Gun Runner ran great in the Dubai World Cup

In the aftermath of the brilliant victory of Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup, let us not lose track of the fantastic performance of Gun Runner.  His second place finish was not really a loss, but a triumph of its own kind.

The Steve Asmussen four-year-old ran a fantastic race and was drawing off decisively, five-lengths clear of the rest of the 14-horse field. Gun Runner looked like a winner for a lot of the World Cup and were it not for the extraordinary talent of Arrogate he would have cashed an even bigger paycheck.

By now, we have heard and read all about Arrogate’s triumph. We heard Bob Baffert compare him to Secretariat and how Mike Smith recalled Zenyatta when he described his thrilling trip in the World Cup. Let’s give Gun Runner his due and hear what his connections had to say after the race.

Co-owner Ron Winchell said, “He ran into a buzzsaw. I thought we had a chance there when Arrogate was left in the back, but he ran great to be second. He always tries.”

Regular rider Florent Geroux added. “I waited as long as I could - almost until the eighth-pole - but Arrogate went by me. Gun Runner was trying and was fighting with him all the way to the end. He's still getting better and before I wasn't sure about the 2000m [ten furlongs], but now as he's improving I think it's fine.”

Finally here’s what Asmussen had to say, “Gun Runner shows up. We're very proud of him and very fortunate to be associated with him and the class that he shows under any circumstance. I think that everybody admires the qualities that this colt has.”

The $2,000,000 second place prize upped Gun Runner’s career record to 14: 7-3-2 with career earnings of $4,337,800. Gun Runner has only finished off the board twice. The first time came in the 2015 Kentucky Jockey Club, his third career start, when he finished fourth behind Airoforce, Mor Spirit, and Mo Tom. In that race he led in the stretch and faltered late after making a premature move to the front. The other was in the 2016 Haskell on a sloppy track.

Owned in a partnership of Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, Gun Runner was bred by Besilu Stables. He was privately purchased as a yearling in 2014 by Three Chimneys Farm and they later sold a half-share to Winchell in 2015.

His seven wins came at four different racetracks beginning with his debut maiden breaker as a two-year-old at Churchill Downs going a one-turn mile. A month later in October, Gun Runner went two turns to win a first level allowance at Keeneland and he had yet to be the betting favorite. His final start as a juvenile was the aforementioned loss in the Kentucky Jockey Club back at Churchill.

Gun Runner became a household name when his sophomore season began with two Kentucky Derby trail wins at the Fair Grounds in the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby. If you remember in the Kentucky Derby he ran a great race, held the lead after a mile, and fought to the wire to get third behind Nyquist and Exaggerator.

The chestnut colt needed no time off after the Derby and ran every month throughout the summer. In June, he won the Matt Winn, it was the Haskell in July, the Travers in August, and the Pennsylvania Derby in September. Every race he ran well, but without finding the winner’s circle.

After a second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, it was decided, as Asmussen said, “To let Gun Runner, be Gun Runner” and allow him to race on the lead. They got immediate results a few weeks later, when he wired the field in the Clark Handicap to earn his first grade one victory.

This year began with Gun Runner winning the Razorback Handicap on the lead and then it was on a plane to Dubai. Considering that the son of Candy Ride ran nine times as a three-year-old, racing fans should have plenty of opportunities to see him during the rest of this year. I expect him to bounce back quickly from the trip to Dubai with possible starts at Churchill Downs and/or Belmont Park. Asmussen spends the summer at Saratoga, so a start at the Spa is possible, maybe in the $1,250,000 Whitney on Aug. 6. Gun Runner is unlikely to face Arrogate beyond a possible meeting in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.