DEL MAR, Calif. – From the time Gun Runner slipped back to second in last year’s Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, his connections set a Breeders' Cup Classic victory as their goal, and they were unwavering in their determination to bring a successful end to their quest.
DEL MAR, Calif. – From the time Gun Runner slipped back to second in last year’s Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, his connections set a Breeders' Cup Classic victory as their goal, and they were unwavering in their determination to bring a successful end to their quest.
In a sport in which plans often go awry, front-running Gun Runner stayed the course and turned the $6 million, Grade 1 Classic into his fourth consecutive top-level triumph when he rolled to a 2 ¼-length victory against Collected on Saturday at sun-splashed Del Mar.
Said jubilant trainer Steve Asmussen, “I think he’s better today than he’s ever been.”
Gun Runner virtually clinched the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year and erased the only blemish on his record this season, a runner-up finish to Arrogate in the $10 million Dubai World Cup. Arrogate, sent off as a slight favorite over Gun Runner, ducked in at the start. He never appeared comfortable and dead-heated for fifth. He closed his career with a three-race losing streak, all of them coming at Del Mar.
Collected, undefeated through four previous starts this year, and West Coast, an ever-improving 3-year-old, allowed Bob Baffert to finish second and third. But he could not hide his disappointment in the way Arrogate bowed out in the final start of his career for Juddmonte Farms.
“I can’t really totally blame the track,” he said.
Asmussen indicated the plan was always to keep Gun Runner forwardly placed, even though speed had not done well in many previous Breeders’ Cup races over the last two days.
“Letting him be who he is put him on this stage and led him undoubtedly to be Horse of the Year,” Asmussen said.