Tipsheet: 2025 Gun Runner Stakes

A well-matched field of eight juvenile prospects will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Fair Grounds main surface in Saturday’s $100,000 Gun Runner S. The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series event will reward the top five finishers with qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 structure. 

Gun Runner Stakes Picks

• #1 Mesquite
• #3 Liberty National
• #5 Crown the Buckeye

Gun Runner Stakes Wagers

• $15 win and place #1 Mesquite
• $2 trifecta 1 with 3,5 with all 

Gun Runner Stakes Contenders

#1 MESQUITE (9-2): Union Rags homebred was well backed in his route debut and delivered with a strong maiden tally from well off the pace. The Cherie DeVaux pupil has put in a trio of morning works on the oval in advance of his stakes bow, and he will be able to save ground early before putting in his big run in the lane. Jose Ortiz will ride. 

#2 CHIP HONCHO (9-2): Connect colt was second on debut prior to graduating second time out for Steve Asmussen. The $210,000 yearling purchase will have blinkers on for the contest and comes off a recent bullet morning move on the surface. Paco Lopez inherits the mount. 

#3 LIBERTY NATIONAL (7-2): Win threat from the McPeek shedrow showed vast improvement in a daylight maiden win beneath the Twin Spires in his second lifetime appearance. The $525,000 son of freshman sire Maxfield didn’t beat a great group at Churchill, but he was impressive, nonetheless. Brian Hernandez, Jr., will pilot the late runner. 

#4 QUALITY MISCHIEF (10-1): First of three for trainer Brad Cox moved from the grass to the dirt in his second assignment and graduated at Indiana on Oct. 29. The $300,000 son of Into Mischief shows a trio of works on the oval in advance of Saturday, and he will improve with Marcelino Pedroza taking the reins. 

#5 CROWN THE BUCKEYE (5-1): Ohio-bred comes off a pair of dominant wins over state-bred foes and gets a class test with open foes for Mike Maker. The $250,000 son of Yaupon passed his first route test with ease in his latest outing and makes sense in this spot with Jareth Loveberry retaining the mount. 

#6 ARABIA WILD (8-1): Gun Runner colt broke through in his third career run on this strip most recently while being equipped with blinkers for the initial time. The April foal will need to get faster to upset this cast, but he will likely take a step forward on Saturday for Cox and challenge for a placing beneath Axel Concepcion. 

#7 VERY CONNECTED (6-1): McPeek charge is battle-tested with a handful of races to his credit, including a pair of solid runs with graded stakes runners as of late. The son of Connect has displayed a consistent turn of foot and wouldn’t be a huge surprise against this cast with Colby Hernandez in the stirrups. 

#8 MISTER PUNCH (9-2): The third from the Cox shedrow thrived with the surface change to the Churchill Downs dirt last time when dominating a maiden field at today’s distance. The $350,000 son of Into Mischief earned a healthy 90 Brisnet Speed rating in his tally, and a slight improvement will have him in the hunt late with Luis Saez in the silks.