Gunnevera: From Orphan to Classic Contender

On Feb. 28, 2014, breeders Pam and Jim Robinson sprung into action to save the life of Unbridled Rage when the 19-year-old broodmare began to hemorrhage while delivering a healthy, leggy colt.

The daughter of Unbridled seemed to be rallying over the next few days before suddenly dying, orphaning the colt who was later named Gunnevera. Three years and a month later, the colt will enter the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park April 1 as one of the leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).

"She hemorrhaged and after about three days we had her stable," said Pam, who owns and operates Brandywine Farm in Paris, Ky. with her husband, Jim. "She was doing quite well, but 10 days after foaling, she dropped dead from a heart attack. It was so unfortunate."

            

The Robinsons, who moved to Kentucky and purchased the 600-acre Brandywine Farm in 1998, brought in a Paint mare to nurse Gunnevera, the orphaned son of Dialed In  .

"Most of those nurse mares produce so much milk—lots of good, rich milk," Pam said. "They're kind of like milk cows, so he got plenty of nutrition early on. That's for sure."

Gunnevera flourished with the abundant nourishment and extra attention.

"He was probably extra spoiled," Pam said. "He was always at the gate wanting to be played with—almost like a big puppy dog."

Gunnevera was very much the colt she envisioned him to be when she decided to breed Unbridled Rage to Dialed In.

"Dialed In, when I saw him, is a big, good-looking horse. You couldn't ask for a better conformation horse," said Pam, who purchased two breeding rights to the 2011 Florida Derby winner. "The two, physically, I thought should produce a big, strong horse, which they did. Gunnevera has always been a big colt—a very athletic colt."

The Kentucky-bred colt didn't attract much attention at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, where he brought a top bid of $16,000 from South Florida-based trainer Antonio Sano for Peacock Racing Stables.

"We were very disappointed. We thought he'd bring a lot more than that, but we're in the business of breeding, so we can't just accumulate them," Pam said. "I think he was the second yearling going through the ring that day, and there was nobody there. Personally, if I'm trying to buy something, I take a very good look at the first horses going through the ring. Usually the first horses and the last horses—people tend to get there late and leave early— that's when you seem to get your best bargains (and) your best buys."

Gunnevera has gone on to amass more than $1 million in purse earnings and multiple graded stakes wins with victories in the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), the Delta Downs Jackpot (G3) and, most recently, the March 4 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).

WINCZE HUGHES: Gunnevera Comes From Clouds in Fountain of Youth

"It's a wonderful feeling seeing one of our babies go on to accomplish things. I also follow my horses that run in claiming races, maiden special weights, and allowance races," Pam said. "They're all kind of our kids. Whenever they can perform at the top of their ability, you're always happy."

Stephen Upchurch, the former Brandywine farm manager and longtime employee before venturing out on his own, is a co-breeder of Gunnevera.

"We gave him a third of the mare," Pam said.

The Robinsons were more successful at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, where they sold a son of Uncle Mo   for $300,000. Later named Royal Mo the colt captured the Robert  B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita Park in February. They've also bred 2011 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Ruler On Ice, 2014 Arkansas Derby (G1) victor and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Danza  , multiple graded stakes winner and 2013 Preakness (G1) runner-up Itsmyluckyday  , and grade 1 winner Majestic Harbor  .

"When Ruler On Ice, who was our first classic horse, won the Belmont and then ran third in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), I'm not sure we really understood what an accomplishment that was," Pam said. "It's becoming more and more apparent that these are great treats. When we got to Danza, it started to hit home a little bit. He got such a bad trip in the Derby."

Robinson is the retired director of the graduate program for sports medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and she served on the U.S. Olympic physiological testing committee.

"I worked for elite athletes for 25 years, so you'd think some things carry over (to Thoroughbreds)," said Pam, whose husband is a retired engineer who worked at General Telephone and Electronics.