Gun Runner Draws Post 10 for Pegasus World Cup

So many things throughout Gun Runner 's career have gone so right. 

He hasn't had so much as a blemish crop up on his copper-colored coat, never mind being felled by injury or ailment. Each one of his workouts has been as brilliantly methodical as the next. Save for being stuck in the quarantine situation at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots last year and catching a few rain-soaked tracks, the son of Candy Ride  just hasn't subjected his connections to the level of stress that typically manifests with racehorses. 

With one race left in what should officially become a championship career once the 2017 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year is handed out Jan. 25, the team around the 5-year-old just wanted the good fortune to hold up for one more competitive outing in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27. If Gun Runner succeeds in that final task Saturday evening, he'll have to overcome one of few real bits of adversity that has landed in his path.

The final post-position draw Gun Runner's human crew endured ended up being the one that caused the most angst as the reigning Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner wound up in post 10 in the 12-horse field for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup.

Given the short run-up for 1 1/8-mile races at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. track, an outside post is among the least desirable of fates for any entrant. With leading challengers West Coast (post 2), Sharp Azteca (post 4), and Collected (post 5) all drawing inside of Gun Runner, the 4-5 morning-line favorite will have to be at his versatile best in order to get good position in the early stages.

"I've always said, you don't know to complain about the post position until after a race is run. It might work out perfectly for him," Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said of his five-time grade 1-winning charge. "The horse is doing extremely well and in the capable hands of (jockey) Florent Geroux. Hopefully we'll have a big day Saturday and send the 2017 Horse of the Year out on top."

The concern over landing in an outside post was such that Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds, which co-owns Gun Runner along with Three Chimneys Farm, said he had discussions with The Stronach Group about having those horses who are running in one of the three slots purchased by the track's parent company relegated to starting from posts 10-12. Given the connections of War Story, Singing Bullet, and Giant Expectations didn't have to put up the $1 million buy-in that the other nine shareholders paid by the mid-December deadline, Winchell expressed concern over them having the same opportunity at a fortuitous draw.

"I don't have a problem with what they did, except I think they should have been given posts 10-11-12 because of the lack of risk that they are coming to this with," Winchell said in an interview with BloodHorse prior to the draw. "If they're not putting anything in, yet they get the same opportunity to come out of the same post ... I would have preferred if those last three spots had come from the 10-11-12 spots being that they have internally purchased them. I would just prefer not to (potentially) be in the 12 post with someone who didn't pay for it."

In a national teleconference Jan. 22, The Stronach Group chief operating officer Tim Ritvo said half the earnings of any of those post-deadline horses would be shared with all of the race's stakeholders. He acknowledeged participants have raised concerns about drawing outside posts.

"The reason the original 1 1/8-mile (distance) was selected was to try to get horses that were good dirt milers, that they would probably stretch to 1 1/8-miles for that kind of money," Ritvo said. "But we're seeing that picking up a dirt miler is definitely not as valuable, let's say as the people complaining about getting 10, 11 and 12."

If there is a horse with the level of handiness to overcome a less than ideal starting point, the Pegasus favorite has proven he is just that. In his 11 career wins, Gun Runner has shown both that he can take the heat up front and keep going—as he did when pressed by Collected in the Breeders' Cup Classic—or rate just off the pace like when he stalked Neolithic en route to a 10 1/4-length victory in the Woodward Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in September.

"What is so hard (in trying) to beat Gun Runner is he's not a one-dimensional horse," said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who will have the mount aboard Collected. "You know, he's not a horse that needs a lead. He's a horse that if they go quick enough, we've all seen him lag, second, third, fourth, and still run just as well as when he's had a comfortable lead. So he's going to be tough to beat.

"I've got to fire my A-plus race, a few things that'll go our way, which can happen in horse racing."

Collected, who defeated champion stablemate Arrogate  in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar in August, finished second to Gun Runner in the Breeders' Cup Classic before being upset by Giant Expectations while finishing third in the San Antonio Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26. The son of City Zip is one of two Pegasus contenders trainer Bob Baffert will send out along with fellow grade 1 winner West Coast, third in the Breeders' Cup Classic in his previous start.

Sharp Azteca, the second choice on the morning line at 6-1, will try and carry his speed over 1 1/8 miles for the first time. Representing stakeholders Loooch Racing Stables and Ashley Quartarolo, the 5-year-old son of Freud  exits a 5 1/4-length win in the Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in December and does own a victory going 1 1/16 miles, taking the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) by 7 1/2 lengths in July.

"Everything is falling the right way. The way he's training, the way he's doing everything, I can't believe I'm sitting on a good horse like that," said trainer Jorge Navarro, who will also saddle War Story in the race. "This is a huge step. It's the best race in the world. Let's not forget we're running against Gun Runner, but there's no doubt my horse belongs in there."

Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015, is set to become the first female runner in the Pegasus while making her first start for trainer Chad Brown and likely the last start of her career. The 6-year-old daughter of Curlin  was purchased by Coolmore's M. V. Magnier for $6 million at the Keeneland November sale and is slated to be bred to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah .

"She's all class. She's been real easy to be around and to train. She just goes out there and does her thing. She's a very straightforward horse," Brown said. "The most disappointing thing is only having her for one start because I can see how classy she is, a true champion. We'll try to make the best of that one start."

Two also-eligibles, Giuseppe the Great and Game Over, were entered in the Pegasus as well.

Entries: Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. (G1)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 27, 2018, Race 12

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $16,300,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:35 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Singing Bullet (KY)	Robby Albarado	124	Dale L. Romans	30/1
2	2West Coast (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Bob Baffert	8/1
3	3Stellar Wind (VA)	Joel Rosario	121	Chad C. Brown	30/1
4	4Sharp Azteca (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Jorge Navarro	6/1
5	5Collected (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	8/1
6	6Gunnevera (KY)	Luis Saez	124	Antonio Sano	15/1
7	7Fear the Cowboy (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Efren Loza, Jr.	30/1
8	8War Story (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Jorge Navarro	25/1
9	9Toast of New York (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	124	J. A. Osborne	20/1
10	10Gun Runner (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Steven M. Asmussen	4/5
11	11Seeking the Soul (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Dallas Stewart	25/1
12	12Giant Expectations (NY)	Gary L. Stevens	124	Peter Eurton	30/1
13	13Giuseppe the Great (KY)	Nik Juarez	124	Nicholas P. Zito	30/1
14	14Game Over (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Jorge Navarro	30/1