By Alan Carasso
Not so many moons ago, there was an argument put forth by some American-based connections that went something like: “Dubai? No thanks, trip takes too much out of a horse.”
With his smashing victory in Saturday's GI Stephen Foster H., a 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) doused yet more cold water on that theory, becoming the fourth U.S.-based runner to have shipped over for this year's Dubai World Cup meeting some 11 weeks ago to have registered a victory since (Richard's Boy, Master Plan, Stallwalkin' Dude have each won stakes).
Horses coming out of the World Cup–winners and losers alike–have raced with success in the Foster. Street Cry (Ire) (2002) and Curlin (2008) followed up on romping wins in the desert with similarly powerful victories beneath the Twin Spires, while Silver Charm (1998) and Captain Steve (2001) were just beaten in the Foster after leading into the final furlong.
Despite a race which on paper looked to have plenty of early speed signed on, Gun Runner made the lead with a minimum of fuss and galloped his rivals into submission in a final time that would have threatened the track record had Florent Geroux not taken his foot off the pedal late.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
STEPHEN FOSTER H.-GI, $500,000, CD, 6-17, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.56, ft.
1–GUN RUNNER, 124, c, 4, by Candy Ride (Arg)&log=">Candy Ride (Arg)
1st Dam: Quiet Giant (GSW, $405,389), by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Quiet Dance, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Misty Dancer, by Lyphard
O-Winchell Thoroughbreds & Three Chimneys Farm; B-Besilu Stables LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen; J-Florent Geroux. $300,700. Lifetime Record: G1SP-UAE, 15-8-3-2, $4,638,500. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. [bullet ad=”niall-brennan-nbs-graduate”][bullet ad=”ea-bloodstock-2-yo-selection”][bullet ad=”bridlewood-farm-training-graduate”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″] 2–Honorable Duty, 119, g, 5, Distorted Humor–Mesmeric, by A.P. Indy. ($130,000 3yo '15 KEENOV). O-DARRS Inc; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. $97,000. [bullet ad=”fedamore-stable-llc-trained-at”][bullet ad=”james-bredin-selected-by”]3–Breaking Lucky, 117, h, 5, Lookin At Lucky–Shooting Party, by Sky Classic. ($100,000 Wlg '12 KEENOV). O-Gunpowder Farms LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds et al; B-Christine Hayden (ON); T-Reade Baker. $48,500.[bullet ad=”joshstevens-congratulations”][bullet ad=”performance-genetics-selection”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred”][bullet ad=”carabloodstock-graduate”][bullet ad=”schumer-dam-purchased”]Margins: 7, 1 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.50, 5.50, 10.30.
Also Ran: Hawaakom, Stanford, Texas Chrome, Mo Tom, Bird Song.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The 1-2 chalk to run his record to four-for-six beneath the Twin Spires, Gun Runner was kicked away from gate three and despite the presence of Bird Song (Unbridled's Song), front-running winner of the GII Alysheba S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard May 5, and the outposted, but speedy Stanford (Malibu Moon), the smooth chestnut led the Foster field under the wire for the first time and took them into the clubhouse turn after a quarter in :23.59. Stanford did the chasing from the outside with Breaking Lucky in the box seat and Honorable Duty, the only other rival truly in the market, a stalking fourth. With Stanford keeping Gun Runner honest enough, the half-mile went up in :47.23 and the presser looked poised to make a race of it as he tried to make a run at the front-runner midway on the final turn. But Florent Geroux was still hard against the race favorite nearing the stretch, put away Stanford with a burst of speed at the three-sixteenths marker, swapped leads a time or two inside the furlong and ran out a most impressive winner. The final time of 1:47.56 was just 0.28 seconds off the track record of 1:47.28 set by Victory Gallop in this race some 18 years ago.
“I was loaded the entire trip around there,” Geroux explained. “He was doing everything so easily. This horse is truly unbelievable. He's one of the best horses I've ever ridden and to put forward this type of effort after running in Dubai is so impressive. I was a bit surprised to find myself on a lonely lead but I wasn't complaining one bit. What a horse.”
Saint Liam won the Clark H., then a Grade I, in 2004, and added this race the following spring en route to a GI Breeders' Cup Classic and eventually a Horse of the Year title. Could Gun Runner be on a similar trajectory?
“I think it was key taking our time with this horse,” victorious trainer Steve Asmussen commented. “We always thought he would get better with age and he's proving that to us right now. It's special to win a Grade I but now we have our ticket punched to the Breeders' Cup. We got him to the Winner's Circle here at home and we set ourselves up for a great second-half campaign. I can't thank our owners enough. This horse is incredibly special in so many ways.”
Gun Runner was making his second straight appearance on this program, having pummeled the field at a dime on the dollar in last year's GIII Matt Winn S. Slightly disappointing when fifth in the GI Haskell Invitational S., he was a distant third in his first meeting with 'TDN Rising Star' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Travers S., a tough second in the GII Pennsylvania Derby and again in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Put away for the season following his defeat of Breaking Lucky in the Clark, Gun Runner was pointed for a rematch with Arrogate in the GI Pegasus World Cup, only to be caught up in the Equine herpesvirus outbreak at the Fair Grounds over the winter that put that trip on ice. He romped to a 5 3/4-length win over Hawaakom (Jazil) in the GIII Razorback H. Feb. 20 and might have entered the Foster looking to match the feats of Street Cry and Curlin, but for an other-wordly effort from Arrogate at Meydan. Should all go according to script, round three is scheduled for Del Mar the first Saturday in November.
Pedigree Notes:
Gun Runner's dam Quiet Giant, an Edward Evans homebred, concluded her career with a victory in the 2011 GII Molly Pitcher S. for trainer Todd Pletcher and was sold to Besilu Stables for $3-million at that year's Keeneland November sale. Out of SW & GSP Quiet Dance (Quiet American), Quiet Giant is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), GSW Congressionalhonor (Forestry), SW Dance Quietly (A.P. Indy) and SW & MGISP Miss Besilu (Medaglia d'Oro).
Gun Runner is the first foal out of the 10-year-old mare, whose now 2-year-old filly by Tapit summoned $1.4-million from Mandy Pope at last term's Keeneland September sale. Quiet Giant produced another Tapit filly in 2016 and foaled a full-brother to Gun Runner May 17 of this year.
Lane's End's Candy Ride was represented by a Grade I winner on turf last weekend when Ascend scored a 27-1 upset in the GI Woodford Reserve Manhattan S. on the GI Belmont S. undercard. His Grade I-winning sophomore colt and “TDN Rising Star” Mastery was recently retired to Claiborne with four wins from four starts.
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