Gun Runner | Horse Racing Free Tips

Spendthrift Acquires Cyberknife’s Breeding Rights

Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to recent GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. winner and GI Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner–Awesome Flower, by Flower Alley). The Gold Square LLC colorbearer will stand at the Lexington, KY farm at the conclusion of his racing career.

“We are grateful to [owner] Al Gold and his team for allowing us to acquire the stallion rights to such an exciting horse as Cyberknife,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “Gun Runner has certainly asserted himself as a serious sire with his first crop, and Cyberknife is his only multiple Grade I-winning son, having impressively won two of America's biggest million-dollar Grade Is for 3-year-olds–the Arkansas Derby and Haskell.”

Toffey added, “Cyberknife is a very good-looking, very athletic colt, and I know their team believes that he is only getting better. He will be a wonderful addition to our roster when his racing career is over. In the meantime, we very much look forward to seeing what Cyberknife can accomplish on the track.”

Conditioned by Brad Cox, the $400,000 FTKSEL yearling scored a breakout victory in the Apr. 2 Arkansas Derby, and bounced back from a wide trip in the GI Kentucky Derby to annex Churchill's Matt Winn S. June 12. He set a Monmouth track record of 1:46.24 for nine panels when besting highest-level winners Taiba (Gun Runner) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the July 23 Haskell.

“I'm excited about teaming with Spendthrift on Cyberknife, and I look forward to watching him have a productive stallion career,” said Gold. “Cyberknife is a very athletic, tractable colt. You saw [jockey] Florent [Geroux] use him at multiple points to be able to make the winning move in the Haskell, which produced one of the fastest Ragozin numbers by any 3-year-old. We are very excited about him in the [Aug. 27 GI Runhappy] Travers and further down the road in the Breeders' Cup Classic.”

Cyberknife returned to the worktab Saturday, breezing a half at Saratoga in :49.96 (73/104).

“Cyberknife has always been a tremendous talent from day one, and he's continued to get better as a 3-year-old,” said trainer Brad Cox.

One of five Grade I winners from the potent first crop of Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Cyberknife is out of MSW/MGSP Awesome Flower and hails from the family of GISWs Well Armed (Tiznow) and American Patriot (War Front).

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Gun Runner’s Disarm Fires a Big One at the Spa for ‘Rising Star’ Honors

Disarm (c, 2, Gun Runner–Easy Tap, by Tapit), a visually impressive rallying third behind subsequent GIII Sanford S. winner Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) going 5 1/2 furlongs on debut at Churchill Downs June 19, took a big step forward to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors in his second trip to the post at Saratoga Saturday.

Drawn on the fence in this seven-furlong affair, the Winchell homebred traveled nicely on the inside in fifth through an opening quarter in :22.77. The 9-5 second-choice was tipped out three deep leaving the quarter pole and powered home in style down the stretch to graduate by 6 1/4 lengths over Arthur's Ride (Tapit). Crupi (Curlin), part of the Todd Pletcher-trained favored entry, came flying late from another zip code to just miss second.

“Lots of talent–he was highly touted coming from mom and dad's,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said on FS2's Saratoga Live. “High expectations. Didn't do much correctly first time out, just because he's a big boy. Looks like he's gonna stretch out beautifully. We will definitely get to dream with him for a while.”

Disarm becomes the fifth 'Rising Star' for last year's record-setting freshman sire Gun Runner.

The Gun Runner over Tapit cross–two of the best to ever carry the maroon-and-white Winchell silks–is already responsible for last term's GII Adirondack S. heroine Wicked Halo, Monomoy Girl S. winner Society and Texas Turf Mile S. winner Red Run.

Disarm's dam Easy Tap–a $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling purchase–won one of five starts for the Winchells and Asmussen. The 12-year-old has produced Tap Daddy (Scat Daddy), a winner of Pimlico's James W. Murphy S. and runner-up in the GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. for these same connections. He was also a champion stayer in Venezuela after being sold privately. Easy Tap is also responsible for the multiple stakes-placed Total Tap (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a Gun Runner colt of this year. Easy Tap was bred back to Silver State for 2023.

For more on Disarm, click here for a recent column in Steve Sherack's 'Second Chances' series.

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-6, 2yo, 7f, 1:24.51, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
DISARM, c, 2, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Easy Tap, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Easily, by Vicar
                3rd Dam: White Jasmine, by Whitesburg
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $69,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. *1/2 to Tap Daddy (Scat Daddy), Ch. Stayer-Ven, SW & GSP-USA, MSW-Ven, $252,384; Total Tap (Candy Ride {Arg}), MSP, $221,112.

