Gun Runner won his first two races before fading to fourth in a Grade 2 event that ended his 2-year-old season. At 3 he won four stakes (Risen Star, Louisiana Derby, Matt Winn, Clark) but came up short in the Kentucky Derby, Haskell Stakes, Travers Stakes, Pennsylvania Derby and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Nice horse — consistent, durable, but not quite top class.

Magnitude. Coady Photo.
Gun Runner Stakes: Hall of Fame Legacy Meets Road to the Kentucky Derby
Then came his great leap forward, because at age 4 Gun Runner became an unstoppable locomotive. His 2017 Horse of the Year campaign included consecutive Grade 1 triumphs in the Stephen Foster, Whitney, Woodward and Breeders’ Cup Classic. He made it five in a row the following January with a romp in the Pegasus World Cup, his career finale.
He’s been a sensation as a stallion, siring 10 Grade 1 winners, including Classic hero Sierra Leone, and commanding a $250,000 stud fee at Three Chimneys Farm. In August he was a first-ballot inductee to the Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.
The $100,000, 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner Stakes for 2-year-olds will be run for the fourth time Saturday at the Fair Grounds, site of its namesake’s first stakes victory. It’s a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, awarding points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis for the first five finishers. (It’s only a five-horse field, so everyone gets a participation trophy.) Also featured on the six-stakes card is the Untapable, which offers Kentucky Oaks points to the 2-year-old fillies.
For those who bet horse racing, here are a few handicapping tips for the Gun Runner. Horses are listed in post-position order from the rail out, with jockey, trainer and odds in parentheses:
1 BUILT
(Corey Lanerie, Wayne Catalano, 7-2)
Speedy colt appears to have a pace advantage as he makes his stakes and two-turn debut. Expect Lanerie to gun from the rail, and if he shakes free, Built’s solid distance pedigree (by Hard Spun out of a Curlin mare) could take him home.
Verdict: Win contender
2 RENDER JUDGMENT
(Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 4-1)
Broke his maiden going two turns in his second start before finishing a never-close fifth in Grade 2 stakes at Churchill Downs. No early speed, so he should have too much to do to catch up.
Verdict: Toss
3 MAGNITUDE
(Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen, 2-1)
Stalked slow pace last time to win first time going two turns. Ortiz, a brilliant position rider, is dominating (35% wins) early in the Fair Grounds meet. Probably will track the pace and hope to get first run on the others if Built fades.
Verdict: Win contender
4 CHRIS’S REVENGE
(Jaime Torres, Brittany Russell, 6-1)
Deserves being the longest shot on the morning line. His only victory was in a maiden optional claimer going 6½ furlongs. Russell is an excellent trainer who’s having a terrific year, but this guy is up against it.
Verdict: Toss
5 ADMIRAL DENNIS
(Luis Saez, Brad Cox, 9-5)
He’s been training well at the Fair Grounds after coasting by 3½ lengths under Saez going a mile at Churchill. Sire Constitution and maternal grandsire Union Rags give him a big chance to excel his first time going two turns. Cox has a barn filled with top 2-year-olds, and Saez has been riding a hot streak.
Verdict: The horse to beat
The picks: 1 Admiral Dennis 2 Built 3 Magnitude

The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.