Gun Runner’s brilliant racing career ended with a tremendous victory in Saturday’s $16 million Pegasus Inv. (G1) at Gulfstream Park and capped an incredible week that also saw him named both Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male at the Eclipse Award Ceremony on Jan. 25.
The race couldn’t have turned out better for his owners Three Chimneys Farm and Winchell Thoroughbreds. Drawing post ten had been a concern, but jockey Florent Geroux got his mount into excellent position in second, just outside of Collected, going into the first turn.
Those two were 1-2 for the first half-mile, which went in a lively 46 seconds. Going into the final turn, Gun Runner moved for the lead without urging. Collected began to fade, and his stablemate West Point took up the chase, but Gun Runner was far too good, and came home about three lengths in front.
“He’s improved with every opportunity that he got,” Gun Runner’s trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Even when he didn’t have success, he moved forward from it. He’s just a special individual and we’re so blessed to be in his presence.”
The winner’s share of the Pegasus, the world’s richest horse race, was $7 million and pushed Gun Runner’s career earnings to $15,988,500, second-most all-time among North American-based horses.
In the coming days, Gun Runner will be shipped to Kentucky to join the stallion roster at Three Chimneys. The farm will announce exactly when he will begin stud duties in the near future.