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August 6 Insights: Justify Half-Brother to Commissioner Debuts

5th-DMR, $80k, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 7:04p.m. ET
Hronis Racing LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing LLC have partnered up to unveil the latest blue-blooded colt by Justify, this one named HAWKER. Shelling out a cool $675,000 for him at KEESEP, his pedigree warrants the implied expectations: out of GSP Flaming Heart (Touch Gold), it makes Hawker a half to GISP & MGSW Commissioner (A.P. Indy), GISP & GSW Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), and to the dam of MGISW Vino Rosso (Curlin). All three of the colt's closest female line dams have black-type victories to their name as well as being producers of black-type earners. John Sadler sends him to post here. To Hawker's inside, and only slightly less expensive, is the Bob Baffert-trained Carmel Road (Quality Road). Out of a stakes-winner of over $435,000 in lifetime earnings, the colt is a half to stakes-placed Night Time Lady (Midnight Lute). The second dam, a full-sister to GIII Jaipur H. winner Multiple Choice (Mt. Livermore), produced GSP Silver City (Unbridled's Song) and Elope (Gone West). He brought $650,000 as a KEESEP yearling from 'The Avengers' partnership group. Dr. Soulfire (West Coast) will be the $300,000 EASMAY (:10 flat) flag bearer in this race for his freshman sire. TJCIS PPs

6th-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 3:24 p.m. EDT
Continuing the parade of glamorous juvenile debuts at the Spa, Godolphin will send out homebred WADSWORTH (Quality Road), the first colt to the races for GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley S. victress Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). Second dam Little Belle (A.P. Indy) won the GI Ashland S. before going on to a runner-up performance in the GI Kentucky Oaks and Coaching Club American Oaks. That one is the full-sister to the granddam of Munnyfor Ro (Munnings), Canadian champion 3-year-old filly of 2021. The partnership of Repole Stable and St Elias Stable will send out a one-two punch in coupled entries Crupi (Curlin) and Point Proven (Gun Runner) for Todd Pletcher. The latter was a $675,000 KEESEP buy, and the half-brother to GIII Beaumont S. winner Twenty Carat (Into Mischief) hails from the female family of Breeders' Cup winning mother-daughter duo Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sharing (Speightstown) through the second dam. Crupi ($275,000 KEESEP) claims half-relation Royal Spirit (Into Mischief), recently placed in the GIII Kitten's Joy, and second dam Caroni (Rubiano) produced GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), MGISP Beautician (Dehere), and MGSW Red Ruby (Tiznow). TJCIS PPs

1st-SAR, $105k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:35p.m. ET
Calumet Farm unveils TRACK MATE (Union Rags) over the long grass contest here, the son of MGISP Teammate (A.P. Indy) going to post for D Wayne Lukas. The dam is a half to top sire War Front (Danzig) as well as two-time GIII Jaipur S. winner Ecclesiastic (Pulpit); MGSP Riviera Cocktail (Giant's Causeway); GSW North Dakota (Medaglia d'Oro); and GSP Jay Gatsby (Giant's Causeway). Track Mate has sibling shadows to outrun as the half to SW Team of Teams (Elusive Quality), MGSP Team Colors (Street Cry {Ire}), and SP Seven Away (Oxbow). Another well-pedigreed homebred in Red Route One (Gun Runner) goes to post here as well, this one for Winchell Thoroughbreds. The second to the races behind stakes-winning full-brother Red Run, the colt's second dam is Broodmare of the Year Fun House (Prized), who produced champion 3-year-old filly and GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Untapable (Tapit); millionaire GISW Paddy O'Prado; and the dam of GSW Majestic Eagle (Medaglia d'Oro). Freshman sire City of Light will be represented by $500,000 FTSAUG grad Battle of Normandy for West Point and Woodford Racing. TJCIS PPs

