A competitive group of eight promising young colts took part in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes, the highlight event of the Road to the Derby Kickoff Day held at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. Leading the field was Liberty National, owned by Brookdale Racing and Fern Circle Stable.
The race, run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles, marks the first local qualifier on the path to the 2026 Kentucky Derby, awarding points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.
Gun Runner Stakes was scheduled as Race 11 on the card, which also featured three other $100,000 stakes events: the Untapable, Tenacious, and Buddy Diliberto Memorial. This day kicks off the Road to the Derby series with 12 races slated, starting at 12:45 p.m. Central Time.
Liberty National, trained by Kenny McPeek, entered the race off a strong performance in his most recent outing, where he won by 4 1/2 lengths over the same distance at Churchill Downs during the Stars of Tomorrow II card. That race earned him the highest Brisnet speed rating of 91 among the field. This was only his second career start and his first on a course with a second turn. He will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. from post position three.
Also competing for McPeek is Very Connected, a full brother to Hidden Connection. He finished fourth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and third in the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes, accumulating five points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
From the inside post (rail), Mesquite, a homebred colt by LBD Stables, impressed at Churchill Downs in early November with a strong finish, demonstrating his skill at the second turn. Trained by Shelley Devaux, this Union Rags colt will reunite with jockey Jose Ortiz.
Trainer Brad Cox entered three horses, headlined by Mr. Punch from Novogratz Racing Stable. This Into Mischief colt recently earned his first win at Churchill Downs in early November. Luis Saez, who is present for the stakes meet, will be aboard Mr. Punch starting from post eight.
Steve Asmussen’s Chip Honcho is among four local Derby prep runners he oversees. Chip Honcho delivered a gate-to-wire victory on Nov. 20 over a mile at Churchill Downs on a challenging track and previously showed speed in his debut, placing second to Dr. Kapur. This Connect colt, positioned at post two, will be ridden by Paco Lopez, who is adding blinkers for the first time.
Out of the eight 2-year-olds in the Gun Runner field, six have won their most recent races, with Crown the Buckeye being the only dual stakes winner. The Ohio-bred Yaupon colt, trained by Mike Maker, has convincingly won his last two contests by a combined total of over 16 lengths, including a four and a half length victory at the Best of Ohio Juvenile at Mahoning Valley.
Complete Gun Runner field with jockeys and trainers:
– Mesquite (Jose Ortiz, Shelley Devaux)
– Chip Honcho (Paco Lopez, Steve Asmussen)
– Liberty National (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek)
– Quality Mischief (Marcelino Pedrosa Jr., Brad Cox)
– Crown the Buckeye (Jareth Loveberry, Mike Maker)
– Arabia Wild (Axel Concepcion, Brad Cox)
– Very Connected (Colby Hernandez, Kenny McPeek)
– Mr. Punch (Luis Saez, Brad Cox)
Fan Take: This pivotal early Kentucky Derby prep race gives fans an exciting glimpse of the future stars of horse racing, highlighting emerging talent on the biggest stage. Strong performances here can set the tone for the rest of the road to the Derby, building anticipation and enthusiasm for the sport’s pinnacle event.
