Betting With, and Against, Namaron in the Gun Runner Stakes

An overflow field of 16 sophomores has been entered to go one mile on the Kentucky Downs turf in Saturday’s rich, $2 million Gun Runner S. Now in the barn of John Sadler, #1 Namaron (4-1) will make his stateside debut in this spot and gets the inside post as the morning-line choice in the contest. 

Namaron – With

• $2 trifecta key 1 with 3,7,10,13 ($24)
• 50-cent trifecta key 1 with 3,7,10,13 with all ($24)

Namaron – Against

• $1 trifecta 3,7,10 with 1,3,7,10,13 with 1,3,7,10,13 ($36)
• $1 exacta box 3,7,10,13 ($12)

Namaron won at first asking by six lengths as a juvenile and picked up where he left off in 2025 by dominating his foes by 11 lengths in his first run at three. The bay gelding earned his initial big win in a Group 3 score at Krefeld two back, and the sophomore was a close second at Baden-Baden in another Group 3 contest most recently. The Hronis color bearer has posted four morning moves leading up to this endeavor, including two bullet drills, and he should be set to fire with Prat in the stirrups. 

#3 Layabout (15-1) joined the Patrick Biancone barn in the spring and has reeled off a trio of tallies in succession, led by a closing win in the Bear’s Den S. last time out. By Laoban, the three-year-old is two-for-two on the sod in his lifetime and has proven to be capable of winning from on or off the pace to this stage of his development. Kentucky-bred is ascending in advance of this and is a generous number with Keith Asmussen taking the reins. 

Grade 1 victor #7 New Century (5-1) is winless in his last five outings but has kept top company along the way, and the son of Kameko will also race with blinkers on for the initial time. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the colt has the class to take this group down in his local bow, and if the equipment change aids him on the cut back in distance, then he will be formidable with Irad accepting the mount. I feel that the bay is best at distances of this nature, and he wouldn’t be a surprise to me. 

#10 Clever Again (8-1) gave a good account of himself most recently while trying the lawn for the first time at Saratoga when runner-up in the Hall of Fame S. (G2). The Steve Asmussen trainee is bred to love the green, and I expect him to be in the mix from the break with Jose Ortiz in the irons. 

The Barclay Tagg-trained #13 Tiz Dashing (15-1) isn't the strongest win threat in the cast in my opinion, but the colt never runs a bad one and makes a lot of sense for the vertical exotics. The Tiz the Law three-year-old has earned graded placings in two straight and will have Javier Castellano on board.