Inaugurated in 2021, the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes for 2-year-olds racing 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds is one of the youngest Road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep races. Yet it’s already proved worthy as an important Kentucky Derby qualifier.
The first edition of the Gun Runner produced Rich Strike and Epicenter, the 1-2 finishers in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. The second edition yielded two starters in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and the third turned out a 2024 Kentucky Derby starter.
The fourth renewal of the Gun Runner takes place Saturday, Dec. 21, and drew a small but promising five-horse field. I rank #5 Admiral Dennis as the most likely winner.
Conditioned by Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Brad Cox, Admiral Dennis debuted on Sept. 19 in a maiden special weight sprint at Churchill Downs. Nothing went his way that day; every effort he made to find racing room down the homestretch was thwarted….
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