Gun Runner (foaled March 8, 2013) is a US Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2017 American Horse of the Year after winning four Grade I races at age four. He retired with earnings of nearly $16 million.
As a three-year-old, he became one of the early favorites for the 2016 Kentucky Derby after winning both the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby. Following a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, he won the Matt Winn Stakes and Clark Handicap, and was second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pennsylvania Derby.
As a four-year-old in 2017, he finished second in the Dubai World Cup, then went on to win the Stephen Foster Handicap, Whitney Stakes, Woodward Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Classic. His performance in the Whitney earned him a rating of 127 in the August 2017 update of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings, ranking him in third place worldwide. Prior to retiring to stud as a five-year-old, he also won the 2018 Pegasus World Cup.
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Background
Gun Runner is a chestnut stallion with a small white star and one white sock bred in Kentucky by Benjamin Leon Jr.'s Besilu Stables. His sire is Candy Ride, an Argentinian-bred horse who was undefeated in a six race career that included four Grade I wins in Argentina and the United States. Although expectations for Candy Ride at stud were initially low, he proved himself a successful sire whose offspring include champion Shared Belief. Candy Ride was among the top five sires in North America four times, including a second-place finish in 2017.
Gun Runner is the first foal out of Quiet Giant, a multiple stakes winner from a distinguished female family that traces to Hall of Fame inductee Gallorette. Quiet Giant is by three-time leading sire in North America Giant's Causeway out of the broodmare Quiet Dance, the dam of Horse of the Year Saint Liam and Grade 1 winner Funtastic. Quiet Giant was owned by Edward P. "Ned" Evans during the early part of her racing career. Following Evans' death in 2010, she finished her racing career under the ownership of his estate and was bought by Besilu Stables as a broodmare prospect at the Keeneland November sale in 2011 for $3 million. Quiet Giant was officially retired from racing and was bred to Candy Ride in 2012, resulting in the birth of Gun Runner at WinStar Farm on March 8, 2013. "He was bright and inquisitive as a young horse, never much trouble and never sick or injured", according to Chris Baker, who was then the general manager of WinStar Farm. Donnie Preston, another WinStar employee, noted that the young Gun Runner had "a little bit of fire to him."
Gun Runner was purchased in 2014 by Three Chimneys Farm as part of a package deal where Three Chimneys bought majority interests in Besilu's breeding stock, weanlings and yearlings. Three Chimneys originally planned to re-sell Gun Runner at auction as a two-year-old but instead sold a half interest in the colt to Ron Winchell for an undisclosed price upon recommendation by his bloodstock advisor Dr. David Lambert and Equine Analysis Systems.
Physically, Gun Runner is slightly taller than average, standing just under 16.2 hands high. Chris Baker, the chief operating officer of Three Chimneys, summarized Gun Runner's main assets: "Pedigree. Conformation. Athleticism. Just the way he always carried himself, just very smart, intelligent, classy. Easy-moving horse, kind of scopey and light, but in a good way — just an athlete... We've got a stallion barn that we want to fill. He was the kind that had enough of the attributes on paper, that if he did what we thought he could do, he'd be in our stallion barn. And he hasn't proven us wrong yet."
Racing history
2015: two-year-old season
Gun Runner won two of three starts at age two. On September 11, 2015, he made his career debut at Churchill Downs, winning a maiden special weight race over one mile by three-quarters of a length. He followed up with a win in an allowance race at Keeneland on October 17. He made his graded stakes race debut on November 28 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. On a muddy track, Gun Runner overcame some traffic problems to take the lead at the head of the stretch but was then overtaken and finished fourth.
2016: three-year-old season
Gun Runner won four of nine starts at age three, also finishing second twice and third twice. He was part of a competitive three-year-old crop that included Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Preakness winner Exaggerator, and the late-developing Arrogate, winner of the Travers and Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Gun Runner began his three-year-old campaign on February 20, 2016, in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds Race Course. With new jockey Florent Geroux, he settled in fourth, then started his move around the final turn. He hit the lead at the head of the stretch, then held off a late run from Forevamo to win by half a length. "He's a very nice horse. We're very lucky to have him," said trainer Steve Asmussen. "I thought Florent gave him a beautiful trip with how the track was playing. He's shown talent the whole time and it's definitely good to see him in the winner's circle in a race like this."
On March 26, Gun Runner returned in the $1 million Louisiana Derby, also at the Fair Grounds, where he was the third betting choice at odds of just under 4–1. He was close behind a slow early pace, then drew away in the stretch to win by 4+1⁄2 lengths. "The good thing is he's very easy to manage,” said Geroux. "He has so many gears. He settles really nicely, and when you ask him to go, he has a nice turn of foot."
Gun Runner earned 151 points and ranked first on the 2016 Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2016 Kentucky Derby. In the Derby, he was the third betting choice behind the two-year-old champion Nyquist, who had also won the Florida Derby, and Exaggerator, who had won the Santa Anita Derby. Gun Runner broke well and raced with Nyquist just behind a fast early pace set by Dazzling Candy. As they rounded into the stretch, Gun Runner took the lead. Nyquist then responded and started to draw away. From far behind, Exaggerator made a strong run down the stretch to finish second, with Gun Runner holding on for third.
With his connections opting to pass the final two legs of the Triple Crown, Gun Runner returned to action on June 18 in the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs. He led from wire to wire, winning by 5+1⁄4 lengths while setting a stakes record. His time of 1:41.12 for 1+1⁄16 miles was 0.02 seconds off the track record.
