2016 Kentucky Derby - Gun Runner Pedigree Profile

Gun Runner proved that his victory in the Risen Star Stakes was no fluke when he shot down the stretch of the Fair Grounds to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) by 4 ½ lengths. All except four of the ten entrants faced Gun Runner in the Risen Star Stakes in their previous start. 

The Steve Asmussen trainee took advantage of an inside trip under regular rider  Florent Geroux and traveled 1 1/8 miles over the fast Fair Grounds dirt in 1:51.06.  The final time of the Grade 2 event was exactly one second slower than older stakes horses raced in the New Orleans Handicap earlier on the card. Longshot Tom’s Ready, Dazzling Gem and race favorite Mo Tom completed the order of finish.

Gun Runner (Candy Ride (ARG) - Quiet Giant, by Giant's Causeway) was bred by Besilu Stables and is co-owned by Ron Winchell and Three Chimneys Farm.  Other than a fourth place finish over a sloppy track in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, the Chestnut colt has a perfect record.  He’s compiled a 5-4-0-0 ($906,920) race record and is leading the charge to the Kentucky Derby starting gate with 151 qualifying points.

Sire

Gun Runner is by the unbeaten Argentinian sensation Candy Ride (Ride the Rails - Candy Girl (ARG), by Candy Stripes). The stallion was brought to the US by veteran trainer Ron McAnally after eye catching performances in a pair of Group 1 races in Argentina.  Candy Ride raced only three times in the US, but had racegoers buzzing with excitement. After defeating allowance company going 1 1/16 miles on dirt, Candy Ride switched to turf and captured the 1 1/8 mile American Handicap (G-2).  He faced a small but tough field in the Pacific Classic and proved up to the task, beating Medaglia D’Oro by 3 ¾ lengths and setting a new track record for 1 ¼ miles in 1:59.11.  McAnally wanted a fresh horse for the following year, and kept Candy Ride out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.  While in training the following year, the stallion was injured and retired.

Many South American stallions haven’t lived up to expectations at stud in the U.S., so Candy Ride set about proving his stud value the hard way. Standing for an initial fee of $10,000, the stallion’s fee gradually rose to $60,000 as his offspring showed their abilities. Candy Ride is currently leading the General Sire List by number of winners and he is #4 by earnings.  

Candy Ride’s offspring are as versatile on the track as their sire was. His babies are tough, sound runners, who compile full careers. It isn’t uncommon to see stakes quality Candy Ride progeny compete until they’re five or six years old.  Dirt, turf, synthetics, the Candy Rides run over every surface. 

The distance range of the majority of Candy Ride’s dirt offspring is sprints to middle distances, although his turf runners don’t have distance issues.  This isn’t surprising since opportunities to race classic distances over dirt in the US are limited.  Although he won at 1 ¼ miles and set a track record, many of Candy Ride’s dirt stakes progeny have been distance challenged past 1 1/8 miles.

The stallion is capable of siring dirt classic distance runners. His phenomenal son Shared Belief proved that distance wasn’t an issue when he captured the Pacific Classic and Santa Anita Handicap.  Another son, Misremembered, also won the Santa Anita Handicap. Besides Shared Belief and Misremembered, Candy Ride’s most accomplished runners include the stakes veterans Kettlecorn, Clubhouse Ride, Evita Argentina, Sidney’s Candy, Twirling Candy and Capt Candyman Can.

Female Family:

Gun Runner is the first foal out of a classy multiple stakes winner.  He traces directly to the Champion Handicap Mare, Hall of Fame Inductee and blue hen Galllorette. We have to dig deep into the pedigree, but the classic winners are there.  Galllorette’s family gave us the 1935 Triple Crown hero Omaha; 1939 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Johnstown; 1947 Belmont winner Phalanx; and 1962 Kentucky Derby champ, Decidedly.  

Quiet Giant (Giant's Causeway - Quiet Dance, by Quiet American) is one of six blacktype earners out of Quiet Dance.  The daughter of Giant's Causeway won six stakes races between a mile and 1 1/8 miles on dirt and mud, including a five length victory in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) at Monmouth Park. Quiet Giant was a late bloomer and didn’t make her debut until she was three. As a four year old, she earned her final victory in the Molly Pitcher Stakes. Quiet Giant retired on a high note with a  12-7-2-0 ($405,389) race record.  

A year after she retired, Quiet Giant sold as the sales topper for $3 million dollars at the 2011 Keeneland November mixed sale. Gun Runner is her first foal. She has an unnamed two year old filly by Mailbu Moon and an unnamed yearling son of Tapit. Quiet Giant is in foal to Tapit. 

Quiet Giant’s immediate female family is drenched with class.  Her most celebrated half sibling is 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado). Her other half siblings include Bay Meadows Derby (G3) winner Congressionalhonor (Forestry); Busher Stakes heroine Dance Quietly (A.P. Indy) and her full brother, Remsen Stakes placed American Dance; She is a half sister to Miss Besilu, who was third in the CCA Oaks (G1) and Alabama Stakes (G1).

It isn’t surprising that Quiet Giant’s first foal is a multiple graded stakes winner. Her sisters are already proven producers of stakes winners. Quiet Giant’s unraced half sister Beatem Buster (Honour and Glory) bore Mother Goose (G1) heroine Buster’s Ready (More Than Ready) and another half sister by Tiznow foaled multiple stakes placed Irsaal (More Than Ready). 

Gun Runner’s pedigree shows a good example of class skipping a generation. His second dam, the stakes winner Quiet Dance (Quiet American - Misty Dancer, by Lyphard) was one of 13 foals and the only blacktype earner out of Misty Dancer.

