Millionaire Last Gunfighter Retired
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John Gunther's Glennwood Farm announced Sept. 10 that multiple graded stakes winner Last Gunfighter has been retired from racing.
A 6-year-old son of First Samurai , Last Gunfighter was bred in Kentucky by Gunther out of the Sir Cat mare Saratoga Cat, and was campaigned by Gunther to 9-3-3 record from 21 starts, with a bankroll of just more than $1.2 million.
Last Gunfighter won four graded stakes in his career, including a 3-for-4 stretch in 2013 (his 4-year-old year), when he had back-to-back wins in the Excelsior Stakes (gr. III) and Pimlico Special Stakes (gr. III), followed by a second-place finish in the Suburban Handicap (gr. II) and a victory in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (gr. III). After a fifth-place finishes in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) and Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), he wrapped up 2013 with his final graded score in the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (gr. II).
After opening his 5-year-old season with a victory in the Mountainview Handicap at Penn National, Last Gunfighter didn't hit the board in four more graded tries, albeit against top-level competition. His last race was his only as a 6-year-old, a third-place finish in an allowance/optional claiming event at Belmont Park in June.
"It's with mixed emotions that we have decided to bring Last Gunfighter home," said Glennwood Farm's general manager Tanya Gunther. "But at age 6, it's time to consider the next stage of his career in the breeding shed. His versatility was incredible. He won stakes at five different tracks and at five different distances. In one stretch he won nine of 12 of his starts from ages three to five, including seven stakes. His Hawthorne Gold Cup win was especially memorable, considering it was just four weeks after his gutsy effort in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"We consider ourselves very fortunate to have had the pleasure of racing homebred Last Gunfighter. We fielded several inquiries while he was campaigning and since he has returned home, but we have not finalized plans for his stallion career."