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Gun Runner To Be Available To Southern Hemisphere Breeders; Bonus Offered For Golden Slipper Winner

Three Chimneys announced that Horse of the Year and champion sire Gun Runner, a six-time Gr. 1 winner and the second leading all-time money earner in North America with $15,988,500 in earnings, will be available to cover mares on Southern Hemisphere time.

Gun Runner distinguished himself on the track as the best of his generation, starting with a win on debut as a 2-year-old and culminating with wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the Pegasus World Cup (G1). He boasts a truly international pedigree, being by Argentine champion miler Candy Ride who established a world record for the mile on turf in 1:31.01. He is out of a daughter of European champion racehorse and champion sire Giant's Causeway.

In the breeding shed, Gun Runner has been nothing short of sensational. Owner Breeder Magazine wrote: “Three Chimneys is home to one of the most exciting stallions in North America, one that is already eliciting comparisons with Danzig and Mr. Prospector.”

He is the sire of a first crop 2-year-old champion and Breeders' Cup winner in Echo Zulu, an undefeated winner at 2 of three individual Grade 1 races, she won the Winning Colors Stakes (G3) last time out by 5 3/4 lengths on May 29, boosting her earnings to $2,255,375. Echo Zulu is archetypical of Gun Runner's progeny: precocious, brilliant, durable, consistent and top class.

Further to that argument is G1 winning 2-year-old Gunite, winner of the historic Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga by 5 3/4 lengths. His win last out on June 3 in the $225,000 Aristides at Churchill Downs advanced his earnings to $1,749,509, being in the money 15 times in 17 starts. Millionaire Wicked Halo, a 3 1/2-length winner at 2 of the G2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga, was second last out to champion Goodnight Olive, in the G2 Bed o' Roses. She boasts a record of 13 of 14 times in the money. Disarm, a 6 1/4-length winner at Saratoga as a 2-year-old, became Gun Runner's newest graded stakes winner with his victory on June 11 in the G3 Matt Winn Stakes. With earnings approaching $1 million, he has hit the board six times in seven starts. The narrative remains the same – precocious, brilliant, durable, consistent and top class. Yet another millionaire, Society, the runaway winner of the G1 Cotillion, most recently set a new track record at Ellis Park, blistering seven furlongs in 1:20.54 while taking the G3 Chicago Stakes in thrilling fashion, besting G1 winner Matareya.

The sire of six individual G1 winners, Gun Runner distinguished himself with a first-crop Classic winner in Early Voting. The Three Chimneys-bred colt, a winner on debut at two, followed that win with a victory next out in the G2 Withers Stakes en route to his Classic triumph in the middle leg of the Triple Crown, the $1.65 million Preakness (G1). Early Voting was acquired by Coolmore for stud duty. Another standout runner for his sire is three-time G1 winner Taiba. The $1.7 million 2-year-old sales graduate has compiled a record of four wins, one second, and one third from eight starts with career earnings of $2,356,200.

Cyberknife, another multimillionaire-multiple G1-winning son, was second by a neck to Cody's Wish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He is one of six sire sons by Gun Runner to stand or soon to stand at stud.

In the sales ring, Gun Runner's progeny have been received with vigorous enthusiasm. The $2.3 million sale-topping yearling at Saratoga last year was by Gun Runner. Given his reputation of siring world class juveniles, his 2-year-olds this year sold for up to $2.2 million.

Breaking all records among U.S. stallions with his first two crops, he was the No. 1 General Sire of 2022 by percentage of G1, graded, and black type winners and placed horses. Gun Runner was also the No. 1 sire of 3-year-olds with $13,423,330 in progeny earnings. With just two crops to race, Gun Runner currently ranks No. 5 on the General Sire list in America with $7,245,631 in current earnings with 21 individual Stakes performers.

“We have had heavy interest from farms and breeders in Australia and have already seen some great mares visit him in his first Southern Hemisphere crop, including Golden Slipper winner Estijaab,” said renowned bloodstock expert Doug Cauthen, a board member at Three Chimneys. “Being free of Danehill is something we have heard a lot from Australian breeders.”

