Justify Carries Gunther to Leading Breeder Eclipse

Talk about tough acts to follow. John Gunther and his daughter, Tanya, reveled in a year that most other Thoroughbred breeders only see in their dreams and never rationally expect to see even partially realized. 

April 7 alone would have delivered enough excitement for the team at the Gunthers' Glennwood Farm near Versailles, Ky. That day they watched farm-bred and farm-raised Justify  win the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and his paddock mate Vino Rosso win the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2). The Gunthers' dream kept growing, however. Justify, a strapping chestnut son of Scat Daddy out of Stage Magic, swept the Triple Crown and became only the second horse to emerge from the elite series with an undefeated record. 

Justify went on to own four grade 1 victories before he was retired to stud in July. The Gunthers celebrated a second grade 1 winner just as 2018 was winding down when Competitionofideas, a daughter of Speightstown , won the Dec. 29 American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. The then-3-year-old filly compiled a 3-1-2 record out of seven starts last year and earned $315,568. She had been bred in the name of John Gunther, Gunther's Eurowest Bloodstock Services, and Tony Chedraoui.

Besides Vino Rosso, the Gunthers' other graded winners for 2018 are The Lieutenant , winner of the All American Stakes (G3) at Golden Gate Fields, and Tiger Moth, who won the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park. 

From 33 starters, the Gunthers and partners were represented by five black-type winners, and every one was a graded stakes winner. They ended the year ranked 10th by earnings among North America's leading breeders, with their runners garnering $6,057,031 in purses.

Though not considered in Eclipse Award statistics, the Gunthers' good fortune extended overseas as well. Ten days after the electricity of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), the Gunthers were standing in the winner's circle at Royal Ascot celebrating their first Ascot win with then-undefeated homebred Without Parole, a son of Frankel who captured the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1).

Tanya Gunther, a former investment banker, and her father, a former stockbroker, work together on matings. Tanya pushed to mate Stage Magic to Scat Daddy and fortunately won the debate. 

"My dad informed me that I now need to breed an Epsom Derby (G1) winner and a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) winner," Tanya Gunther told BloodHorse Daily in July. "Just like that, easy-peasy. No pressure!"