Gun Runner , the likely favorite for the upcoming $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), took his first trip around Gulfstream Park the morning of Jan. 19. He arrived at the Florida oval Jan. 18.
On the track at approximately 5:50 a.m. ET, more than an hour before sunrise, the son of Candy Ride "just had an easy day, going straight off a mile," said assistant trainer Scott Blasi.
Gun Runner, the leading Horse of the Year candidate, shipped into Gulfstream Thursday evening from Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
"He's in such good condition right now, and he's so fit, when you get him off that van—off an airplane—he knows where he's at and what he's getting ready to do," Blasi said. "He's just such a champion. He takes everything in stride. “(He’s) never had a problem shipping. (This is the 11th) different racetrack he’s run at. It's kind of old news to him. It's probably more stressful on us than him.
"We expect him to settle in and train, get a little work over the racetrack, and school in the paddock a time or two."
Trained by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, the 5-year-old chestnut heads into the Jan. 27 Pegasus with earnings of $8,988,500 and an 11-3-2 record from 18 starts.
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