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America’s Gun Runner not anchored by fifth horseshoe

Tom Walter - Monday August 7

How does a horse win a race with five horseshoes?

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Gun Runner wins at Saratoga with a horseshoe entangled in his tail.

That question was answered in Saturday's Grade I Whitney Stakes (1-1/8m) at Saratoga when the Steve Asmussen-trained Gun Runner (3-5 fav) finished first past the post with a rival's shoe caught in his tail.

The shoe belonged to Cautious Giant which finished last while Gun Runner cruised to his second Grade I win since finishing runner-up to Arrogate in the Group I Dubai World Cup (2000m) in March.

"They'll probably blame me and say I told him to throw it at him," Cautious Giant's co-owner Ron Paolucci told Bloodhorse.

"I'm going to call Asmussen and tell him I want my shoe back."

Finishing 5-1/4 lengths behind Gun Runner in second was Keen Ice, a horse that earned fame for upsetting American Pharoah in the Grade I Travers' Stakes (1-1/4m) at the same track almost two years ago.

Gun Runner's victory earned him a guaranteed spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic (1-1/4m) on November 5 at Del Mar where a rematch with Arrogate is a distinct possibility.

As for Arrogate, the Bob Baffert-trained galloper will be out to reaffirm his status as the world's highest rated racehorse in the Grade I Pacific Classic (1-1/4m) on August 19 after an inexplicably poor performance in the Grade II San Diego Handicap (1-1/16m) last month.

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