Once More, With Feeling for Champion Gun Runner

On the surface, there is nothing to be lost for Gun Runner , regardless the outcome of his final on-track outing.

His already sterling reputation, one built brick by brick over the course of three seasons, got the ultimate validation Jan. 25, when the 47th annual Eclipse Awards concluded with his name called as the 2017 Horse of the Year. The book of mares slated to visit him once he gets off the van at Three Chimneys Farm for his initial season at stud is already an enviable one, including such grade 1 winners as Love and Pride, Malibu Prayer, and Pure Clan, along with top-level producers House of Danzing and It Tiz.

He has all the ingredients that make a star—money, power, fame—and nothing that happens when the son of Candy Ride  makes his 19th and last start in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27 can alter that. Because Gun Runner has delivered on almost every one of his connections' aspirations, his team now feels the pressure of wanting him to properly close the book on a chapter that has nothing left to prove.

"I think people with horses are like people with kids. And you want your kid to do well, no matter where it's at or the venue," said Doug Cauthen, vice chairman of Three Chimneys Farm, which co-owns Gun Runner with Winchell Thoroughbreds. "Everyone wants him to do well and go out strong. You just want it for the horse as much as anything. Obviously there is purse money and things like that, but you want him to go out on top. So there is plenty of pressure I think."

The athlete that gets to walk away after leaving a victorious final impression is a most special one, especially when it is known ahead of time that particular effort will be the last. It is a feat that has eluded some of Thoroughbred racing's all-time greats—Zenyatta and Cigar, to name a couple—which is why the Gun Runner camp is still on an emotional edge heading into Saturday's 1 1/8-mile test, where their colt will be the heavy favorite.

It has been an overwhelming time for those closest to the chestnut for some time now. When Gun Runner captured the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 4 at Del Mar to close a 2017 campaign that saw him notch four straight grade 1 wins, the wild, jubilant gesticulations that came forth from trainer Steve Asmussen perfectly captured how deeply that triumph resonated. From the time he was a juvenile winning his first pair of starts, Gun Runner spoiled his team by continuously taking his form to higher levels, while never once acting as if the challenges were taking a toll.

As he hit the wire in the Breeders' Cup, he answered the last couple questions about his stamina at 1 1/4 miles and his ability to beat champion rival Arrogate . In the weeks since that championship-clinching effort, bittersweet emotions have run rampant, as his team alternates between being gobsmacked by his ability, staying focused on the last task at hand, and trying not to be overcome by the reality that after Saturday, there will be no more moments of him snatching their breath away on the track.

"It's just been so rewarding. It's hard to come by ones like him. You don't see them very often—and I try every year," said Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds. "I think the pressure is, you just want him to go out and be who he is and deliver the same kind of performance that he's consistently done. You kind of worry that he's so consistent, he kind of defies the odds of a lot of racehorses. So there is always a little bit of that concern of—he's been so consistent, can he keep being that horse one more time?"

If Gun Runner has one more top effort in him, the stiff nature of the challenges he is set to face Saturday may become the latest obstacles he's cleared in deft order.

His starting point in post 10 was not anything anyone in his camp wanted, given the short run-up to the first turn at Gulfstream. Then there is the matter of grade 1 winner Sharp Azteca and his early speed pressing the matter, while the likes of Collected, newly minted 3-year-old male champion West Coast, and Seeking the Soul all lay in wait.

Part of what has made the development of Gun Runner one of the greatest training jobs of Asmussen's Hall of Fame career is that the trainer has recognized his charge's best assets and allowed them to come to the forefront without being forced. The result is a push-button horse jockey Florent Geroux can place wherever he sees fit, safe in the knowledge the response will come when called upon.

"How he stepped up when called upon and just met the challenge and, how do you say—got it done—he's truly a special horse mentally and physically," Asmussen said. "And we've been on a tremendous run with him. ... (I) just appreciate being in his presence."

"Most horses are going to get better. They just don't get the chance. A lot of horses don't stay healthy to be able to do that. (Gun Runner) has afforded everyone the chance," Cauthen added. "And (assistant trainer) Scott (Blasi) and Steve have let it happen. Seldom do long-term plans play out, but this one has."

As much as it has been business as usual for Asmussen and his team, as they ready Gun Runner for one final run, there are sentimental moments that sneak in. The last gallop, the last gate session, and the late bit of paddock schooling are all marked by a touch of wistfulness in the gaze of those taking in the frame of the champion.

None would dare claim he owes anyone anything beyond what he has already achieved. They only thing they ask is for him to be Gun Runner one last time.

"He's just been really special to us and he continues to do exactly what you want him to do," Blasi said. "It's kind of unheard of over a three-year career."