Gun Runner Getting Acquainted with Southern California

The same Gun Runner that Scott Blasi has seen at several other racetracks made his first trip around the Santa Anita Park main track Sept. 27.

"It's like anywhere he goes," said Blasi, trainer Steve Asmussen's lead assistant, after the colt's one-mile gallop. "Nothing seems to bother him. He's the same horse."

Blasi speaks with confidence, not only because the 4-year-old Candy Ride  colt has won three straight grade 1 races, but because of the way he's handled everything his connections have thrown at him. It also helps that this tactic—to ship to California early for a Breeders' Cup and train locally up to a race—has worked well in the past.

"We just want to get him adjusted," Blasi said of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contender. "It's nice to have that ship out of the way that we had Monday. He's in the environment here—he's set up. He'll have plenty of time to adjust.

"I'm not sure what exactly our Breeders' Cup record is (in California), but we've had Tapizar  winning (the 2012 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, G1), we've had Untapable winning (the 2014 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, G1), and My Miss Aurelia was second out here (in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, G1). So our thought process is, we've had successful Breeders' Cups out here and it had a lot to do with Steve sending them out here early."

The new wrinkle is that this venture to Southern California will involve a trip to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup, while all their previous visits have been at Santa Anita. The current plan is to have Gun Runner log four timed works at Santa Anita and then one easy breeze at Del Mar before the Breeders' Cup. Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's chestnut runner will get his first timed work Oct. 2 at Santa Anita.

"We've been in this position before, so it's just about getting him in his routine here," Blasi said. "It's just my job to keep him happy. He's fast enough to do it, so he gives us a lot of confidence in that."

The other horse completing the small Asmussen string at Santa Anita is Bloom Racing Stable's Snapper Sinclair, the last-out winner of the Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase Juvenile Stakes at Kentucky Downs. The City Zip colt will go through some of the same routine as Gun Runner in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T). He also logged his first gallop around the Santa Anita main track Wednesday and will get his first breeze in Monday.