Multiple grade 1-winning trainer Eric Guillot, who was celebrated for his talents working with horses and his gumbo but sometimes brought controversy to the sport he loved, died June 4 in Magnolia, Ark. He was 64.
The trainer's sister, Charlotte Guillot Montoya, posted on Facebook about her brother's passing.
"I am deeply saddened to share (that) my brother, Eric Jude Guillot has passed," Montoya said. "I am thankful I was able to say good-bye last week but my heart is broken. He is no longer in pain and may he rest in peace."
The family has set up a comment page with R.L. Reed Funeral Home in Magnolia.
Grade 1 winners for Guillot included 2014 Whitney Stakes (G1) winner Moreno, 2010 Acorn Stakes (G1) and Test Stakes (G1) winner Champagne d'Oro, 2009 Debutante Stakes (G1) winner Mi Sueno, and 2009 Santa Maria Handicap (G1) winner Santa Teresita.
The final graded stakes winner for Guillot was Laoban, who captured the 2016 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.
Many of the runners trained by Guillot were owned outright or in partnership by Mike Moreno's Southern Equine Stable, including homebred Moreno; Champagne d'Oro; homebred (bred in partnership with Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings) Mi Sueno; Santa Teresita; and Laoban (raced in partnership with McCormick Racing). Guillot oversaw the racing operation for Moreno.
In explaining his success, the trainer known for serving up gumbo outside his Saratoga barn credited putting in the work, and his crew putting in the work.
"I know I talk a lot and everybody thinks I'm some goofball out here who doesn't know what he's doing, but I know what I'm doing," Guillot told BloodHorse after winning the 2014 Whitney with the equine Moreno. "The bottom line is, my work ethic, my dedication, and my desire to be the best are second to none, and my crew is second to none."
Owner/breeder Moreno was convinced by his trainer to name the Whitney winner after himself. Moreno celebrated his trainer after that big win.
"Eric is as good a horseman as there is out there," Moreno said. "He's colorful and most people don't take the time to peel the onion and see what kind of person he really is. He's very loyal and hard-working. When you meet him for the first time, you think he's loud, but that's just him being funny and enjoying life. It seems like everything he says is a joke, but he's serious when it comes to his horses."
Many thought Guillot went beyond being colorful about a year before that Whitney win when D. Wayne Lukas-trained Will Take Charge edged Moreno by a nose to win the 2013 Travers Stakes (G1). In a televised, postrace interview Guillot alleged jockey Luis Saez had used an electrical device on the Lukas-trained winner during the running of that race.
Guillot filed a complaint with the New York State Gaming Commission that launched an investigation, which included help from the New York State Police before clearing Saez. The regulator found the allegation to be unsubstantiated in a 39-page report, released in October 2013.
Guillot eventually apologized to Lukas later that month ahead of the Breeders' Cup.
"Mr. Lukas, I'd like to formally apologize on national TV," Guillot said. "My emotions got the best of me. I looked it over; it was a bad video. But I'd do it all over again. I thought that's what the complaint department was for."
"I accept (the apology)," Lukas said. "We just need to turn the page."
In 2021, Guillot was banned by the New York Racing Association and a number of tracks after initially giving a horse the name of "Grape Soda." The New York Times reported that Guillot tweeted that he was giving the 3-year-old colt a "unique name in honor of a TVG analyst," adding a Black fist emoji. When a follower asked the name, he responded, "GRAPE SODA," which can be a racist term directed at African Americans.
At that point in his career, wins had slowed for Guillot. That 2021 season was the final year Guillot saddled a horse, as he finished with a record of 259-253-258 and earnings of more than $13 million from 2,348 starts.
Despite those controversies, friends and family noted Guillot's loyalty to people and caring nature. Earlier in his career, Guillot had named a horse after his friend Nick "The Sarge" Hines. On the track, Salute the Sarge won a pair of graded stakes races at 2: the 2007 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (G3) and the Best Pal Stakes (G2).
"Saddened to hear the news of the passing of my dear friend @EricGuillot14," Hines, a bloodstock consultant, posted on X Friday. "But a blessing that he no longer has to suffer. Misunderstood by some, and despite our differences at times, I will forever cherish the memories we spent together with those special moments at the racetrack, in the winner's circle, and in our personal lives, simply priceless!"
