Always a Runner's Sister Wins Impressively on Debut

Although she has big horseshoes to fill, Three Chimneys Farm's homebred Forever Carina is ahead of schedule after she debuted an impressive winner in the sixth race Aug. 22 at Saratoga Race Course. By Three Chimneys' elite stallion Gun Runner, who stood the 2026 season for a $250,000 fee, the chestnut filly is the second foal out of the winning grade 2-placed Malibu Moon mare Always Carina. The dam got off to a successful start in her broodmare career when Forever Carina's full sister Always a Runner won the Kentucky Oaks (G1) this spring. Both fillies are trained by Chad Brown, who noted several similarities between the two. "They have the same head, and they have the same marking," Brown said. "(Forever Carina)'s one size bigger in every single area, maybe two sizes bigger. But her head and the eye are the same." Always a Runner contracted pneumonia in the fall of 2025, which delayed her career debut to early February 2026. However, Brown had nearly completed her debut preparations by this date a year ago—having her penciled in to debut on opening weekend of the Belmont at the Big A meet in September 2025. That allowed Brown to make the comparison that Forever Carina is about a month ahead of where Always a Runner was in development at this stage. In fact, Forever Carina is even further ahead than Brown had originally planned. He was waiting for a 7-furlong maiden race on Saratoga's closing weekend, but after her Aug. 16 work, he felt she was ready to go. Moreover, jockey Jose Ortiz was holding Saturday's sixth race open for Brown. Ortiz had jumped in to ride Always a Runner for the first time in the Kentucky Oaks, guiding her to a 1 1/4-length win in America's biggest race for 3-year-old fillies. With everything lining up, Brown called Three Chimneys chairman Goncalo Borges Torrealba and said he was changing plans. "(Ortiz) really came through for us in a high-pressure situation in the Oaks," Brown said. "She was coming to hand pretty fast. I called (Torrealba) and said, 'Jose is holding this race for me for somebody, and what a way to reward him with the sister, who I'm just so high on.' "I said, 'It'll be the first and last time she'll ever run 6 1/2 furlongs, I can promise you that.' He chuckled and said go for it." Forever Carina was not the quickest out of the gate Saturday, dropping back to ninth of 11 while shifting around in reaction to the dirt kickback. That early immaturity made Brown think maybe she was going to need the race, but she locked in as they approached the far turn. The pace was quick in front of her with Key Colony Beach setting fractions of :21.63 and :44.82 to spread out the field. That allowed plenty of space for Ortiz to make a rally up the inside. A little past the eighth pole, she had erased her 13 1/4-length deficit and took the lead. Her Brown-trained stablemate Classic Nora came running on for second, but Forever Carina was the clear 2-length winner in 1:17.43. "You always want to see them come in and run good," Ortiz said. "Very professional, took some dirt, and then she came through traffic and through horses. I like the way she did it." In addition to showcasing her natural talent, the trip proved to be a strong educator for the promising juvenile filly who appears on track for bigger and better things. Luckily for Three Chimneys, a 2025 full brother and 2026 full sister are also in the pipeline.