Early Voting

By: Alan Porter

The only classic winner by Horse of the Year and sensational young sire, Gun Runner, Early Voting is out of a half-sister Champion Sprinter and outstanding stallion, Speightstown.

Gun Runner has been extremely successful with A.P. Indy line mares, particularly with daughters of Tapit, a cross that has already provided Gun Runner with grade one winner Scoiety, graded stakes winners Wicked Halo, Red Route One, Disarm and Il Miracolo and stakes winner Red Run. Tapit is also sire of Constitution, Frosted, Cupid, Tonalist, Trappe Shot, Tapiture and Tapizar, and daughters of these horses should also work.

Tapit is by Pulpit, and stakes winner Optionality is by Gun Runner out of a mare by Pulpit, and there is also a Candy Ride grade one winner out of a mare by Pulpit son, Stroll. Gun Runner has a stakes-placed horse out of a mare by Pulpit son, Sky Mesa, and other Pulpit sons including Corinthian, Flashback and Mr. Speaker.

Malibu Moon, bred on the same A.P. Indy/Mr. Prospector cross as Pulpit, is broodmare sire of Gun Runner grade one winner Locked, and graded stakes winners Runninsonofagun and Shotgun Hottie. This also suggests mares by similarly-bred A.P. Indy sons such as Flatter, broodmare sire of Gun Runner triple grade one winner Taiba; Congrats, a brother to Flatter; Mineshaft (sire of Dialed In – out of a Storm Cat mare – and Discreetly Mine) and Girolamo. Gun Runner is also sire of grade two winner, Life Talk, out of a mare by A.P. Indy son Bernardini (bred very similarly to Tapit, and sire of Take Charge Indy and Stay Thirsty also appears here) and other A.P. Indy sources include Jump Start, Stephen Got Even (sire of First Dude) and Majestic Warrior.

Gun Runner has done well with mares that give inbreeding to Storm Cat, who appears in the dams of eight of his stakes winners. In four of those cases the horse in question is out of Storm Cat line mare. Early Voting has two crosses of Storm Cat, but they will in the fourth and fifth generation of his foals, allowing for another cross through the mare if not too close. We can note Gun Runner’s Champion Echo Zulu is out of a mare by Menifee, a son of the Storm Cat horse Harlan, also sire of Harlan’s Holiday (broodmare sire of Gun Runner graded winner Vahva, and himself sire of Into Mischief, Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby).

Gun Runner has grade one winner Gunite out of a mare by Cowboy Cal, a son of his own broodmare sire, Giant’s Causeway. Giant’s Causeway son, Eskendereya, is broodmare sire of a graded stakes winner by Gun Runner’s sire, Candy Ride, and one could also look to introduce Giant’s Causeway through daughters of First Samurai, Creative Cause and Not This Time.</span

Gun Runner’s multiple graded stakes-winning and grade one-placed Pappascat is out of a mare by Storm Cat line stallion Scat Daddy (by a son of Hennessy, also sire of Henny Hughes, the broodmare sire of a Candy Ride line stakes winner).

Candy Ride and sons have enjoyed exceptional success with mares by Forest Wildcat, and there is also a stakes winner by a son of Candy Ride out of a mare by D’Wildcat, a son of Forest Wildcat. There are two graded winners by Candy Ride out of mares by Storm Cat son Forestry, who could be introduced through daughters of Shackleford (who looks particularly appealing) or Discreet Cat. Other likely Storm Cat sources that are already proven under Candy Ride include Tale of the Cat (sire of Lion Heart and Tale of Ekati; grandsire of Kantharos, Girvin and Uncaptured), Stormy Atlantic and Yankee Gentleman.

Gun Runner is inbred to Fappiano, a pattern that has worked very well for Candy Ride and his sons. The inbreeding in Gun Runner is far enough back to permit a third strain and Gun Runner has sired grade one winner Society, graded stakes winner Wicked Halo, and stakes winners Red Run and Shotgun Hottie who all have Fappiano through Unbridled.</span.

Candy Ride and sons have enjoyed tremendous success crossed over Fappiano line mares, particularly through Unbridled. Out of mares by Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile and Bodemeister; grandsire of American Pharoah, Classic Empire and Cairo Prince) there are two graded winners, including grade one winner Separationofpowers. There are five graded winners, including grade one winners Gift Box and Leofric, by Candy Ride and sons out of mares by Unbridled’s Song. Out of mares by sons of Unbridled’s Song there is a grade one winner out of a mare by First Defence, a graded winner out of mare by Songandprayer, and stakes winners out of mares by Political Force and Rockport Harbor. Other sources of Unbridled’s Song include Liam’s Map, Arrogate, Cross Traffic, Midshipman, Half Ours Songandaprayer, Old Fashioned, Zensational, Even The Score, Dunkirk and Buddha.

Unbridled could also be brought in through Broken Vow. We also find Candy Ride grade one winner Finley’sluckycharm out of a mare by Victory Gallop from this line, and it could also be worth considering introducing Fappiano through Quiet American, the grandsire of Midnight Lute, and Rubiano, sire of Burning Roma and Too Much Bling .

Fappiano is a Mr. Prospector line stallion, and from the Gone West branch of Mr. Prospector Speightstown is broodmare sire of Candy Ride grade one winner Vekoma. A cross with Speightstown gives inbreeding to juvenile champion, Silken Cat, a pattern that has already appeared in a multiple stakes winner. The Elusive Quality branch through Quality Road could also be interesting. Out of a mare from the Distorted Humor branch of Mr. Prospector, Gun Runner has graded stakes winner Intricate out of a mare by Distorted Humor himself and grade one winner Cyberknife from a mare by Flower Alley, suggesting daughters of Maclean’s Music, Jimmy Creed, Alternation, Brethren and Khozan. We can also note Gun Runner stakes winner Candy Aisle out a mare by Mr. Prospector line stallion Street Cry (sire of Sreet Sense and Street Boss).

From the Caro line, Candy Ride did very well with mares by In Excess, and he also has a stakes winner out of a mare by that horse’s grandson, Uncle Mo, a son of Indian Charlie. Gun Runner has graded winner Chatalas out of a mare by Indian Charlie, and stakes winner Concept out of mare by Cindago (also by Indian Charlie). Uncle Mo is sire of Laoban (out of a mare by Speightstown, giving inbreeding to Silken Cat), Nyquist and Outwork. Indian Charlie is also sire of Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie and Liaison) and In Excess is also sire of Rocky Bar, Bring the Heat and Notional.