Three Chimneys Farm's multiple-leading sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) will stand to Southern Hemisphere time and they are offering a AU$500,000 bonus to any progeny that wins the G1 Golden Slipper S., Doug Cauthen, the vice chairman of Three Chimneys Farm, told TTR AusNZ.
The farm's stud fee of $65,000 (AU$98,000) is slightly less than the $75,000 (AU$110,000) he commanded last year on Southern Hemisphere covers. They are hoping to attract anywhere between 20 and 40 Southern Hemisphere mares this spring.
“The goal is to make him appealing,” Cauthen said. “He's consistently bred to Southern Hemisphere time, but last year and this year, we've really tried to open him up more. He's bred a solid book in the past without it being a big book, because we're not looking for a big book. We're looking for quality.”
The American Horse of the Year produced six individual Grade I winners from his first book of 127 foals en route to Champion Northern American first-crop sire honors. He was also the leading sire of 3-year-olds in 2022, which included Echo Zulu, Gunite, Cyberknife and Early Voting.
“He's been spectacular, and everyone here is feeling blessed to have him at Three Chimneys,” Cauthen said. “But we think the potential to continue this, and build on it, is right there in front of him. Who he's as good as, we'll find out in five or 10 years' time, but he's certainly been exceptional so far.”
The AU$500,000 bonus to any progeny of Gun Runner that wins the Golden Slipper S. is also on the table.
“Like the Kentucky Derby or any of these great races, just getting runners in the field is the hardest part,” Cauthen said. “Time will tell but we think it's a legitimate possibility for Gun Runner to get horses into the Slipper, therefore we should offer a legitimate bonus.”
Emirates Park bred its Golden Slipper winner Estijaab (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) to Gun Runner on SH time last year. She's currently heading back Down Under safely in foal to the stallion.
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