Guns Loaded, second in his Aug. 31 debut, made his second outing a winning one Saturday at Churchill Downs, rolling home by three lengths to earn a ‘TDN Rising Star’ for the sparkling effort [WATCH RACE].
The 2-year-old is the 16th TDN Rising Star for Gun Runner, joining luminaries such as Sierra Leone, Echo Zulu and Taiba.
Guns Loaded sped right to the front in Saturday’s six-furlong contest, clearing off by two lengths in the first quarter-mile. He widened his lead to 3 ½-lengths turning for home, then maintained a comfortable margin down the stretch to finish up in an excellent 1:09.90 on a fast track.
Guns Loaded, who is owned by Morplay Racing LLC, Joey Platts and Lady Sheila Stable, picked up $69,000 in victory. The dark bay colt was bred by John Oxley and sold to his owners for $800,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale.
Gun Runner, currently second on the 2024 General Sire list, surpassed the $20 million mark in progeny earnings with Sierra Leone’s gallant victory in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Gun Runner will stand the 2025 season for $250,000 LFSN.