3rd-ELP, $60k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:46p.m. ET
Three well-regarded colts will line up next to each other in the gate here, led by SUNDANCE (Quality Road), an $800,000 KEESEP procurement for WinStar, Siena Farm, and Gainesway Stable. Out of 'TDN Rising Star' Cherry Lodge (Bernardini), half-sister to GISW Stormello (Stormy Atlantic) and his full-brother GSW My Best Brother, the dam's full-sibling Gala Award annexed the GIII Palm Beach S. while half-sister Atlantic Voyage (Stormy Atlantic) produced Canadian champion 2 & 3-year-old filly Curlin's Voyage (Curlin). Sundance will be his dam's first to make it to the races and is in Rodolphe Brisset's tutelage. Quality Road's other pricey juvenile in here is Brad Cox's Jace's Road, a $510,000 KEESEP buy for the West Point and Albaugh Family Stables partnership. Splitting those two is another debuting Godolphin homebred in Face Value (Medaglia d'Oro). He's out of Face It (Tapit), who is a half-sister to MGISW It's Tricky (Mineshaft), herself dam of MGSW Enticed (Medaglia d'Oro). That mare also produced GSP Enliven (Ghostzapper). Face Value goes to post for Brendan Walsh. TJCIS PPs

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Gunite Game in Amsterdam Victory, Corniche Fades to Last

While all eyes were on returning champion Corniche (Quality Road) who faded to last, Gunite (Gun Runner) completed a big weekend at Saratoga for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen with a gritty victory in the GII Amsterdam S. in upstate New York Sunday. Sent off at 7-1, last year's GI Hopeful S. winner battled Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) through fractions of :21.78 and :44.60, while Corniche sat in stalking position behind the dueling leaders. As the champ backed up on the turn, Gunite strode to the lead into the lane before bravely holding off Accretive (Practical Joke) to win by a neck while completing the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.75.

“It's just nice to come back to where he won his Grade I last year and have another win in a Grade II,” said owner Ron Winchell. “He was training great. He was training like he wanted to go on from his 2-year-old year and do exactly what he did. Sometimes, you never know if they move on and continue to win graded stakes, but he got it done today.”

Of Corniche, jockey Luis Saez said, “He broke good and was in a good position. He was right there. He probably needed the race.”

Winchell Thoroughbreds was in the Saratoga winner's circle Saturday with GII Jim Dandy S. winner Epicenter (Not This Time), while Asmussen made the trip with both Epicenter and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. winner Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music).

“We've been blessed with some extremely nice horses and they make it all possible,” Asmussen said of his Spa weekend.

Gunite, who captured his maiden at Churchill Downs last June, finished second in the Aug. 14 GII Saratoga Special before romping home by 5 3/4 lengths in the Sept. 6 GI Hopeful S. He went to the sidelines following a fifth-place effort in the Oct. 2 GI Champagne S., but showed he had improved with the time off when he returned to action with a runner-up effort in a Churchill optional claimer June 3. He prepped for this return to graded action with another gritty victory in the July 3 Maxfield S. in Louisville last time out.

“In his last race, he wasn't away cleanly and it put him in a different position,” Asmussen said. “I thought that was a similar race to the horse we ran here last year, just handy and in a good spot, tenacious to the wire. Extremely good win and obviously we're on to the [Aug. 27 GI] Allen Jerkens from here.”

Pedigree Notes:

Gunite was one of three first-crop juveniles by Gun Runner to win graded stakes at Saratoga last summer and is one of the Three Chimneys sire's five Grade I winners to date. The stallion was represened last weekend by GI Haskell S. winner Cyberknife and runner-up Taiba.

Gunite is the first foal out of Winchell homebred and stakes winner Simple Surprise, who has an unraced 2-year-old full-sister to Gunite named Surprise Attack who sold for $400,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The mare also has a yearling filly by Copper Bullet and a weanling filly by Tapiture. She was bred back to Gun Runner this year.

Winchell Thoroughbreds also bred and campaigned Gunite's second dam, stakes winner and graded placed Simplify.

Sunday, Saratoga
AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 7-31, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:15.75, ft.
1–GUNITE, 122, c, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Simple Surprise (SW, $185,446), by Cowboy Cal
                2nd Dam: Simplify, by Pulpit
                3rd Dam: Classic Olympio, by Olympio
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Tyler Gaffalione. $110,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 9-4-3-1,
$548,099. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Accretive, 118, g, 3, Practical Joke–Mallory Street, by Street
Sense. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($180,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Falcon Wood
Partners (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $40,000.
3–Runninsonofagun, 119, g, 3, Gun Runner–Golden Artemis, by
Malibu Moon. ($16,000 2yo '21 KEEJAN). O-The Estate of Scott
Zimmerman; B-Dattt Farm LLC (KY); T-John T. Toscano, Jr.
$24,000.
Margins: NK, 4 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 7.40, 2.95, 56.25.
Also Ran: Pappacap, My Prankster, Hoist the Gold, Surfer Dude, Pinehurst, Corniche.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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