After saddling the only horse to compete in all three Triple Crown events, Steve Asmussen can resume training the star of his stable.
Gun Runner, a Grade 1 winner but overshadowed throughout his career, is the featured attraction in Churchill Downs' Saturday-night 36th running of the Grade 1 $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap.
Third in last year's Kentucky Derby, Gun Runner closed his 3-year-old season with a November victory in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at the Louisville track. He launched his 4-year-old campaign in February with a 5 3/4-length romp in Oaklawn Park's Grade 3 Razorback Handicap, then gamely battled to a second-place finish behind superstar Arrogate in March's Dubai World Cup.
Sired by the undefeated Candy Ride, Gun Runner hopes to follow Hall of Famer Curlin as an Asmussen-trained winner of the nine-furlong Foster (same distance as the Clark) after running in Dubai. Curlin, Horse of the Year in his 3- and 4-year-old seasons, won the 2008 World Cup and retired as the sport's career earnings money leader (a distinction now held by Arrogate, last year's 3-year-old champion and Breeders' Cup Classic winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert).
Gun Runner's half-mile clocking in 49 2-5 seconds Monday was his sixth timed move, all at Churchill Downs, since returning from overseas.
"We gave him a little bit of a break after the trip to Dubai," said Hall of Famer Asmussen. "His training went very smoothly. We've had a couple of weather scares in there, but it worked out really well. I think he's put in plenty of work for the race Saturday.
"When we went over with Curlin, he was over there for six to eight weeks (and two races) so it was significantly different than Gun Runner going over there for one race," the trainer said.
Florent Geroux keeps the raceday mount on Gun Runner, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm.
"Flo has a great level of confidence riding him," Asmussen said. "He'll do whatever is best for Gun Runner in the race, regardless of who is on the early pace."
Assigned 124 pounds for the Foster, Gun Runner is apt to meet rivals including Bird Song (119) and Honorable Duty (119), one-two finishers in Churchill's Grade 2 Alysheba May 5; Breaking Lucky (117), last year's Clark runner-up; multiple Grade 3 winner Stanford (117); and Mo Tom (115), last year's Grade 3 Lecomte and Ohio Derby winner..
Gun Runners has a 7-3-2 record from 14 starts with career earnings of $4,337,800.
"I think that he's just physically developed," said Asmussen, whose late-running Lookin At Lee finished second in the Kentucky Derby after running third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. "We had a lot of confidence last year in his ability, but we felt physically, as well as pedigree-wise, that he would get better (this year) and I think that's proven to be true."
* McCraken, a Churchill Downs stakes winner at 2 and last-out eighth in the Kentucky Derby at 6-1 odds, is being pointed to the Grade 3 $100,000 Matt Winn for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the Foster undercard.
Sports on 06/14/2017