The beautifully-bred Paradise (Gun Runner) made easy work of a short field in Saturday's Busher Stakes to claim her first points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
A $700,000 Saratoga yearling purchase for a partnership which is now NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods, the daughter of MGSW/MGISP Venetian Harbor (Munnings) just broke her maiden at Gulfstream going this same one-mile distance Jan. 4 before shipping into New York to face just four rivals for 37.5 Oaks points.
Third in the opening furlong but clearly wanting to do more under jockey Manny Franco, the 6-5 favorite finally settled behind Current Yield (Nyquist) and Interstatelovesong (Bolt d'Oro) who carved out the fractions up the backstretch of 23.38 and :46.75. Finally unleashed to make a wide bid into the far turn, Paradise made up the ground on the leaders to make it three across the track at the quarter pole. Current Yield was the first to fade against the fence and, while Interstatelovesong had a bit of fight left through the final furlong, was ultimately no match for the eventual winner.
Wearing her rivals down close to home, Paradise cruised to the win with Nycon (Nyquist) running on well late to steal second from Interstatelovesong.
Paradise, who was also cross-entered in Saturday's GII Davona Dale at Gulfstream, now sits fifth on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 37.5 points.
“She shipped up this week and had been training well and obviously ran well,” said trainer Brad Cox. “I thought it was encouraging that she was able to sit as close to that pace as she did and finish up the way she did. Obviously, the one filly [No. 5, Interstatelovesong] stayed on to be third so they were going quick enough. She stretched out to a mile in her last run at Gulfstream – she showed the way and broke her maiden. I don't know what she learned from it, being on the lead the whole way, but we'd liked what we'd seen from her over the mornings leading up to this.”
Cox indicated that Paradise may try stretching out in her next start, potentially in the two-turn GIII Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct Apr. 4.
She is Gun Runner's 56th individual stakes winner. Venetian Harbor, who was unlucky to not achieve a win at the highest level with placings in the GI Central Bank Ashland, the GI Clement L. Hirsch and the GI Longines Test, has just the one runner and winner to her record thus far but plenty more in the pipeline. AMO Racing USA went to $1,050,000 to acquire her now 2-year-old Curlin colt at Keeneland September last year and she has an Into Mischief yearling colt of 2026. She is due to Nyquist this season.
🌴🌸 PARADISE runs down INSTERSTATELOVESONG to win the Busher S. at Aqueduct and picks up 50 points towards the Kentucky Oaks!
Owned by @lnjfoxwoods, the 3YO filly is trained by @bradcoxracing and was piloted by @jockeyfranco. pic.twitter.com/YqWucml63F
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) February 28, 2026
BUSHER S., $194,000, Aqueduct, 2-28, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:38.53, gd.
1–PARADISE, 123, f, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Venetian Harbor (MGSW & MGISP,
$699,400), by Munnings
2nd Dam: Sounds of the City, by Street Cry (Ire)
3rd Dam: Welcome Home, by Dixieland Band
($700,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-NK Racing
and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Ciaglia Racing, LLC, HNDEH & Domenic
Savides (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco. $110,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $174,800.
2–Nycon, 123, f, 3, Nyquist–Raise the Flag, by Awesome Again.
($375,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Icon Racing Stable; B-Pursuit of
Success LLC (KY); T-D. Whitworth Beckman. $40,000.
3–Interstatelovesong, 123, f, 3, Bolt d'Oro–Gentle Humor,
by Distorted Humor. ($90,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP).
O-Titletown Racing Stables; B-Titletown Racing Stables (Paul
Farr) (KY); T-Thomas Morley. $24,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, NK, 5HF. Odds: 1.36, 3.04, 2.09.
Also Ran: Current Yield, Blazing Brat. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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