By Steve Sherack
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), an impressive winner of last fall's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland and most recently third as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 3, returned to the races in style with a runaway victory in the opener at the Big A Saturday.
Favored at 2-5 and racing with first-time Lasix, he was ridden by John Velazquez to keep pace in second, set his sights on Gun It (Tapit) approaching the quarter pole and level off beautifully from there to win going away by 7 1/2 lengths over that rival in a razor sharp 1:21.02 for seven furlongs.
Locked was cross-entered in Saturday's GIII Perryville Stakes at Keeneland.
He missed a pair of intended starts earlier this spring, including the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park Mar. 2, and was subsequently taken out of training by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher due to a knee ligament injury.
“Kudos to Ian Brennan and his team at Stonestreet and of course Todd Pletcher and his team for getting Locked back to the races,” Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners President & Founder Aron Wellman said.
“There has never been any question as to the enormity of this colt's talent and to see him come back off a 50-week layoff and come within a 1/5 of a second off a long-time track record set by a blazing horse in Artax validates that notion. We know the further, the better, but few horses possess the type of speed and stamina to do what he's done in his career to date. Hopefully, he can stay on the straight and narrow and there are more important trophies to add to his mantle.”
As for future goals, Wellman added, “If all goes well, we'd have to take a hard look at the (GII) Cigar Mile (at Aqueduct Dec. 7).”
Hailing from the third crop of leading young sire Gun Runner, Locked was produced by a winning half-sister to MGISW Gabby's Golden Gal (Medaglia d'Oro) and MGSW & GISP Always a Princess (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). The Gun Runner/Malibu Moon cross is already responsible for GISW Sierra Leone and GSWs Shotgun Hottie and Runninsonofagun. Locked, a $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, is also bred similarly to MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner), who is out of a Flatter mare.
Locked's dam produced a filly by Tiz the Law in 2023 and a colt by Early Voting this year. She was bred back to Gun Runner.
1st-Belmont The Big A, $95,000, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 10-19, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:21.02, ft, 7 1/2 lengths.
LOCKED (c, 3, Gun Runner–Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon) Sales history: $425,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-2, $660,650. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Walmac Farm; B-Rosa Colasanti (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
LOCKED, the 3YO son of @Three_Chimneys stallion Gun Runner, dominates in his return to the races with @ljlmvel up for trainer @PletcherRacing. pic.twitter.com/3qRrnCPL9C
— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) October 19, 2024
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