Gun Runner Stakes

Sent off as the 39-10 third choice in a field of six for Saturday's Gun Runner Stakes at the Fair Grounds, Leland Ackerley Racing LLC's Chip Honcho (Connect) prompted the early pace and kept plugging away down the long stretch to be up on the wire and earn 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The $210,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling--with blinkers added off a Churchill one-mile maiden win Nov. 20--broke to his right, causing a bit of a chain reaction, but he showed speed enough to track the...

7th-FG, $56K, OC50k/n2x, 3yo/up, 6f, 4:45 p.m. ET. In last year's Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds, BUILT (Hard Spun) went gate to wire and won by 6 3/4 lengths for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. After running through the rest of the Louisiana series, the colt bypassed the Derby and opted for the GII Pat Day Mile, finishing well-beaten. Now ready to return to the races in New Orleans he will have the services of Jareth Loveberry. Initially an $82,000 Keeneland September grad, Eclipse acquired Built for $260,000 at the 2024...

Liberty National (Maxfield), named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' following an impressive maiden victory on the Stars of Tomorrow II program at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, could make his next start in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Dec. 20. A well-beaten sixth on debut for trainer Ken McPeek in a live maiden special weight at Keeneland Oct. 16, the Brookdale Racing, Inc. and Fern Circle Stables colorbearer took to two turns with aplomb at second asking with a 4 1/4-length, come-from-behind decision beneath the Twin...

Built (Hard Spun) will bypass the GI Kentucky Derby and point to the GII Pat Day Mile, according to a Friday post on X by owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. A $260,000 OBS April purchase, Built worked five furlongs in :59.40 (1/9) at Churchill Downs Thursday. "It's a huge honor to have qualified for the Kentucky Derby, but we have opted for the GII $600k Pat Day Mile, a race we believe is better suited for Built," the post read. "Thanks to our wonderful Eclipse TBP & Cat Racing Stable for...

Built (Hard Spun), a 6 3/4-length, front-running winner over Magnitude (Not This Time) in the Gun Runner Stakes Dec. 21, has been tabbed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GIII Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds. The Lecomte offers 42 points (20-10-6-4-2) on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby. The Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners colorbearer was able to dictate the pace through easy fractions of :24 3/5 and :49 1/5 and drew off impressively to earn a field-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure while facing just four rivals that day. Built...

Built (Hard Spun), a maiden winner at second asking at Keeneland Oct. 6, stretched to two turns in style with a daylight victory in Saturday's Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds, good for 10 points on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby. Off at odds of 7-2, the rail-drawn Built showed the way through fractions of :24.64 and :49.23 and dropped the hammer in the stretch to win by 6 3/4 lengths. Magnitude (Not This Time) was second; Render Judgment (Blame) was third. Heavily favored 'TDN Rising Star' Admiral...

A day after Track Phantom (Quality Road)'s win in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds Saturday, trainer Steve Asmussen was already looking forward to starting the 3-year-old colt in the Feb. 17 GII Risen Star S. The sophomore, who ended 2023 with a win in the Gun Runner S., will be following the same New Orleans path to the GI Kentucky Derby that Asmussen used for Epicenter (Not This Time) two years ago. Epicenter won the Gun Runner in 2021 and finished second in the Lecomte to begin his...