Gun Runner vans to Saratoga

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gun Runner was scheduled to arrive early Tuesday at his summer home at Saratoga after being sent overnight by van from Churchill Downs with about a dozen of his Steve Asmussen-trained stablemates.

A romping winner of the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill on June 17, Gun Runner will race next in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 5 at Saratoga. The 4-year-old colt has become widely regarded as the second-best horse in training in North America, behind only Arrogate, who defeated him in the March 25 Dubai World Cup.

Gun Runner, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm, resumed training several days after his Foster victory and will have four workouts at Saratoga leading into the 1 1/8-mile Whitney, Asmussen said. Assistant Scott Blasi is leaving the Churchill spring meet a few days early to oversee the Saratoga string before the boss arrives. Asmussen holds a sizable lead in seeking a record 18th training title at Churchill, where the 38-day meet ends Friday night.

Gun Runner “came out of the Foster in great shape,” Asmussen said. “We couldn’t be any happier with him.”

Asmussen has not committed to a particular race beyond the Whitney. The year-end goal is the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, where a rematch looms with Arrogate.

Finley’s luckycharm gets triple

By winning the Chicago Handicap, Finley’s luckycharm became the first horse in 13 years to win three stakes at a single Churchill meet. The 4-year-old filly won the ungraded Roxelana and the Grade 3 Winning Colors earlier in the meet.

Lunar Pal, trained by Asmussen, was the last to win three, taking the Kentucky Juvenile, the now-defunct Kentucky Breeders’ Cup, and the Bashford Manor in 2004. Other known Churchill triples include Favorite Trick (1997), Packet (1994), and Mrs. Revere (1984).

Limousine Liberal stands a chance to quickly match those horses and Finley’s luckycharm. He’ll be a big favorite Friday night in the ungraded Kelly’s Landing following triumphs in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Aristides.

Meanwhile, Finley’s luckycharm, trained by Bret Calhoun, earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the Chicago and will make her next start in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss on July 26 at Saratoga.

Calhoun said he also will consider a race at Saratoga for another of his stable stars, Awesome Saturday, who was a three-length winner of a firstlevel allowance here Sunday, earning an 85 Beyer.

Van Berg recovering from scare

Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg was scheduled for release Monday from an Oklahoma City hospital, where he spent about five days with a serious bout of pneumonia in both lungs. His son Tom Van Berg said his 81-year-old father would travel to his home in Hot Springs, Ark., to continue his recovery before returning to oversee his stable at Churchill.

“He said he’s feeling better, but it’s still difficult getting his air,” Tom Van Berg said.

After more than 20 years in California, Jack Van Berg returned in 2014 to a Midwest circuit of Kentucky and Oaklawn Park. He has been troubled in recent years by a chronic back ailment and suffered a deep personal setback in April with the death of his son Tim at age 59.

Jack Van Berg has more than 6,500 career victories, fourth all time among North American trainers. He was inducted into the racing Hall of Fame in 1985.

2-year-olds take the stage

Two $100,000 stakes for 2-yearolds and the $70,000 Kelly’s Landing anchor an 11-race Downs After Dark program that ends the meet Friday night.

Trainer Asmussen, seeking a record-tying fifth win in the Bashford Manor, has Copper Bullet as the heavy favorite in a field of six in the six-furlong race. The Grade 3 Bashford Manor goes as the sixth race on a card that starts at 6 p.m. Eastern. Its sister race, the ungraded Debutante (race 8), attracted a much deeper field, with She’s a Julie perhaps rating a lukewarm choice for Asmussen in a field of 13 fillies going six furlongs.

The seven-furlong Kelly’s Landing (race 10) drew 13 challengers to Limousine Liberal, including The Player, Recount, and The Truth Or Else.

Mandatory payout Friday

An added attraction to the Friday finale is the likely prospect of a big jackpot in the Single 6, for which a mandatory payout will be in effect with meet’s end, regardless of the size of the carryover pool.

Into Wednesday, the jackpot in the 20-cent wager stood at $131,373 after failing to be swept by a solo winner for the last 20 racing days. All three stakes will be part of the Friday sequence (races 6-11).

◗ Through Sunday, betting favorites have won at a 36 percent clip (125 for 344) at this meet, with their hottest streak undoubtedly coming last weekend. Favorites won the last four races Friday, nine of 11 Saturday, and the first two races Sunday, meaning they went an incredible 15 for 17 during that span.

◗ Entries were to be drawn Tuesday for the nine-race Saturday opener at Ellis Park in western Kentucky, where the summer meet begins with four straight days of racing Saturday through Tuesday. The meet highlight is the Grade 3 Groupie Doll on Aug. 13.