'We have had heavy interest' - Gun Runner to cover southern hemisphere mares

Horse of the Year and champion sire Gun Runner, a six-time Grade 1 winner and second-leading all-time money earner in North America, will be available to cover mares on southern hemisphere time. 

Gun Runner distinguished himself on the track as the best of his generation, starting with a win on his debut as a two-year-old and culminating with wins in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic and 2018 Pegasus World Cup. He finished with total prize-money of $15,988,500. 

In the breeding shed, Gun Runner has been nothing short of sensational, and while his fee is listed as private at Three Chimneys in Kentucky, he already ranks among the most expensive sires in the world alongside Dubawi, Frankel and Into Mischief. 

The sire of six individual Grade 1 winners, Gun Runner sired a first-crop Classic winner in Early Voting. The Three Chimneys-bred colt was a winner on his debut at two, and followed that with a victory next out in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes en route to his Preakness Stakes triumph.

Other top-level winners from his first crop include champion two-year-old filly and Breeders' Cup winner Echo Zulu, Hopeful Stakes winner Gunite, multiple Grade 1 winners Cyberknife and Taiba, and Cotillion Stakes winner Society, who last month set a track record at Ellis Park when landing the 7f Chicago Stakes.

Disarm, from Gun Runner's second crop, became his sire's newest Graded stakes winner with his victory in the Matt Winn Stakes at Ellis Park last month.

Breaking records among United States stallions with his first two crops, Gun Runner was the leading general sire of 2022 by percentage of Grade 1 winners, Graded stakes winners, black-type winners, Grade 1 stakes horses, Graded stakes horses, and black-type horses, according to Three Chimneys.

In the sales ring, his yearlings averaged $471,638 in 2022, including the $2.3 million sale topper at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. This year he led all sires of two-year-olds sold in North America by average, with his juveniles averaging $437,500 for ten sold.

Gunn Runner takes a stroll at Three Chimneys FarmCredit: Anne M Eberhardt

With just two crops of racing age, Gun Runner finished fifth in 2022 on the general sires list by progeny earnings with $14,667,829. He was also the leading sire of three-year-olds with $13,224,851 in earnings. He currently ranks fifth on the general sire list in North America with $7,939,336 in earnings up to Friday, with 21 stakes performers.

"We have had heavy interest from farms and breeders in Australia and have already seen some great mares visit him in his first southern hemisphere crop, including Golden Slipper winner Estijaab," said Doug Cauthen, vice-chairman of Three Chimneys' board of directors. "Being free of Danehill is something we have heard a lot from Australian breeders."

Three Chimneys is offering a A$500,000 (£260,000/€305,000) bonus if any offspring from this crop, as well as foals resulting from his first southern hemisphere crop, produce a Golden Slipper winner.

"We figured this would be a fun bonus and a possible one as well, as Slipper winner Estijaab herself is in foal to Gun Runner," said Rebecca Nicholson, director of stallion nominations.

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