Gun Runner

He was all the rage in the paddock, on the toteboard, and as it turns out, on the track as well. Hey Tuff Guy (Life Is Good) demolished a field of Churchill Downs maidens on the Memorial Day card to sail home as the newest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. Coming into the contest with five listed works to his credit, the morning praise turned into afternoon acclaim as the betting public hammered him down from 3-1 on the morning line to 3-5 favoritism by the time the gates...

Second-time starter In Scope (Gun Runner), third behind the eye-popping 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Mashallah (Maxfield) with a 90 Beyer Speed Figure at Keeneland Apr. 23, went two better Friday over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs to earn the moniker herself. Drawn wide in a deep field, the 2-1 favorite kept her face clear in this stretch out from six furlongs to one mile, racing prominently several paths off the rail under Axel Concepcion. Poised just off the flank of leader Aegis (Essential Quality), In Scope had...

Doug Cauthen still vividly remembers watching from the tunnel at Del Mar as the field reached the starting gate for the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. When Gun Runner seized the lead and zipped through an opening quarter of :22.50, Cauthen retreated a little further back into the shadows. "I was sweating bullets," Cauthen admitted, laughing at the memory. "They were flying on a track that wasn't really providing a lot of opportunities for horses on the lead. That race was loaded and it was his only other time that...

TIMONIUM, MD - The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, conducted for the first time after an untimed under-tack preview, produced its highest ever gross, average and median when it concluded Tuesday evening in Timonium. Over two days, 382 horses sold for $52,835,500 for an average of $138,313 and a median of $70,000. Those figures improved on records set just last year when 327 horses sold for $44,317,500, an average of $135,528 and a median of $60,000. "We are absolutely thrilled with the results of the 2026 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic...

Bloodstock agent Pedro Lanz, who purchased a $2.1-million colt by Flightline on behalf of KAS Stable during Monday's opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, came back Tuesday to acquire a filly by Gun Runner (hip 357) for $1.375 million for the same operation. Both juveniles were consigned by Sequel on behalf of their breeder, Chester Broman. "We needed a filly and she was my favorite," Lanz explained. "I told them, if you want the best filly, in my opinion, she is the one. She's a...

TIMONIUM, MD - The under-tack preview of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day stint at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Wednesday under increasing winds and threatening skies, but dodged the rain that was expected to hit the Timonium area later in the evening. Buyers and consignors alike continued to make adjustments to the preview's new format, which limits use of the whip and for which no workout times are provided by the sales company. "It's very strange," admitted consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables. "It's probably...

Undefeated Taj Mahal (Nyquist) has been all the rage in the lead up to the GI Preakness Stakes, and his move Saturday morning will have done nothing to cool those feelings as the Brittany Russell trainee posted his fourth consecutive bullet move. Sent out to work five furlongs with exercise rider Alex Beitia aboard, he went in company with stakes winner Regalo (Maximus Mischief) early in the morning at 6:15am. Taj Mahal cruised through splits of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, :36 2/5, and :48 flat while leading his workmate throughout....

With a smashing five-length victory in the G3 Capella Stakes at Nakayama in December, Tomoya Ozasa's T O Elvis (Volatile) earned a place in the field for the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in February. Connections elected to take a pass on that 1200-meter test--won by Imagination (Good Magic)--to give the colt more time to prepare for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at the back end of March. But owing to the ongoing hostilities in the region, T O Elvis's trip to Meydan was called off at the 11th hour and...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On one of the morning works shows leading up to the GI Kentucky Oaks, trainer Chad Brown was asked if his unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Always a Runner (Gun Runner) was, perhaps, flying into the race under the radar. "When I work her tomorrow, they'll be talking about her," he said confidently. Everybody will still be talking about her after the first Friday in May now, too. Always a Runner made it a perfect three-for-three with a powerful, come-from-behind, 1 1/4-length victory in the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky Derby 152 goes through Spendthrift Farm. Further Ado (Gun Runner) will carry Spendthrift's famed orange-and-purple silks seeking a second Kentucky Derby victory for the operation off the heels of a daylight win with a field-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Spendthrift Farm's flagship sire Into Mischief, meanwhile, will have three chances at a fourth Kentucky Derby victory. He will be very well-represented by 4-1 morning-line favorite and GI Arkansas Derby winner Renegade (Into Mischief), GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Commandment...

SOARING HIGH (f, 3, Curlin--Songbird {Ch. 2-year-old Filly, Ch. 3-year-old Filly, MGISW, $4,692,000}, by Medaglia d'Oro) made her second try a winning one when she turned in a sterling campaign opener on the Kentucky Oaks undercard Friday afternoon. The Cherie DeVaux trainee was unveiled beneath these Twin Spires last September, and ran midpack in a field that yielded Kentucky Oaks contender GSW Counting Stars (Honor A.P.) and SW Coco Connect (Connect). She went on the shelf after that effort and returned to the public worktab Mar. 26 at Keeneland when she...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Welcome to primetime, ladies. A fantastic renewal of the GI Kentucky Oaks is on tap, and, for the first time, will be held beneath the lights with an 8:40 p.m. ET post time at Churchill Downs Friday evening. Trainer Brad Cox will be shooting for a fourth Kentucky Oaks trophy with the very promising GII Gulfstream Park Oaks heroine and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Prom Queen (Quality Road). The legendary and much-missed duo of Woody Stephens and D. Wayne Lukas share the record for most...