Gunnevera

Gunnevera earned a breakthrough victory in his third career start when he charged from off the pace to win by three-quarters of a length at Gulfstream Park in July 2016.  He followed with another off-the-pace victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes.

He then tested Grade 1 company in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and finished fifth without ever seriously threatening. The connections of Gunnevera bypassed the Grade 1 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile and instead targeted the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes. IN the Delta Jackpot, Gunnevera surged into contention with a powerful, sweeping rally on the turn and surged to a powerhouse victory under Javier Castellano.

In his 3-year-old debut, Gunnevera finished second behind Irish War Cry - but ahead of 2016 champion 2-year-old male Classic Empire - in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes. He turned the table on that rival in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes, surging to the lead after an eye-catching rally on the turn and powering to a dominant victory. The Fountain of Youth Stakes win cemented for Gunnevera a starting spot in the 2017 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands.

In his next start, the Grade 1 Xpressbet.com Florida Derby, Gunnevera settled last in the early going and still trailed the leaders by eight lengths after six furlongs. Under Javier Castellano’s urging, he picked up steam and made his patented late run through the stretch, but ran out of ground and finished third behind Always Dreaming and State of Honor. That effort awarded him 20 additional qualifying points for the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. In the Derby, Gunnevera finished seventh after a rough trip, and then had no rally when fifth in the Preakness Stakes. 

Gunnevera returned after a freshening and romped in a listed stakes at Gulfstream Park in early August. The colt then showed that he was still able to compete against the best of his class, closing to finish second to West Coast in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on Aug. 26 at Saratoga.

Gunnevera closed his 3-year-old season with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

In his 4-year-old bow, Gunnevera closed willingly to finish third in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup. Shipped to the Middle East for the Dubai World Cup, Gunnevera failed to fire and finished eighth, after which he earned a deserved break.

Gunnevera returned in August 2018 with a 6 ½-length win at Gulfstream Park and followed with a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes. Entered again in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Gunnevera drew in off the also-eligible list and made a statement when closing powerfully to finish second to leading older male Accelerate.

He faced that rival again in the Pegasus World Cup in January and came with his usual late run but could do no better than sixth behind City of Light. Next up was a return trip to Dubai, where he was last in the early stages and put in a grinding rally to finish third behind Thunder Snow and Gronkowski in the $12 million Dubai World Cup. 

Purchased for $16,000 as a yearling, Gunnevera is out of the Unbridled mare Unbridled Rage.