Gun Runner (foaled March 8, 2013) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2017 American Horse of the Year after winning four Grade I races at age four. He retired with earnings of nearly $16 million.
As a three-year-old, he became one of the early favorites for the 2016 Kentucky Derby after winning both the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby. Following a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, he won the Matt Winn Stakes and Clark Handicap, and was second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pennsylvania Derby.
As a four-year-old in 2017, he finished second in the Dubai World Cup, then went on to win the Stephen Foster Handicap, Whitney Stakes, Woodward Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Classic. His performance in the Whitney earned him a rating of 127 in the August 2017 update of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings, ranking him in third place worldwide. Prior to retiring to stud as a five-year-old, he also won the 2018 Pegasus World Cup.
Background
Gun Runner is a chestnut stallion with a small white star and one white sock bred in Kentucky by Benjamin Leon Jr.'s Besilu Stables. His sire is Candy Ride, an Argentinian-bred horse who was undefeated in a six race career that included four Grade I wins in Argentina and the United States. Although expectations for Candy Ride at stud were initially low, he proved himself a successful sire whose offspring include champion Shared Belief. Candy Ride was among the top five sires in North America four times, including a second-place finish in 2017.
Gun Runner is the first foal out of Quiet Giant, a multiple stakes winner from a distinguished female family that traces to Hall of Fame inductee Gallorette. Quiet Giant is by three-time leading sire in North America Giant's Causeway out of the broodmare Quiet Dance, the dam of Horse of the Year Saint Liam and Grade 1 winner Funtastic. Quiet Giant was owned by Edward P. "Ned" Evans during the early part of her racing career. Following Evans' death in 2010, she finished her racing career under the ownership of his estate and was bought by Besilu Stables as a broodmare prospect at the Keeneland November sale in 2011 for $3 million. Quiet Giant was officially retired from racing and was bred to Candy Ride in 2012, resulting in the birth of Gun Runner at WinStar Farm on March 8, 2013. "He was bright and inquisitive as a young horse, never much trouble and never sick or injured", according to Chris Baker, who was then the general manager of WinStar Farm. Donnie Preston, another WinStar employee, noted that the young Gun Runner had "a little bit of fire to him."
Gun Runner was purchased in 2014 by Three Chimneys Farm as part of a package deal where Three Chimneys bought majority interests in Besilu's breeding stock, weanlings and yearlings. Three Chimneys originally planned to re-sell Gun Runner at auction as a two-year-old but instead sold a half interest in the colt to Ron Winchell for an undisclosed price upon recommendation by his bloodstock advisor Dr. David Lambert and Equine Analysis Systems.
Physically, Gun Runner is slightly taller than average, standing just under 16.2 hands high. Chris Baker, the chief operating officer of Three Chimneys, summarized Gun Runner's main assets: "Pedigree. Conformation. Athleticism. Just the way he always carried himself, just very smart, intelligent, classy. Easy-moving horse, kind of scopey and light, but in a good way — just an athlete... We've got a stallion barn that we want to fill. He was the kind that had enough of the attributes on paper, that if he did what we thought he could do, he'd be in our stallion barn. And he hasn't proven us wrong yet."
Racing history
2015: two-year-old season
Gun Runner won two of three starts at age two. On September 11, 2015, he made his career debut at Churchill Downs, winning a maiden special weight race over one mile by three-quarters of a length. He followed up with a win in an allowance race at Keeneland on October 17. He made his graded stakes race debut on November 28 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. On a muddy track, Gun Runner overcame some traffic problems to take the lead at the head of the stretch but was then overtaken and finished fourth.
2016: three-year-old season
Gun Runner won four of nine starts at age three, plus two second-place finishes and two thirds. He was part of a competitive three-year-old crop that included Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Preakness winner Exaggerator and the late developing Arrogate, winner of the Travers and Breeders Cup Classic.