Smart and Agile, Gun Runner Adapts Quickly to Stud Duty

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Smart and Agile, Gun Runner Adapts Quickly to Stud Duty
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Gun Runner at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., in May

Gun Runner  was an exceptionally experienced racehorse when he was retired in January at the age of 5.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's 2017 Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male had competed on two continents, at 11 different racetracks, and won or placed in 15 graded stakes.

Four days after he ended his racing career with a sixth grade 1 win in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park, the son of Candy Ride  faced one of his biggest challenges yet. He was asked to transition in 10 days from racehorse to breeding stallion, which is an adjustment a majority of new stallions have months to make. 

"He never missed a beat," said Chris Baker, chief operating officer for Three Chimneys, where Gun Runner stands for $70,000. "His athleticism and not being a massive horse made him nimble on his feet, so he could stay with mares as they shifted underneath him. Everything came naturally to him. So his combination of temperament, intelligence, and athleticism all led to him picking it up quickly."

Only one other stallion—Taylor Made Stallions' California Chrome —has negotiated this accelerated schedule from the track to the breeding shed. What was unthinkable two years ago became a possibility when racetrack owner Frank Stronach replaced the Donn Handicap (G1) with the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and its gargantuan purse that began at $12 million and is now $16 million. 

Team Chrome, eager to see its star and two-time Horse of the Year become North America's richest racehorse before retirement, rolled the dice that California Chrome could race in late January and be ready for the start of the breeding season by mid-February. Lauded for his intelligence and easy manner, the son of Lucky Pulpit also made the transition smoothly and redefined how stallion prospects could be managed for stud duty.

Let there be no misunderstanding, though. What Gun Runner and California Chrome have accomplished is remarkable.

"We were extremely lucky that he likes his new job as much as he does," said Three Chimneys stallion manager Sandy Hatfield, who has been handling stallions at Three Chimneys and other farms for about 34 years. "It is a huge change, and he has been a champ. I've had horses that if you tried to (transition) them in 10 days, it would be a nightmare. I've had horses where it has taken weeks."

A stallion faces several challenges in adapting to a stud career. He uses an entirely different set of muscles than those that propelled him to racing success, and he is suddenly given license to behave in ways that were discouraged on the backstretch.

"They are all a little anxious at first, because they have been told for so long, 'Don't behave that way and certainly don't rear up,'" Hatfield said. "We have some ovariectomized mares that we can bring into heat, we took him in the breeding shed, and in 10 minutes he was walking out. It was pretty amazing. Smarty Jones  and Flower Alley took to it quickly, too."

Gun Runner did get muscle sore early in the breeding season and had a muscle pull that required a couple days of rest, but for the most part he sailed through the spring and covered 172 mares.

Besides Gun Runner's willingness, Hatfield said she was particularly impressed by his adaptability around uncooperative mares.

"The mares that stand still are easier, but not all mares are nice," Hatfield said. "He might be ready to breed a mare and for some reason she'd throw a fit. He would just step back, and once we got her calmed down, he would continue on like nothing had happened. I've never seen a horse step back like that and maintain his attitude. We would all worry about it, but after it was all done, he was: 'I told you not to worry; I got this.'"

Baker said Gun Runner attracted a solid first book of quality mares representing a broad array of pedigrees. The mares include 64 (37%) black-type winners and 28 (16%) who won graded stakes. As producers, 51 (30%) mares already have black-type runners, and 41 (24%) are graded stakes producers, according to Three Chimneys.

"What I think is a huge precursor to his potential success is that, genetically, he suits a broad spectrum of mares," Baker said. "You have A.P. Indy, you have Storm Cat, and you have Deputy Minister that will all work with him. He is inbred to Fappiano, and we know that Fappiano likes a repeat of Mr. Prospector. 

"At the end of day, though, the best nick is: If I breed a good one to a good one, I have a better chance of getting a good one. If you focus on the mare's race and produce record and avoid any frank, upfront inbreeding, then try anything," he said.

Baker sees Gun Runner physically compatible with a deep pool of mares, as well.

"He is almost 16.2, but he is not a heavy horse," he said. "He's a balanced, athletic, medium-plus-sized horse with good length and refinement. You could breed a big mare to him, thinking he might tidy her up a little bit. You could breed a small mare thinking he might bring some scope."

The mares Three Chimneys bred to Gun Runner this year include: 

Gun Runner's and California Chrome's path to stud duty won't be for every horse, but Baker said as long as the Pegasus World Cup is being run, then owners have to consider it seriously.

"If you have a sound horse in good form—a horse that is a live shot in the race—you are not going to pass it up because there are 16 million reasons to do it," Baker said. "If a horse is 20-1 and it is not going to affect his stud fee, then why take the risk? In the case of Gun Runner, he earned as much running that day than he will earn this breeding season. 

"Good horses thrive on work," Baker continued. "Most of what makes a horse a good racehorse makes them a good breeding stallion. Three weeks into the season, he was a pro."