Only two of Quiet Dance’s nine half sisters bore stakes earners.  Quiet Dance’s half sister Fog Dancer (Unbridled’s Song) produced Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Rolling Fog (Indian Charlie). Fog Dancer’s full sister Opera Song foaled the listed stakes placed earner Saint Arbor (Forestry).  None of Quiet Dance’s other half siblings showed much interest in competing or bearing blacktype runners.

Stakes winners that are descended from the fourth generation of Gun Runner’s female family include Irish Champion two year old filly Minstrella, dam of multiple stakes turf veteran Pleasant Strike; Grade 1 heroine Misty Galore who foaled the sire Silver Ghost; Louisiana Derby winner Pants on Fire; multiple Grade One victor Gabriel Charles; and Jim Dandy winner A Little Warm, who also placed in the Louisiana Derby.

Damsire

Gun Runner’s damsire Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat - Mariah's Storm, by Rahy) was nicknamed “The Iron Horse,” for his exploits over the English, Irish and French racecourses. The sensational colt came within a flared nostril of winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in his only start on dirt, racing over a left-handed course in an unfamiliar setting. The 2000 European Horse of the Year won from about 6 ½ furlongs to 1 5/16 miles (10.5 furlongs). He competed in ten Group 1 Stakes and was victorious in six of them.

Giant’s Causeway has upheld his Iron Horse moniker at stud. He is a son of the world’s most expensive sire Storm Cat out of Maria’s Storm, a Grade 1 winning mare by Rahy. Giant’s Causeway is in demand in both the US and his shuttle country, Australia. He was leading US sire in 2009, 2010 and 2012, plus in the top five for the last three years. In 2010, he was recognized as a Classic chef-de-race for contributing stamina attributes to his offspring. Giant’s Causeway’s potency as a sire of sires has resulted in his own sire line, and an additional branch on the Storm Cat tree. At present, Giant’s Causeway is represented by 60 sons at stud worldwide.

Giant’s Causeway is known as a sire of sires, yet he’s no slouch as a broodmare sire. He’s cracked the top 20 leading broodmares sire list twice and is currently ranked #6 by both winners and earnings.  Giant’s Causeway daughters have produced over 50 stakes winners.  Most are turf winners up to 1 ½ miles.  Their stakes offspring who compete over dirt have won up to 1 1 /8 miles, include: Grade/Group One winners Evening Jewel, Verrazano, and Eden’s Moon. Risen Star winner El Padrino and Monmouth Oaks heroine Cassatt also claim Giant’s Causeway as their broodmare sire.

Candy Ride has 24 foals of racing age out of Giant Causeway mares.  12 of them have raced, 7 of those are winners. Gun Runner is the only stakes winner.

Gun Runner’s second damsire Quiet American (Fappiano - Demure, by Dr. Fager) is consistently among the top twenty leading broodmare sires in most years. His daughter’s offspring include, besides the aforementioned Saint Liam, the Preakness hero and prominent sire Bernardini and Hollywood Gold Cup hero Hard Aces.  Quiet American is the second damsire of Belmont Derby (G1) (1 ¼ miles, turf) winner, Western Aristocrat. The offspring of Quiet American’s daughters win at all distances with the majority preferring to run a mile and farther.    

Outlook:

Gun Runner has a classic-oriented pedigree filled with high quality blacktype. His sire and damsire won at classic distances and have offspring that have done the same. Gun Runner’s classy distaff line is filled with stamina. His dam won at 1 1/8 miles and her half siblings are winners at 1 ¼ miles. Based on pedigree alone, Gun Runner should certainly enjoy running 1 ¼ to 1 ½ miles.

Gun Runner physically resembles his damsire Giant’s Causeway. He’s a big, scopy horse with a long neck, deeply sloping shoulder and high withers. The colt is has well-developed hindquarters, but at this stage of his life, Gun Runner appears more leggy than powerful.  He will grow and develop muscle with age, as will most three year old colts who prefer going long. The chestnut colt gallops with his neck extended and his head down, his body almost horizontally even to the ground. The parallels to Giant’s Causeway’s action over dirt in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic are striking. 

Trainer Steve Asmussen is no stranger to the Triple Crown trail.  He came close to standing in the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle twice. In 2007, Asmussen  conditioned Curlin to a third place finish and in 2011, his charge Nehro took second place.  Curlin continued on to win the Preakness Stakes and miss a historic Belmont victory by a bare nose.  Asmussen captured his historic victory in the 2009 Preakness stakes with Rachael Alexandra.

Louisiana Derby graduates are very good at play a supporting role in the Kentucky Derby. A starring role? Not so much.  Only three horses have passed through The Big Easy on their way to Kentucky victory. Two horses Grindstone, twenty years ago, and Black Gold in 1924 captured both Derbies. Funny Cide parlayed a third place Louisiana finish into sweet smelling Kentucky Derby success in 2003.  

Kentucky Derby victories are few and far between for the Louisiana Derby graduates, but leave them off of your Kentucky exotics tickets at your peril. In 2014, Golden Soul was second in both derbies and in 2011 and 2013 Louisiana Derby grads captured the place and show purses in Kentucky.

Gun Runner seems to have it all. He likes to win, has the pedigree and conformation to be effective at classic distances and has captured a major Kentucky Derby prep race.  Could he become the first Louisiana Derby winner to wear the roses in twenty years? Anything is possible with enough talent and the right trip.

Conformation photo of Gun Runner used courtesy, of David Fiske.