Thoroughbreds don’t cry, Samuel Riddle once said. They possess a quality even greater than speed. He called it heart. As the saying goes, “Thoroughbreds don’t cry. Big in heart, high in courage, they go on to finish the race”. It is fair to say that no horse embodies this saying more than Gun Runner.
No matter the distance, racetrack, or rival, Gun Runner runs his race. In his lifetime, Gun Runner has competed in some of the most prestigious races and has taken on the most formidable foes. He won many races but also met defeat in some. But even in those instances where he couldn’t quite hold onto the lead, he never stopped trying. He ran on. He finished his race. And that is what counts. That is what overtime has carried him to greatness.
Back in March, when Gun Runner roared into the stretch in the Dubai World Cup, he looked home free. The race was his, or so he thought. The big grey Arrogate came flying home late to steal his glory, catching him at the end. The world celebrated Arrogate’s breathtaking victory that day, deeming him as the best in the land. The horse was a monster. Who could beat him? At the rate that Arrogate was going, he looked primed to dominate the rest of his racing season and become the undisputed Horse of the Year.
However, I was not convinced. Despite the fact that he Gun Runner was second to Arrogate, I had more respect for him in that moment than I ever had before, and that’s saying something. Gun Runner has always been a sentimental favorite of mine. When he was a baby, before he even had a name, I became a fan of this colt. I saw his pedigree online and thought it looked like a winning one. So, I decided to follow his career to see where he would end up. I expected him to be a good one, but I never could have dreamed that he would go on to become what he is now. You see, something changed in Gun Runner that day in Dubai. He had come so close to winning the Dubai World Cup. He ran his heart out, but he just couldn’t make it. And I think it was that moment when he decided he was never going to let himself make it that far only to get beat again.
Gun Runner became unstoppable after returning from Dubai, racking up victory after victory. He took down three Grade 1 races in a row, winning the Stephan Foster Handicap, the Whitney Stakes, and the Woodward Stakes by a combined 22 ½ lengths. The startling ease in which he was winning showed glimmers of greatness emerging from this gallant athlete. While he was riding high on his newfound glory and power, Arrogate was struggling to maintain his. With an off-the-board finish in the San Diego Handicap and a runner up effort in the Pacific Classic, this once unbeatable champion was at risk of losing his crown. A debate began to brew over which horse really was the best, but this debate was one that could only be settled on the track.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic would settle things once and for all. This would be the race of the year, with Horse of the Year honors on the line. Gun Runner and Arrogate would finally get their rematch. Despite the fact that Arrogate had met shocking defeat in his last two races, he had a lot of believers coming into the Breeders’ Cup Classic. After all, there was a time when he was considered unbeatable. But along with his loyal believers, there were also those who wondered whether or not his spark was still there. Yet, the powerful way in which he trained up to the race suggested that he was his old self again. Nothing indicated that he couldn’t handle the intense battle that awaited.
Arrogate was looking exceptional for his run in the Breeders’ Cup, but Gun Runner backers didn’t have to worry. Gun Runner was looking just as good, if not better leading up to the big day. Ever the model of consistency, Gun Runner trained like a total beast, flawlessly going above and beyond in his workouts, just like he did in his races. The courageous colt knows his job and loves it. You could tell that he was in the best form of his life and was ready for a rematch. However, he still wasn’t without his doubters.
Despite all Gun Runner had accomplished, people still questioned him. They questioned his ability to go the Classic distance of a mile and a quarter. They questioned his ability to compete with a horse as dominant as Arrogate, who had beat him before. As brilliant as this steadfast colt had been, some people still weren’t ready to believe that he was indeed the best. But none of that would matter in the end because this time, it would be Gun Runner who would have the last laugh.
It was one of the most competitive fields ever assembled for the Classic. With eleven horses entered, Gun Runner would face the best the world had to offer. It had Arrogate, who was once called the “greatest horse since Secretariat”. It had the up and coming West Coast, riding in on a hot five-race winning streak. And it had Collected, who was undefeated in 2017, that is, until he met Gun Runner.
There was static in the air as the horses loaded into the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. There was so much on the line. This was it. The race that would hold the answers. It was time for everyone to put their money where their mouth is. Arrogate and Gun Runner both had something to prove, and in the end only one would be left standing.
The starting gates exploded open and in a trice, Gun Runner bolted out of there. With brazen speed and unflappable courage, Gun Runner boldly marched to the front to take command of the race. It was a daring move considering the fact that no horse had been able to win on the lead all day at Del Mar. Collected wasted no time storming up to confront Gun Runner and the race was on from there. Collected would not make this easy for Gun Runner. This was Collected’s track, and he was going to make Gun Runner work for this.
