A richly bred son of leading sire Gun Runner soared to the top of the results sheet Aug. 9 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where Coolmore's M.V. Magnier went to $2.3 million to secure the colt in partnership with Peter Brant of White Birch Farm.
Gainesway consigned the colt (Hip 202) bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley out of grade 1 winner Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon). The mare, who won the 2017 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, was bred and raced by Oxley and is out of grade 1-placed stakes winner Darling My Darling and is a half sister to grade 2 winner Forever Darling.
"He's a very nice horse," Magnier said. "We've had horses with Peter in the past and hopefully we'll have a lot more in the future. Peter and (wife) Stephanie, they're very special and we're lucky to have horses with them."
It was a meaningful sale for Gainesway's general manager Brian Graves due to a long relationship with the Oxleys.
"I've been selling horses for the Oxleys for 20 years," he said. "Jack (John) and Debby gave me one of my first horses to sell when I first started consigning horses and wanting to consign horses for other people... It feels like family and it's just a real special night."
Graves held the colt in high regard going into the sale, and his eye for a good horse was affirmed yet again.
"When I saw him in the spring I really thought it was one of the best horses I had seen this year... On top of that, he's by a horse that's emerging and becoming a top stallion," he said. "Second foal of a young grade 1 winner at 2. It just all added up into the perfect horse. If he runs and wins a grade 1 he's just invaluable with that kind of pedigree and emerging sire."
Gun Runner wrapped The Saratoga Sale as the third-ranked sire by both gross ($5,635,000) and average ($704,375) from eight horses sold of nine offered. The North American leading sire of 2-year-olds in 2021 and currently leading the standings again with his 3-year-old crop, the son of Candy Ride 's progeny have topped the board numerous times in 2022 with Cyberknife taking the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) and Arkansas Derby (G1), Early Voting 's Preakness Stakes (G1) score, and Taiba 's Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) score. Cyberknife is expected to help make the Three Chimneys stallion a sire of sires with the recent announcement that the 3-year-old colt will stand at Spendthrift Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career.
"What can anybody say about Gun Runner?" Magnier said. "He's a very good sire, and what he's doing is very impressive."
Magnier also went to $1.4 million Tuesday to land a chestnut Gun Runner colt (Hip 186) out of the Giant's Causeway daughter Flag Day bred by Earle Mack and consigned by Denali Stud as agent. The mare, though unraced, hails from the family of multiple grade 1 winner Diversify.
"Everybody seems to like him and I've seen how much of a nice horse he was over the last few days," Magnier said of Hip 186. "Well done to Earle Mack; he's a very good breeder."
"He was born and raised at the farm," Denali's Conrad Bandoroff said of the colt. "We're over the moon. Elated doesn't even begin to describe it. We've had him since the day he was born and he was bred by Earle Mack. We've always wanted to bring a nice horse to Saratoga for Earle and we thought this horse really fit the bill... I'm proud of him and I'm proud of our team. You breed a lot of horses to get a horse like this. For him to have been this well-received and to go to some of the best judges in the world, it's very gratifying.
"We're thrilled for Mr. Mack, a guy who has done so much in the industry. He deserved to breed a horse like this. We look forward to watching him go on and do big things."