With Gun Runner's precocity and brilliance, Three Chimneys is offering a AUD$500,000 bonus if any offspring from this crop as well as foals resulting from his first Southern Hemisphere crop produce a G1 Golden Slipper winner.

“We figured this would be a fun bonus and a possible one as well, as Slipper winner Estijaab herself is in foal to Gun Runner,” said Rebecca Nicholson, director of stallion nominations.

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Del Mar Announces Official Partnership With Keeneland Sales

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has announced an official partnership with Keeneland Sales beginning with Del Mar's summer race meet on July 21.

Del Mar and Keeneland Sales had partnered previously to mutual advantage, most recently in 2019. The new arrangement between the pair of Thoroughbred celebrities is planned for multiple seasons.

Keeneland's September Yearling Sale and its November Breeding Stock Sale are two of the most highly anticipated sale events in the nation. Del Mar's summer – and now fall – sessions are among the country's foremost race meetings.

As part of the orchestration around the partnership, Keeneland Sales will become the presenting sponsor for one of the track's longtime stakes offerings, the $200,000 Sorrento Stakes, a Grade 3 fixture for 2-year-old fillies that will have its 55th edition this year on Saturday, August 12 at six furlongs. Among its winners, the Sorrento has featured champions Silverbulletday, Chilukki, Phone Chatter, and Brave Raj.

And while the partnership will clearly be seen via the Sorrento Stakes race entitlement and the facility-wide branding privileges that comes with it, other creative campaigns to reinforce the partnership will be demonstrated via social media campaigns, media integration, and first-class hospitality.

“We're delighted to be partners once again with the folks at Keeneland,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president of racing. “The name Keeneland resounds throughout our industry and Del Mar and Keeneland are a perfect pairing.”

In addition to its Del Mar pairing, Keeneland Sales also will sponsor races for fillies at Saratoga and Keeneland this year.

Del Mar's 84th season runs from July 21 to September 10.

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Champion Wonder Wheel Retired Over ‘Minor Issues,’ To Be Sold At Fasig-Tipton November

Last year's champion juvenile filly Wonder Wheel has officially been retired from racing, the Thoroughbred Daily News reported on Friday. The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief will be pointed to the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Trained by Mark Casse for D. J. Stable, Wonder Wheel captured last year's G1 Alcibiades and G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies to clinch the Eclipse Award. This year, however, the filly has not been able to find the winner's circle in four starts. In her most recent outing on July 1, Wonder Wheel finished eighth in the G3 Selene Stakes at Woodbine.

“Wonder Wheel has been battling a couple of minor issues since her 2-year-old year,” Jon Green, the general manager of D. J. Stable, told the TDN. “She had bone bruising and a minor ankle injury. We gave her some time off and did a little procedure on her ankle to take care of a flake. Unfortunately, because she is a 17-hand beast, she continued to have some bone bruising and the same ankle has been an issue. This week, we decided that because she would need some time before we could run her again that we'd pull the plug on her racing career. She's been so valuable to us as a race horse. She's a champion and a two-time Grade 1 winner. She's too valuable a horse to continue to run her when she's not 100 percent.”

Wonder Wheel retires with a record of four wins and two seconds from nine starts, earning a total of $1,591,857.

The filly was bred by Clearsky Farms and Three Chimneys out of the multiple Grade 1-placed Tiz Wonderful mare Wonder Gal. She commanded $275,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale.

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Bloodlines: Red-Hot Tapit Was ‘Stardom Bound’ From The Start

Racers from the four most recent crops of racing age by the legendary sire Tapit (by Pulpit) lit up the winner's circles across North America over the weekend.

In Kentucky, the 5-year-old Pauline's Pearl won the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Ellis Park, racing the nine furlongs in 1:49.59 and bringing her earnings to $2.1 million. In Canada, the 4-year-old Tyson won the G3 Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine, running the nine furlongs in 1:48.32 and bringing his earnings to US$145,972. In New York, the 3-year-old Fort Bragg won the G3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont, running the mile in 1:35.37 and bringing his earnings to $321,300.

