Quick off the mark

Three Chimneys Farm is making the most of the fast start made by its leading US freshman sire Gun Runner, writes Melissa Bauer-Herzog

IT IS A FARM THAT has stood great stallions such as Seattle Slew, Dynaformer and Rahy, but the last eight years have seen Three Chimneys Farm go through many changes after a controlling interest was bought by the Borges-Torrealba family in 2013.

A changing of the guard has also meant a changing of the philosophy behind the farm’s herd of horses, and both the stallion roster and the broodmare band have been restructured in keeping with the farm’s new goal to produce horses that could be added to its own breeding pool. With that in mind, the roster was revamped to include a younger group of stallions to fit in with the ownership’s vision.

“We focus on breeding, we have a broodmare band we’ve established and one of our main goals is to breed or purchase, and then race, a top colt who we can retire to the farm,” explains Rebecca Nicholson of the Three Chimneys stallion nominations and marketing team.

It is such a competitive industry behind those top stallions prospects, it’s extra special when you can breed some of those horses or purchase them.

A roster built around that goal has taken shape in recent years with the farm raising, racing, and retiring three of the seven stallions on the roster. All but one of the stallions on the current roster, retired after the farm was purchased, were co-owned by Three Chimneys for at least part of their racing career.

Gun Runner winning the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park

While much has changed on the roster, one thing has stayed the same – proven stallion Sky Mesa is still anchoring the stallion division. A stalwart on the farm’s list, the 21-year-old stallion has been at Three Chimneys since he entered stud in 2004. According to Nicholson he has provided support through the quieter years when the younger stallions didn’t have runners.

“You talk about a proven sire or a ‘value’ horse, you can’t find anything better than Sky Mesa,” she says. “I think having him, proven and with runners, helped with that transition to a younger stallion roster and kind of lent support.”

THAT YOUNG ROSTER has paid off for the farm with 2013 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Palace Malice – one of the first stallion prospects purchased after the new ownership bought into the farm – siring Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Structor in his first crop.

But no stallion has paid off more than Gun Runner, who fits perfectly into Three Chimneys’ new goals.

Privately purchased by Three Chimneys as a short yearling and raced in partnership with Winchell Thoroughbreds, Gun Runner proved to be among the best of his crop with six Grade 1 victories.

The stallion improved with age, but was still good enough as a three-year-old to win two Triple Crown prep races and finish third in that year’s Kentucky Derby.

He blossomed into a top four-year-old, who registered four of his six career Grade 1 victories that year and earned Horse of the Year honours.

He stood at $70,000 in his first year at stud in 2018, and he bred 171 mares as one of the most popular first-year sires.

Gun Runner’s first crop wasn’t expected to show their best until they were at least three as the stallion himself only ran three times as a juvenile – that was until Red Run gave him his first winner in May.

On August 8, Gun Runner registered his first stakes winner with Grade 2 winner Pappacap lighting a fuse that would see the stallion quickly rise to the top of the freshman ranks. A day later, and on the opposite side of the country, Wicked Halo won the Adirondack Stakes (G2).

Weekend doubles became the name of the game for Gun Runner – at the beginning of September he enjoyed a Grade 1 double at Saratoga. Those two winners introduced everyone to the year’s top US filly with Echo Zulu’s win in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) followed by Gunite’s win in the next day’s Hopeful Stakes (G1).

Gun Runner quickly rose to the top of the US freshman ranks and, at the Breeders’ Cup, he caught the world’s eye when the two from Saratoga proved themselves on the championship stage.

Echo Zulu all but locked up leading honours when becoming the sixth juvenile Breeders’ Cup winner by a freshman in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), while Pappacap finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Gun Runner now looks likely to break Uncle Mo’s 2015 freshman earnings record before the year is up, but, even more exciting for Three Chimneys, is the other list Gun Runner leads by more than $1.5 million.

Funtastic: Three Chimneys stands the son of More Than Ready, a relation to Gun Runner

“After the Breeders’ Cup he really did secure his spot as the leading two-year-old sire,” notes Nicholson. “Not only is Gun Runner the leading worldwide freshman sire [by earnings] but also the leading two-year-old sire worldwide, which is pretty significant, so we’re really excited about him.”

The Three Chimneys nominations team has already found some breeding trends that work with Gun Runner, and they think that plays a part in giving the stallion early runners who should get better with time.

“I think it was a little bit unexpected that he would get these early two-year-olds, being that Gun Runner really continued to get better with age,” continues Nicholson. “At three, four, and five he really started to excel – we’re happy with how his two-year-olds are going

As a mating perspective we’re seeing Gun Runner match up well with Storm Cat and to mares who had a lot of early speed, which is what’s tending to suit him with these early two-year-old types.

Gun Runner sits at the top of the Three Chimneys 2022 roster at $125,000, but though he’s at a fee that takes him out of the running for most mares, his success has also helped some of Three Chimneys less expensive and younger stallions yet to have runners.

“You get a lot more foot traffic through the doors and shines the spotlight on some stallions such as Funtastic, who we stand here for $5,000,” explains Nicholson. “He’s a half-brother to Saint Liam and to the dam of Gun Runner so that’s one stallion whose popularity I’ve seen rising a little bit this year, just by being closely related to Gun Runner and breeders seeing how he’s done. “Having a flagship stallion such as Gun Runner just offers more traction to the farm with more breeders wanting to come here.”

Three Chimneys stalwart stallion Sky Mesa, above, the statue remembering one of its best

One thing Three Chimneys hasn’t shied away from is buying and breeding for a variety of types of horses and that’s reflected on the farm’s roster.

The farm’s unproven stallions are a perfect example. The 6f Grade 1 winner Volatile is expecting his first foals next year, while the 1m3f Grade 1-winning Funtastic, a Turf horse, will see his first juveniles on the track at the same time.

Among those with proven runners is also Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Palace Malice and champion racehorse Will Take Charge, who has sired stakes winners at both sprint and route distances.

For Nicholson, standing stallions who fit a variety of mares makes sense with many divisions in racing seeing an increase in popularity.

“With racing today and the high percentage of Turf races, I think it is important to have some variability on the roster,” she said. “On our roster we have Dirt, Turf, sprinters, routers and have difference in the price range as well.

“A lot of those [less expensive] stallions are really the bread and butter of it all and get a lot of traction as well.

So I think it’s important standing stallions on both ends of the roster in terms of price range so you’re able to serve a wider variety of clients.

It is still early days for Three Chimneys’ stallion plans, but with Gun Runner setting the pace, it looks like they’re well on their way to producing both racehorses and successful stallions for years to come.