'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Always A Runner (Gun Runner) wore down pacesetter Pashmina (Constitution) in the final sixteenth to win Saturday's GIII Gazelle Stakes and earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
The least experienced runner in the field with just one start under her belt, the seven-figure yearling impressed at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 6, drawing off to win that debut by 6 1/2 lengths.
Lacking any early speed from the gate on a surface that had taken a bit of rain just before post, Always A Runner at odds of 9-2 was able to stay tucked down against the rail on the short run into the first turn while staying just off the heels of the leading pack. Pashmina was sent along to lead from the outside and opened up an easy advantage up the backstretch, pacing the field through fractions of :23.84 and :48.51.
With a wall of horses still in front of her around the far turn, Dylan Davis needed a seam aboard Always A Runner and got one as a thin spot opened on the rail. Putting in an eye-catching move, the 'Rising Star' quickly raced into second with her sights firmly set on Pashmina who turned for home still alone up front.
Storming down the center of the course, she was always to wear down that leader despite racing a bit greenly through the final furlong. Pashmina put up a good fight but needed the line and failed to get it as Always A Runner swept past late for the win.
“I called both owners and said, 'look, I'm going to take a shot in this race because she just breezed too, too good.,'” said winning trainer Chad Brown said of his filly who missed an earlier debut in New York last year due to pneumonia. “Last-minute decision to put her on the van and send her up here the other day.”
Brown acknowledged that a next start in the GI Kentucky Oaks would be a big ask for his inexperienced filly.
“She's only had two starts, and it's a fair question,” he said. “I don't think I could answer it like I would know for sure. I think it could go both ways. Big risk, big reward. I don't want to be careless with these horses, but she's really talented. She's not that big, but she's handy and a very athletic sort. The Oaks, you don't have the 20-horse field [like the Derby]. Is there that much risk? I don't know, I'd have to look at the field and look it over and talk to the owners. My gut would tell me it's not that risky.”
Pedigree Note:
Gun Runner continued a big day Saturday, picking up his 39th graded stakes winner here minutes after Meaning became his 38th in the GII Santa Anita Oaks and minutes before Further Ado took down the Blue Grass.
First dam Always Carina earned north of $218,000 in her own racing career including a placing in the GII Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park. Three Chimneys bought into the family with second dam Miss Always Ready for $400,000 as a 2-year-old in 2014 and the mare rewarded them with a Breeders' Cup winner in Structor (Palace Malice) who took down the Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in 2019. This is also the family of GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real, the full-sister to Miss Always Ready.
Always A Runner is Always Carina's first foal. Her 2-year-old, a full-sister to Always A Runner, failed to meet his reserve at Keeneland September at $850,000 last year. She also has a yearling full-brother and returned yet again to the Three Chimneys-based Gun Runner for 2026.
Saturday, Keeneland
GAZELLE S.-GIII, $200,000, Aqueduct, 4-4, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.97, ft.
1–ALWAYS A RUNNER, 123, f, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Always Carina (GSP, $218,800),
by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Miss Always Ready, by More Than Ready
3rd Dam: Miss Seffens, by Dehere
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($1,050,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Douglas Scharbauer and
Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba); B-Three
Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Dylan Davis.
$110,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $129,200.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pashmina, 123, f, 3, Constitution–Panthera Onca, by Super
Saver. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($350,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT).
O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC; B-Narola, LLC (KY); T-Rob
Atras. $40,000.
3–Paradise, 123, f, 3, Gun Runner–Venetian Harbor,
by Munnings. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($700,000 Ylg '24
FTSAUG). O-NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods; B-Ciaglia Racing,
LLC, HNDEH & Domenic Savides (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $24,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 8 3/4, HD. Odds: 4.69, 6.00, 1.32.
Also Ran: Nycon, Two Bits, Slow Kara, Baffle, Victory Hall. Scratched: Hot Gossip. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#2 ALWAYS A RUNNER ($11.38) under @DavisJockey made a huge move coming to the stretch and would get up late to win the $200,000 Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. The daughter of Gun Runner (@Three_Chimneys) trained by Chad Brown is a now a perfect 2 for 2 in her career. pic.twitter.com/Vil9aDzf40
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 4, 2026
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