Gun Runner

By: Alan Porter 

“Horse of the Year, Champion Older Horse and an earner of almost $15,000,000, Gun Runner is by undefeated champion and outstanding sire, Candy Ride, and is out of a grade two winning half-sister to Horse of the Year Saint Liam, from an exceptional Edward P. Evans family.”

By far and away the most successful cross for Candy Ride and his sons has been with Storm Cat line mares, this already producing 20 stakes winners, and five grade one winners, among them Champion Shared Belief. Gun Runner, himself is out of a mare by Giant’s Causeway, a son of Storm Cat, but there are already 122 stakes winners with inbreeding to Storm Cat, 44 of them graded, including a graded stakes winner by a son of Candy Ride. When Giant’s Causeway is involved, as here there have been 26 stakes winners, 12 graded, and four grade one, with Storm Cat inbreeding. 

Of potential Storm Cat line broodmare sires, Forestry, looks particularly interesting, as do his sons Discreet Cat and Shackleford. Candy Ride has proved exceptional with Forest Wildcat mares, getting four stakes winners, including grade one winner Evita Argentina. This would suggest trying mares by his son, Wildcat Heir. Candy Ride has two stakes winners, including grade one winner Capt. Candyman Can, out of mares by Storm Creek, and a graded winner out of a mare by Sea of Secrets, who are both Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector crosses, as are Storm Boot and Tale of the Cat. Other Storm Cat line horses that are broodmare sires of Candy Ride line stakes winners are Henny Hughes, Stormy Atlantic, Cat Thief, Tiger Ridge and Yankee Gentleman. Henny Hughes is by Hennessy, who is also sire of Johannesburg, himself sire of sire of Scat Daddy. It would also be an interesting experiment to try a mare by Freud, a brother to Giant’s Causeway. 

Storm Cat is a Northern Dancer line horse and the cross of Candy Ride and sons overs mares from the Danzig branch of Northern Dancer has outperformed opportunity with stakes winners out of daughters of Ascot Knight and from the Danehill branch, Oratorio and Danehill Dancer. Mares by War Front, who is a reverse Fappiano/Northern Dancer cross to Gun Runner, and other sources of Danzig that could be tried include Exchange Rate, Hard Spun, Belong to Me, Langfuhr and Orpen.

Candy Ride is sire of a stakes winner out of a mare by Theatrical (by Northern Dancer son, Nureyev), and his son Sidney’s Candy has a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Pivotal (a grandson of Nureyev). Other Nureyev sources would include Stravinsky and Atticus. Nureyev is a three-quarters brother to Sadler’s Wells, and Candy Ride has a stakes winner out of a mare by King of Kings, a son of Sadler’s Wells. He is bred on a Sadler’s Wells/Sir Gaylord cross as is El Prado, which suggests trying daughters of Medaglia d’Oro, Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller. Candy Ride also has multiple graded stakes winner United, out of a mare by Dixie Union.

Gun Runner has a double of Mr. Prospector through Fappiano, but this will be in the sixth generation of his foals, so certainly doesn’t prevent introducing further strains of Mr. Prospector. Candy Ride and sons have more than 20 stakes winners out of Mr. Prospector line mares.  On this cross, Candy Ride is sire of grade one winner Twirling Candy out of a mare by Chester House.  He also has two stakes winners, including graded stakes winner Sugar Shock out of mares by Distorted Humor, a son of Forty Niner, whose son, Coronado’s Quest, is also broodmare sire of a Candy Ride line stakes winner, and who can also be found through such as  Banker’s Gold, Editor’s Note, End Sweep and his son, Trippi, Gold Case, Gold Fever, Jules, Luhuk, Roar, Twining and Tactical Advantage. There is also a stakes winner by Candy Ride out of a mare by Fusaichi Pegasus, who is bred on the same cross as Distorted Humor.

Candy Ride is sire of grade two winner Paid Up Subscriber out of a mare by Street Cry, the sire of Street Sense and Street Boss (who is out of a mare by Ogygian, in turn out of a half-sister to the dam of Fappiano). Candy Ride’s graded stakes winner, Clubhouse Ride, is out of a mare by Seeking the Gold, the sire of Petionville, Mutakddim and Cape Town. 

Mr. Prospector son, Carson City, is a Mr. Prospector/Blushing Groom cross, like Candy Ride, and from only eight starters out of Carson City line mares, Twiring Candy and sons have three stakes horses, including stakes winners out of mares by Lord Carson and Flying Chevron. This suggests trying daughters of City Zip (whose son Run Away And Hide, would be interesting), Five Star Day, Cuvee and Pollard’s Vision. Candy Ride has 2018 two-year-old graded stakes winner Vekoma out of a mare by Speightstown, a son of Gone West, and he also has a stakes winner from a mare by Mr. Greeley another son of Gone West. Candy Ride and sons also have stakes winners out of mares by Mr. Prospector line stallions, Thunder Gulch, Miner’s Mark, Fortunate Prospect and Geiger Counter. 

It would even be worth considering trying Gun Runner back over mares from the Unbridled branch of Fappiano, and this has already produced a grade one winner out of a mare by Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister), and Unbridled’s Song and his son, Songandaprayer.

Candy Ride has been evolving a strong affinity for the A.P. Indy line with grade one winner Game Winner out of a mare by A.P. Indy; two graded winners, one grade one, out of mares by Old Trieste; a stakes winner out of a mare Mineshaft; and stakes winners out of mares by Pulpit, and his sons Tapit and Stroll. Daughter of Bernardini also appeal here.

There appears to be a very strong affinity for Candy Ride and sons for mares descending from Caro. There are four stakes winners from the In Excess branch, including one out of a mare by Indian Charlie (whose son Uncle Mo, should fit well). Cozzene is a Caro son who is broodmare sire of a Candy Ride stakes winner, and he is sire of Mizzen Mast. 

Candy Ride has enjoyed success with the Halo line mares, getting three stakes winners, two graded. Halo could be particularly interesting through the brothers Devil’s Bag and Saint Ballado, whose sister Champion Glorious Song is in the pedigree of Gun Runner.  There is also  a Candy Ride stakes winner out of a mare by Southern Halo, the sire of More Than Ready (who is sire of grade one winner Buster’s Ready out of a half-sister to the dam of Gun Runner).