2017: four-year-old season
Gun Runner won five of six races at age four. His only loss was a second-place finish behind Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup. He turned the tables on Arrogate in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic, which helped him earn Horse of the Year honors.
Gun Runner was stabled over the winter at the Fair Grounds, which was quarantined in January after two horses tested positive for the neuropathogenic strain of the equine herpesvirus. The connections of Gun Runner arranged to enter the horse in the inaugural running of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup on January 28 in what would have been his seasonal debut, but Gulfstream Park officials refused to allow him to travel to the track despite a negative blood test for the virus, as the horse had not been tested using a nasal swab.
Instead, Gun Runner's 2017 seasonal debut came in the Grade III Razorback Handicap on February 20 at Oaklawn Park. Sent off as the 1–5 favorite in a field of six older horses, Gun Runner took the lead out of the gate and was never seriously challenged to win as he went 1+1⁄16 miles in 1:40.97, two-fifths of a second off the stakes record of 1:402⁄5. The win cemented Gun Runner's reputation for durability, reliability, and "consistent class" and encouraged his connections to run him in the $10 million Dubai World Cup. "He's getting better and better and (the Razorback) was an extremely pleasant performance, even better than anticipated,” said Doug Cauthen of Three Chimneys Farm. "He's a heck of a nice horse and he's proven it."
On March 25, Gun Runner entered the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai as part of a field of fourteen that was headlined by Arrogate, who had won the Breeders' Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup after defeating Gun Runner in the Travers. On a muddy track, Gun Runner tracked the early leaders, then took the lead as the field turned for home. He continued to stride out well but succumbed to Arrogate, who overcame a terrible start to win. Gun Runner's second-place finish earned him $2 million. After the Dubai World Cup, his connections announced that Gun Runner would run against Arrogate at least once more, in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic.
On May 1, it was announced that Gun Runner's next start would be in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 17. The Stephen Foster is a "Win and You're In" race, part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. The winner of each "Win and You're In" race gets an automatic berth into a specific Breeders' Cup race, which for the Stephen Foster is the Breeders' Cup Classic. Highweighted at 124 pounds, Gun Runner drew post 3 in the Stephen Foster and was installed as the 4–5 morning line favorite. By post time, his odds had dropped to 1–2. Sent out to the lead early, Gun Runner set the pace and led the field into the first turn and onto the backstretch. On the second turn, 10–1 shot Stanford attempted to make a bid for the lead, but Gun Runner drew away to win by 7 lengths, a record margin of victory for the Stephen Foster. His final time of 1:47.56 was 0.28 seconds off of Victory Gallop's track record set in the 1999 Stephen Foster. He was given a Timeform US rating of 139 for his performance, tied with Arrogate in the Pegasus World Cup for the highest Timeform rating achieved within the US in 2017 until that point.
2018: Pegasus World Cup
On January 25, 2018, Gun Runner was voted American Champion Older Dirt Male Horse and Horse of the Year for 2017. He became the third Horse of the Year winner for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Two nights later, Gun Runner entered his last race, the Pegasus World Cup. He drew an outside post position, which was cause for concern in a race of 1+1⁄8 miles at Gulfstream Park, where the start is very close to the first turn. However, Geroux used Gun Runner's early speed to get racing room and moved quickly towards the rail, settling in second place just to the outside of Collected. The two set a brisk early pace, then Gun Runner made his move on the far turn. Collected dropped back but West Coast started to close, getting to within a length in mid-stretch before Gun Runner responded by pulling away to a 2+1⁄2 length win. Gun Runner ended his career on a five-race winning streak – all of them Grade 1 tests. The $7,000,000 winner's purse brought his lifetime earnings to $15,988,500, which ranks second all-time among North American-based thoroughbreds.
Racing statistics
An asterisk after the odds means Gun Runner was the post time favorite.
Awards
In 2024 Gun Runner was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His formal induction took place in Saratoga Springs, New York on August 2, 2024.
Stud career
After the Pegasus World Cup, Gun Runner was retired to stud at Three Chimneys for an advertised fee of $70,000 in his first season. During the 2018 breeding season, he covered 172 mares. Gun Runner's first reported foal was born on January 17, 2019, when Argentinean Group 1 winner Giuliet Seattle foaled a filly at Shadai Farm in Japan.
Gun Runner was the leading first-crop sire of 2021, setting a freshman earnings record of $4.3 million. His leading performer was Echo Zulu, the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
In 2022, Early Voting provided Gun Runner with a classic winner (Preakness Stakes) in his first crop. In 2022, Gun Runner stood for $125,000. On September 24, 2022, Gun Runner's progeny won both Grade 1 events at Parx Racing and three stakes events at Churchill Downs. Also during the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland five of his offspring were sold for over $1 million, with one filly dropping the hammer at $1.5 million.
In 2024 Gun Runner will stand for a fee of $250,000. The leading freshman sire of 2021, top second-crop sire of 2022, and current leading third-crop sire (as of October 13, 2023) is the first stallion in history to have sired nine individual millionaires with just two full crops.
Notable progeny
c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding
Pedigree
Gun Runner is inbred 4S × 4D to Fappiano, meaning Fappiano appears in the fourth generation on both the sire and dam's side of the pedigree. Gun Runner is also inbred to Blushing Groom 4S × 5D and Lyphard 5S × 4D.