Siena Farm and WinStar Farm must have thought highly of their Gun Runner colt to bestow the name World Record on him, and his maiden victory May 27 at Churchill Downs may have confirmed that they were right to set their expectations high.
Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee, has continued his remarkable success at stud into 2024. The top third-crop sire in 2023, Gun Runner ranks third on the national rankings for 2024 with 60 winners, eight stakes winners, six graded stakes winners, and three grade 1 winners. The Three Chimneys Farm stallion could have another star on his hands with World Record.
World Record is out of the Exceed and Excel mare Marwa. Although the dam was unplaced in four starts in England, she carries strong bloodlines as a half to three-time grade 2 winner and grade 1-placed Miss Isella and Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Sir Cherokee.
Consigned by Hidden Brook at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Marwa was sold to Magna Carta Bloodstock for $180,000 while in foal to Speightstown. The foal, her first, was the winner Handsome Ticket.
World Record, Marwa's third foal of racing age, was purchased as a weanling for $410,000 by Maverick Racing at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale from the Runnymede Farm consignment. Runnymede bred the colt alongside Falguieres Bloodstock, Gestut Zur Kuste AG, et al.
Marwa's fourth foal, bred by the same group as World Record, is the 2-year-old Violence filly Everloving, who was purchased for $80,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Joel Politi.
Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, the 3-year-old World Record garnered plenty of attention from his morning workouts. Unveiled April 26, the closing day of Keeneland's spring meet, the Gun Runner colt was bet as the 5-2 second choice. Breaking quickly, World Record initially challenged for the lead before being outpaced in the six-furlong sprint, dropping back to fifth while four lengths behind after a half-mile. However, the colt did not quit and got his legs beneath him in the stretch. He closed the margin and finished an oncoming third while beaten a neck.
The experience proved fruitful for World Record, as did an extra furlong in his second start Monday. As the 8-5 favorite, World Record broke fast and immediately cleared the field from the rail as they exited the Churchill Downs chute and entered the backstretch. Looking much more comfortable, he cruised through fractions of :22.40 and :44.92 before drawing away from his competitors in the stretch.
At the wire, World Record was 6 1/4 lengths in front while completing the seven furlongs in 1:22.71 under wraps by jockey Florent Geroux.
