Gun Runner

It's been a long time between drinks for Vahva (Gun Runner), the 2024 GI Derby City Distaff Stakes winner whose last career win came exactly a year ago in the Chicago Stakes at Churchill Downs, when it was a Grade III event. Upgraded to Grade II this year, the Chicago Stakes was targeted by Vahva's connections after the now-5-year-old made no impact in this year's edition of the Derby City Distaff. Irad Ortiz, Jr. kept her a little closer to the pace than usual in the Chicago, as she tracked...

OCALA, FL - With a flurry of late big-ticket items, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day run with a new record price, as well as highwater marks for both average and median. "You always hope," OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said when asked if he expected the splash of records. "We saw the same pattern that we saw in the 2-year-old market all year and I am glad that it held all the way to June. Sometimes you worry about the last...

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) fired a four-furlong bullet in :48.25 (1/21) over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track Thursday morning. The GII Suburban S. going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga July 4 will be next for this year's runaway GI Santa Anita Handicap winner. Locked was last seen finishing fourth behind his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), who set a new track record for 1 1/16 miles in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs on...

4th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 2:13p.m. ET Leaving the four hole on this unveiling as the most expensive auction buy in the race, CANNONEER (Into Mischief) will be carrying the colors of the partnership of St Elias and Stonestreet Stables. A $1.75-million purchase last year at KEESEP, the son of top sire Into Mischief claims a fleet of accomplished half-siblings, most notable being the late GSW & MGISP Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) and sire GISW Girvin (Tale of Ekati). Also in dam Catch the Moon (Malibu Moon)'s family portrait is...

10th-SA, $61k, Msw, 3-5yo, 6 1/2fT, 8:38p.m. ET Side by side in the gate for their debut, HARMONIQUE (Nyquist) and Neema (Curlin) will be unveiled for their respective connections in this night cap at Santa Anita Park. The former is a homebred for Thor-Bred Stables, and is a daughter of GI Oak Leaf Stakes victress Rigoletta (Concerto)--thus a half-sister to the late GI Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile winner Battle of Midway (Smart Strike). She also claims MSW & MGSP Moretti (Medaglia d'Oro) as a half-sibling as well as the dam...

It was tight at the end of Killarney's opener on Tuesday, but Ballydoyle's $1.25million Keeneland September graduate Gun Carriage held on to break his maiden. Third on debut behind stablemate Stay True over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown last month, the son of Gun Runner whose triple Graded-Stakes-placed dam Special Event is a half to the GII Swaps Stakes winner Chief Havoc was always on the front end. Battling against the rail to ward off Standard Deviation, the 11-10 favourite had a nose to spare over that son of Invincible Spirit...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a Ballydoyle runner having his second career start. 5.20 Killarney, Mdn, €14,500, 3yo, c/g, 8f 31yT GUN CARRIAGE (Gun Runner) is a key runner for Ballydoyle as he bids to build on his solid debut effort over 10 furlongs when third to stablemate Stay True at...

5th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 1mT, 2:46p.m. ET OLYMPIC DAME (Medaglia d'Oro) will break from the rail here wearing the colors of Qatar Racing for trainer Brendan Walsh. A $385,000 FTSAUG purchase in 2023, the price looked like a steal three months later when her half-brother Honor Marie (Honor Code) brought home the trophy for the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in late November, and kept himself in the headlines from there, running through the 2024 Kentucky Derby trail by route of Louisiana and eventually finishing eighth in the big...

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Two-Year-Olds In-Training sale has supplemented an additional 36 entries to the catalogue, highlighted by a Gun Runner half-brother to multiple champion MGISW Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). The May 15 colt, consigned by Hoppel LLC as agent, counts not only the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine as a half-sister but GSW Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice) as a half-brother as well. Their dam has produced six winners from seven to the races. The Florida-bred is set to go as HIP 559. Juveniles by major stallions like Constitution, Maxfield, Munnings,...

9th-CD, $141K, OC100K/N3X, 3yo/up, 6f, 5:13 p.m. ET. WORLD RECORD (Gun Runner) in his second start for WinStar and BBN Racing going seven over Churchill's main track last May was certainly impressive when he won by 6 1/4 lengths. That effort garnered the colt 'TDN Rising Star' honors and the Rodolphe Brisset trainee proceeded to run third in the Maxfield Stakes over course and distance, and then he checked off the GII Amsterdam Stakes at the Spa in late July. Despite finishing sixth in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial...

Part of a favored Klaravich Stable entry favored at 70 cents on the dollar, Strategic Focus (c, 3, Gun Runner--Curlin's Mistress, by Curlin) turned in a highly polished debut effort, outfinishing a pair of older rivals to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' for his boom sire. Drawn widest in a field of eight, the $500,000 Keeneland September purchase broke fractionally to his right and was taken in hand by Dylan Davis to race in the second half of the field behind fractions of :23.38 for the opening quarter and...

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, which means that spring has sprung and hopefully cold blasts are fixed over yonder. This kind of weather propagates the condition known to many as Derby fever, which technically has no definable cure. So, while you're tinkering with mint julep recipes or heading to the dry cleaners with your seersucker to keep the vapors in check, maybe what you need is to take a look at the weekend's graded stakes slate. The races are chock full of options, so let's not...