Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Three Chimneys Farm’s Gun Runner turned in one of the most impressive performance of the year in Saturday night’s $500,000 Stephen Foster H. (G1), drawing off in the stretch under a hand ride to take the 1 1/8-mile test by a record seven lengths.
The final time of 1:47.56 just missed the track record by 1/5th of a second and could have easily been broken has Gun Runner’s jockey Florent Geroux asked the 4-year-old colt for more in the stretch.
In a performance befitting a 1-2 favorite, Gun Runner broke well and was on top by a length after a quarter mile in :23.59. Controlling the pace the entire way, he got a brief challenge from Stanford on the final bend, but coming into the stretch Geroux shook the reins and Gun Runner blasted away from the field to win wrapped up.
“It’s special to win a Grade One, but now we have our ticket punched to the Breeders’ Cup,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “We got him to the winner’s circle here at home and we set ourselves up for a great second-half campaign. I can’t thank our owners enough. This horse is incredibly special in so many ways.”
Asmussen was referring to the win securing the colt a starting spot in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 4. The Foster is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win & You’re In Classic Division” series of races, which awards winners of its races an automatic berth in Breeders’ Cup Classic along with traveling expenses for the journey to Southern California.
Gun Runner, who ran second to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March, figures to meet that foe again in the Breeders’ Cup, if not before. Saturday’s win upped Gun Runner’s record to 8-3-2 in 15 starts, with earnings of $4,638,500.