Gun Runner blazed around the track, setting blistering fractions as he went. Collected was there every step of the way, breathing down his neck, furiously pouring the pressure on him. He pushed Gun Runner as fast as he could, but Gun Runner was not dismayed. The pair relentlessly battled around the track, fueled by the screams of the crowd. With a mob of vicious runners behind him and with Collected challenging him for every step, there was no way Gun Runner could relax for even a moment. The fight was on. If Gun Runner wanted to hold on he was going to have to take it to the field harder than ever before.
The final bend loomed ahead. This would be where the race was won or lost. It was all or nothing. Gun Runner had already been tested the entire way around, blasting through scorching fractions of :22.50, the second fastest opening quarter in the history of the Classic, :46.31 for the half, and 1:10.50 after 3/4 of a mile. A pace that hot would surely take its toll on any horse. But Gun Runner was still there. Calling upon his stamina that many people questioned, Gun Runner refused to yield and stepped it up even stronger.
Collected was drawing closer, making a bid for the lead. But Gun Runner wasn’t having any of it. He did not come this far to taste defeat. As the tenacious duo roared around the final turn, Gun Runner looked Collected dead in the eye and dared him to keep up. Collected tried as hard as he could to trip Gun Runner up, but to his surprise, Gun Runner blazed into the stretch still swinging. The colt was unshakable. The hot pace wasn’t enough to stop him. The distance wasn’t enough to stop him. And even the quirky surface of Del Mar wasn’t enough to stop him. Collected was wild in pursuit throughout the entire race, but even that wasn’t enough. Gun Runner was about to beat Collected on his own track.
With perseverance Gun Runner fired forward, once again rising to the challenge with valor and gusto. There was a fire burning inside of Gun Runner that could no longer be contained, and he let it all out as he thundered down the stretch. Collected fought on admirably and West Coast tried with all his might to close in on them, but Gun Runner was able to fend them off with ease.
Digging in, Gun Runner accelerated forward to finish the job. In a sublime display of power and determination, Gun Runner turned the tables on his doubters and finally answered the question that burned all summer. He proved once and for all that he is the best there is. Between the quirky track, the smoldering pace, and the fierce competition, this race threw everything it could at Gun Runner, and he still prevailed.
And to think people questioned his ability to go a mile and a quarter.
In astonishing style, Gun Runner demolished his rivals to earn his spot as the Horse of the Year. He couldn’t have looked more dominant when he ate his foes alive in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, running them off their feet in a final time of 2:01.29. He took on the toughest horses the world had to offer and still drew off to win. In a day where the Breeders’ Cup races were dominated by long shots, Gun Runner came through for his supporters and silenced all his doubters.
As for Arrogate, he could only manage a dead heat for fifth with Gunnevera. The once unsinkable giant had been dethroned. While Gun Runner more than proved that he belongs on top, Arrogate ended his career with more questions than answers. Some say it was the track that he couldn’t handle. Perhaps the dirt at Del Mar did somewhat contribute to his undoing, but then again, he did win at Del Mar as a three year old, so it's hard to blame his performance on the track alone.
Whether Arrogate liked the track or not, it is fair to say that no matter what, no one was stopping Gun Runner that day. Truly great horses are supposed to overcome their challenges and win, even when it isn’t easy. And that is exactly what Gun Runner did. He put on an exhibition to show exactly what he is made of. All of the other horses in the race had a fair chance to take him on, but none of them could catch him.
Winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic is poetic justice for a horse who has always been there. Gun Runner has danced in so many big dances throughout his career. He was a gallant third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby, third in the 2016 Travers Stakes, second in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and second in the Dubai World Cup. He has always shown up and always given his all. And now all he does is win. The horse has heart. That’s what separates him as one of the greats. I have never seen a horse more driven by determination than he. To see him go from a valiant trier to an unstoppable champion has been incredible.
Who would have thought that the horse that ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last year would come back to win the Classic one year later? It just goes to show that greatness can emerge from anywhere at any time, as long as you have the will to keep trying. People doubted Gun Runner’s ability to go the distance of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but Gun Runner didn’t know that. Gun Runner didn’t doubt himself. He just wanted to run his race. He ran as if he had no limitations, and now look at what he has become. This is a horse that has fearlessly joined the fray every time he has been asked. His greatness has always been inside of him, he just had to figure out how to use it. Now that he has, there’s no stopping him. Horses like him are few and far between. He is proof that you don’t have to accept defeat. You don’t have to settle for second best. You just have to get up and fight. You have to finish the race.
Photo Credit to Eric Kalet http://erickalet.zenfolio.com/)