Headline Numbers rolled to a 11 3/4-length debut maiden special weight win July 4 at Aqueduct to become the 13th TDN Rising Star for Gun Runner.
The chestnut 3-year-old, who was a $325,000 purchase by owner Klaravich Stables Inc. out of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling sale, was ultra-impressive in the one-mile main track affair.
Unhurried early, Headline Numbers was sixth of seven for the first half-mile. Despite being four-wide on the turn, she easily passed the field and took the lead before turning for home. In the stretch she widened her lead with every stride to finish up in 1:36.15 on a fast track.
The winner was bred in Kentucky by Alter’s Racing Stables, Inc. She is out of Curlin’s Mistress, who is a full sister to three-time graded stakes winner Curlin’s Approval.
Gun Runner is currently third on this year’s General Sire List, with more than $10.7 million in progeny earnings. He is the leading sire of Grade 1 winners this year, with three: Gun Pilot, Vahva, and Sierra Leone.
