Gun Runner Colt Sells for $2.2 Million at OBS Spring

About midway through the third of four sessions of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, a new juvenile moved to the top of the results table when Donato Lanni, agent for Zedan Racing Stables went to $2.2 million to land a son of record-breaking sire Gun Runner  .

The colt is the most expensive Gun Runner 2-year-old ever sold at auction. 

"He was a wow horse; Amr (Zedan) loved him, absolutely loved him," Lanni said. "He wanted the horse, needed him. We loved everything about him and did not want to go home without him. Amr is a very serious man, and he's very passionate about the business. He loves his horses and the game and wants to win those classic races. He loves American racing and America; he's a great guy and great for the game. The whole team loved the horse. We couldn't go home without him."

During the under tack show last week, the precocious bay sped an eighth-mile in :10 1/5.

"He performed very well and looked good doing it," Lanni noted. "He had a great gallop out and was fast for the size horse he is. He had a lot of speed, and it's nice to see a horse of that much size by Gun Runner. He looked like a two-turn route horse and showed it here; he's got gears."

Consigned by de Meric Sales, agent, the colt (Hip 782) is out of stakes winner Perfect Wife  by Majesticperfection . The colt is a full brother to Perfect Wife's winning first foal to race, grade 3-placed filly Runaway Wife .

Further down the page under the third dam is Hollywood Turf Express Handicap (G3T) winner Jungle Prince; the versatile son of Sir Cat was grade 1-placed twice on the dirt.

Bred in Kentucky by Fern Circle Stables, the colt initially sold last year for $430,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale, where de Meric Sales purchased him from the Gainesway consignment.

"We stuck our necks out a long way on this one, but he affected all of us the same way," consignor Nick de Meric commented. "We just felt he was a special one. We were all there when we bought him (as a yearling), and it was a ton of pressure. That (pinhook price) was really out of our comfort zone, but we all felt so strongly about this horse, and we had a couple of partners on him, so no one shouldered the whole load."

De Meric added: "He always did everything right. He is a horse with a great mind and loves his job. He is a horse that we were lucky to have in the barn."