Breeders’ Cup Sires: Gun Runner

By Jarrod Horak

This is my third article in my five-part Breeders’ Cup sires series. I began my series with 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Curlin, and last time I covered 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic. In this post, I will discuss 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Gun Runner.  

Race Record

Gun Runner (Candy Ride – Quiet Giant, by Giant’s Causeway) went 12-for-19 from September 2015 through January 2018, and earned a cool $15.9 million. He captured seven Grade 1 races including the prestigious Whitney, Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Pegasus World Cup.  

Breeders’ Cup 

Gun Runner’s first Breeders’ Cup appearance was in the 2016 Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.  Steve Asmussen’s colt stalked from the outside post, took a short lead, and held the place behind sharp late running winner Tamarkuz. He competed in the 2017 BC Classic at Del Mar, and he set a pressured pace under Florent Geroux and edged clear to score by 2 1/4 lengths over Bob Baffert runners Collected and West Coast. 

Stakes Winners

Gun Runner has had tremendous success at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. He is responsible for Grade 1 winners Cyberknife, Early Voting, Echo Zulu, Gunite, Society, and Taiba, and 2-year-old colt Locked became his latest Grade 1 winner in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 7.  His current stallion fee is $250,000.

Breeders’ Cup Sires: Gun Runner

Gun Runner sired 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Echo Zulu (Gun Runner – Letgomyecho, by Menifee), and she finished second in the 2022 BC Filly & Mare Sprint. She was 3-for-3 in 2023 including a victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga Aug. 26. She shipped to Santa Anita earlier this month and was preparing for the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, but was injured during a workout and had surgery and has been retired. 

Three-time Grade 1 winner Taiba (Gun Runner – Needmore Flattery, by Flatter) finished third in the 2022 BC Classic.   

Breeders’ Cup 2023 Runners

Chatalas (Gun Runner – Indian Safari, by Indian Charlie) earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with a wire-to-wire victory from the inside post in the Grade 2 Chandelier at Santa Anita on Oct. 7. 

Gunite (Gun Runner – Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal) was fourth in the 2022 BC Dirt Mile. He captured the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on August. 26. He arrived at Santa Anita earlier this month and is expected to make his next start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. 

Locked (Gun Runner – Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon) captured his last two starts and overcame a wide trip from the outside post in the Breeders’ Futurity. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is his next engagement. 

Society (Gun Runner – Etiquette, by Tapit) was unplaced in the 2022 BC Distaff. She wired the field in her last two stakes starts at seven panels and is targeting the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. She has worked three times at Santa Anita since October. 6 including a five panel move in 59.80 on October. 21.