cat, Sir Cat,  High Yield and Tabasco Cat.  

Declaration of War and War Front have both done well with the Fappiano branch of Mr.  Prospector, and Declaration of War has two stakes winners out of mares by Empire Maker,  a son of Unbridled who is sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister, and grandsire of  American Pharoah, Cairo Prince and Classic Empire. Declaration of War has two stakes  winners, one graded, out mares by another son of Unbridled, Unbridled’s Song, who has  also done very well under War Front. Unbridled’s Song can be brought in through Liam’s  Map, Arrogate, Songandaprayer, Cross Traffic, Rockport Harbor, First Defence, Old  Fashioned, Half Ours, Dunkirk, Even The Score, Graydar, Mission Impazible and Noonmark.  It would also be possible to bring Unbridled in through Broken Vow and Grindstone (sire of  Birdstone) and other branches of Fappiano that could be worth considering include mares  from the Quiet American branch, including through Midnight Lute, and those descending  from Cryptoclearance (sire of Victory Gallop; grandsire of Candy Ride, who in turn is sire of Twirling Candy), and Rubiano (sire of Too Much Bling and Burning Roma). 

From the Gone West branch of Mr. Prospector, Declaration of War has sired graded stakes  winner Opry, out of a mare by Speightstown (sire of Munnings, Speightster and Central  Banker), a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Zafonic, and a stakes winner out of a mare  by Raven’s Pass, a son of Elusive Quality (sire of Quality Road, Smarty Jones and Great  Notion), while there is a War Front stakes winner out of a mare by Mr. Greeley (sire of El  Corredor, Whywhywhy and Greeley’s Galaxy). This also encourages considering mares by  Grand Slam (sire of Limehouse) and Proud Citizen. 

Still with the Mr. Prospector line, the War Front cross with mares from the Forty Niner branch has been a grade one-producing one and has worked for Declaration of War through  Distorted Humor (sire of Flower Alley, Sharp Humor, Drosselmeyer, Maclean’s Music and  Jimmy Creed), with success for War Front of over mares by Coronado’s Quest and Trippi,  Forty Niner can also be found through Editor’s Note, End Sweep, Jules, Luhuk, Gold Fever,  Banker’s Gold, Roar and Twining. Fusaichi Pegasus – a horse bred like Distorted Humor – is  broodmare of a Declaration of War graded stake winner, and he is available through Roman  Ruler and Bandini.  

There is a War Front grade one winner out of a mare by Smart Strike, whose sons include  Curlin – already broodmare sire of a graded stakes winner by Declaration of War – Lookin at  Lucky and English Channel. There are graded stakes winners out of mares by Street Cry and  his son Street Sense (broodmare sire of a Declaration of War graded stakes winner), with  Street Boss, Street Party, Street Magician, New Year’s Day and Street Hero being other sources of that line. A son of War Front has a grade one winner out of a mare by City Zip, a  son of Carson City, and a stakes winner out of mare by Five Star Day which also suggests  daughters of Pollard’s Vision or Cuvee, and Declaration of War has a graded stakes winner  out of a mare by Gulch, sire of Thunder Gulch, and grandsire of Point Given. 

War Front and sons have enjoyed tremendous success with mares from the A.P. Indy line.  Particularly effective has been the cross with daughters of Pulpit, which has produced at  least nine stakes winners. On an extension of this cross we find multiple graded stakes  winner Silver Prospector, by Declaration of War out of a mare by Tapit (sire of Tapizar,  Tapiture, Constitution, Tonalist. Frosted and Trappe Shot), which suggests other Pulpit  sons, such as Sky Mesa (also broodmare sire of a War Front line stakes winner) and Stroll.  There are also War Front stakes winners out of mares by Flatter (a brother to Congrats), Malibu Moon and Old Trieste, which also suggests trying daughters of Mineshaft  (broodmare sire of a Declaration of War stakes winner and sire of Discreetly Mine and  Dialed In), Bernardini (sire of Take Charge Indy and To Honor and Serve) and Girolamo. 

The cross of War Front and sons with Roberto line mares has proved to be a very profitable  one, and for Declaration of War this includes three stakes winners, including grade one  winner Decorated Invader, out of a mares by Arch, the sire of Blame, who would be  interesting here. Arch is by Kris S. also sire of Brocco (broodmare sire of a War Front line  stakes winner), Kissin Kris, Prized and Rock Hard Ten. There are two grade one winners by  War Front out of mares by Roberto son Red Ransom (broodmare sire of a Declaration of  War stakes winner), and three stakes winners out of mares by Dynaformer (sire of Point of  Entry, Brilliant Speed and Temple City). Roberto is a Hail to Reason line horse, and from the  Halo branch of that line there is a Declaration of War stakes winner out of a mare by More  Than Ready (sire of Ready’s Image, Daredevil and Verrazano). 

War Front carries Moon Glitter, sister to the influential sire, Relaunch, there are already  three War Front line grade one winners with Relaunch in the dam. We can note that War  Front has grade one winners out of mares by Relaunch line stallions Officer and Tiznow (sire  of Tiz Wonderful, Colonel John, Gemologist and Tizway). There is also a graded stakes  winner of a mare by Relaunch son, Honour and Glory (sire of Put it Back). 

From the Blushing Groom line, War Front has a champion out of a mare by Rahy and a grade  two winner out of a mare by Housebuster (by Mt. Livermore, also the sire of Orientate), while Declaration of War also has a stakes winner out of a mare from that line. War Front  also has a champion out of a mare by Maria’s Mon (sire of Super Saver and Monarchos) and  grade one winner out of a mare by Known Fact.