Spice Runner is the entire brother of a number of Grade 1 Sprinter Gun Knights and the early factors chief on the 2026 street to the Kentucky Derby introduced by Woodford Reserve. He scored 10 factors by operating his favorite compote on the head to attain the third-grader’s $299,400 Irocois Steaks on September thirteenth. The Iroquois have been the kickoff race to the 2026 Kentucky Derby Sequence.
The Spice Runner is a Winshell Thoroughbred raised by a Sire Gun Runner. When Gunite of Winchell Solrbreds competed as a boy 4 years in the past, his pace and expertise have been unmistakable. He scored once more at Grade 1 hopeful stakes in 2021 at age 2, 2, and some years later, at Grade 1 stakes stage, taking one other seven furlong races on the Saratoga Race Course, the 2023 Forego Stakes.
Miles have confirmed the boundaries of Gunite’s effectiveness, however Corridor of Fame Coach Steve Asmussen needs the towering spice runner to go on the route and desires to run the basic distance in a manner his brother by no means did.
“He is twice his dimension so possibly he can go far twice,” Asmussen mentioned he compares the 2.
The way in which the Spice Runner completed on Saturday exhibits he’s efficient at mid-range. I’ll kindly fee him on the sixth, however below jockey Jose Ortiz, he went steadily and labored properly by way of the stretch. Regardless of ducking and spurring driving claps from Ortiz, the spice runner wore a wire compote, working arduous on Comport’s lead.
The Spice Runner timed at 1:36.59, adopted by a fraction of twenty-two.69, :46.06, and 1:10.83. The winner returned $12.38 with a $2 guess.
Vost, Nothing Private and Maximus Prime concluded their high 5 end orders.
The street to the Kentucky Derby Sequence started within the Iroquois, because the street to the Kentucky Oaks Sequence befell on Saturday with the third-year Pocahontas Stakes. The 2 races offered qualifying factors for the Derby and Oaks for top-5 finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 foundation, respectively. Pocahontas received by being stolen by the wind skilled by Ken PC Peek.
Though the Iroquois members haven’t but received the Derby, final 12 months’s two runners, Owen Anmarty and Sandman, competed in a rose run. Owen Anmity, the second within the Iroquois, ran fifth within the Derby, whereas Sandman, the fifth within the Iroquois, hit the seventh dwelling. The Iroquois Runners have been 0-1-1 with 32 begins within the following spring Kentucky Derby, courting again to 1983.
A part of the Iroquois and Pocahontas Breeders’ Cup Grime Dozen Programme, the highest three finishers in every race have earned $30,000, $15,000 and $7,500 admission charges for Fanduel Breaders’ Cup Juvenile offered by TAA and Netjets Breiders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Each races are scheduled for October thirty first at Delmar.