The Dwyer was the first stakes victory for Fort Bragg, who cost $700,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale and who finished second in the G2 Pat Day Stakes in his last previous start and had placed third in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity last season.

The Dominion Day was the first stakes victory for Tyson, who races for the breeders – Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run Ventures – and who has won three of his four starts. His only loss to date was a third in the G2 Eclipse Stakes a month ago.

In contrast to the more lightly raced Fort Bragg and Tyson, Pauline's Pearl is a long-time stakes performer for owner-breeder Stonestreet. The gray mare has been a graded stakes winner at 3, 4, and 5, including the G1 La Troienne Stakes last year. She has won four G3 stakes, in addition to her G2 success this weekend.

Back in Kentucky, the 2-year-old Edified represented his crop by Tapit with distinction and won his debut at Ellis Park with authority, paying $21.70. A $650,0o0 yearling last year at Keeneland September, Edified is a half-brother to G1 winner Constellation (Bellamy Road), stakes winner Truth Seeker (Into Mischief) and to a trio of stakes-placed runners (Upper Room, Queen Mum, and Back Flip).

All of these are out of the stakes winner For Royalty (Not for Love). The producer herself is out of stakes winner Taft Little Queen (Irish Open), who is a full sister to stakes winner Irish Cherry, the dam of G1 winners Spun Sugar and Daaher, both by Awesome Again. Although she didn't produce a G1 winner, Taft Little Queen is the dam of four stakes winners, including G2 winner Kiss to Remember (Big Brown) and the listed winners For Royalty, Pete's Play Call (Munnings), and El Viento (El Corredor).

So far, Edified has only won his debut in good company, but it would be no surprise if he progressed into a black-type performer. This family gets stakes horses, and Tapit is no stranger to quality juveniles.

Considered in the light of his well-established reputation for siring classic performers, Tapit first made his mark of high distinction with a champion 2-year-old. A filly from the now 21-year-old gray's first crop put her sire on the map as a stallion to reckon with, and that race filly was Stardom Bound.

Bred in Kentucky by Fletcher Gray, Carolyn Gray, and John Youngblood, Stardom Bound was out of the stakes winner My White Corvette, a robust daughter of Tarr Road (Grey Dawn). My White Corvette won a stakes in her second start and subsequently placed third in the G2 Golden Rod at 2, as well as the G3 Honeybee the following season.
Stardom Bound was the fourth foal of her dam and was notably the best. A $50,000 Keeneland September yearling, Stardom Bound returned to the sales at 2 and made $375,000, selling to Christopher Paasch at the OBS March auction of juveniles in training.
At 2, Stardom Bound began her career with seconds in a maiden in July and in the G3 Sorrento Stakes in August at Del Mar. A staying 2-year-old, Stardom Bound hit her proper form with successive Grade 1 victories in the Del Mar Debutante, Oak Leaf Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Shortly after the Breeders' Cup, Stardom Bound went through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton November sale and sold for $5.7 million to IEAH Stables.

Named champion of her division after those performances, Stardom Bound ran her streak of G1 successes to five with her first two starts at 3: the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks. She finished third in her next start, the G1 Ashland, and was then off for seven months. She never regained her best form, did not win from a campaign of three starts at 4, and was sold privately to Shadai Farm in 2010, in foal to Big Brown.

As a result, all of Stardom Bound's foals have been bred in Japan and are relatively unknown here in the States. Bred to some of the best stallions in Japan, Stardom Bound has five foals of racing age, with four winners. Her second foal, Lord Kanunu (King Kamehameha) and third foal, April Mist (Deep Impact), were both stakes-placed during their careers on the turf.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the produce record of Stardom Bound is that she has been very unlucky. She was twice barren to super sire Deep Impact, and for five of the last six years, the mare has not produced a live foal. The 17-year-old does have a yearling filly by Orfevre, and Stardom Bound's two older daughters are both producers, with both of their first foals being 2-year-olds of 2023; so there remains a ray of hope that Stardom Bound, or one of her daughters, may yet produce a racer of quality similar to the champion herself.

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