Fresh Shooter, Familiar Face

BALTIMORE, Md. – For a breeder with a select broodmare band of just 20 head or so, John D. Gunther's name always seems to pop up this time of year around the Classics.

Stay Thirsty (Bernardini), a MGISW of nearly $2 million, finished just 3/4 of a length shy of Ruler On Ice (Roman Ruler) in the 2011 GI Belmont S. My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song) completed the exacta behind champion Untapable (Tapit) in the GI Kentucky Oaks two years ago. Last term's GI Florida Derby winner Materiality (Afleet Alex) was a troubled sixth in American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)'s GI Kentucky Derby.

And even a little further back, multiple graded stakes winners like Eye of the Tiger (American Chance) (close fifth in the 2003 Derby) and Kimberlite Pipe (Take Me Out) (sixth in 1999 Derby).

These are all the work of the longtime owner/breeder, who will be well-represented by the promising Stradivari (Medaglia d'Oro) in Saturday's GI Preakness S. at Pimlico.

“With this colt, I thought he had a lot of potential and I'm just lucky enough to be the breeder and also retain a part of him,” Gunther said of the lightly raced Stradivari, who is campaigned in partnership along with Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier.

“Being in one of the Classics, that's really what you aim for, right?”

While Gunther does primarily breed to sell–the aforementioned trio of Stay Thirsty, Materiality and My Miss Sophia as well as champion Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even) and MGISW First Samurai (Giant's Causeway) were all sold as yearlings–the native of Vancouver, British Columbia, has also enjoyed plenty of success racing.

Stradivari's dam Bending Strings was a four-time graded winner and a five-time Grade I placer for Gunther, who campaigned her multiple graded winning sire American Chance in addition to her stakes-winning dam Straight South (Hail the Pirates), a bargain $7,500 KEESEP yearling purchase back in 1987. The 15-year-old mare Bending Strings, currently expecting a foal by leading sire Tiznow any day now, has a 2-year-old colt named Electric Avenue (Smart Strike) and a yearling filly by Speightstown. Her 4-year-old filly Delightful Melody (Tapit) brought $500,000 from owner John C. Oxley as a FTSAUG yearling. Bending Strings will be bred back to Uncle Mo.

The70-year-old also raced the aforementioned Eye of the Tiger and Kimberlite Pipe as well as the hard-knocking millionaire Last Gunfighter (First Samurai), winner of the 2013 GIII Pimlico Special S.

“We mostly breed to sell, but we're not afraid to race them,” said Gunther, the proprietor of the 350-acre Versailles, Kentucky Glennwood Farm.

Gunther certainly showed no fear when the bidding stalled at $335,000 on the cleverly named Stradivari at the 2014 KEESEP sale.

“I've been involved with his family for a few generations now,” said Gunther, adding that Stradivari's namesake–keep in mind the dam's name–was an Italian violin maker. “I really liked Stradivari as a yearling–he was our best one on the farm that year. I pulled him out to a couple of potential buyers and said, 'This is the best colt that I've got in the sale,' but I didn't get much of a response at the time. Maybe he was a bit smaller than people would have liked. But I really liked him–he was a well-balanced colt–and he looked very good to me. If I ended up keeping him, I certainly wouldn't be unhappy about it.”

The senior partner in the Canadian stock brokerage and investment banking firm Jones, Gable & Company Ltd. has had plenty to smile about since.

Stradivari, a debut fourth behind next out stakes winner Vorticity (Distorted Humor) in his seven-furlong debut at Aqueduct Nov. 8, has been sensational in a pair of subsequent starts at two turns. The dark bay graduated by 11 1/4 lengths in an off-the-turfer at Gulfstream Park Dec. 5, then earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors with a 14 1/2-length tour de force, good for a 100 Beyer Speed Figure when finally re-appearing in a first-level allowance at Keeneland Apr. 17. It was just a “minor setback” that kept Stradivari on the shelf and he was never totally out of training while based in South Florida this winter, per trainer Todd Pletcher. The Coolmore partners bought in before his most recent start in Lexington.

“When my daughter [Glennwood General Manager and Eurowest Bloodstock's Tanya Gunther] was in Ireland visiting Coolmore, they showed an interest in acquiring an interest in the colt,” Gunther explained of the partnership. “And that was after his maiden win. I felt it would be a good partnership to have with their experience in the stallion industry and being one of the best in the industry. I felt good about the partnership.”

After working smartly in company with Kentucky Derby sixth Destin (Giant's Causeway) prior to the 'Run for the Roses,' Stradivari punched his ticket to Baltimore with a six-furlong move in 1:14.40 (1/1) beneath the Twin Spires May 7 and a five-furlong bullet in :59.60 (1/6) over the deep Belmont training track May 13.

“He's been working really well,” Gunther confirmed. “Todd [Pletcher] was very happy with his works and wanted to take a shot in the Preakness. Off to Baltimore we go.”