Gun Runner colt a hit for former NBA star Robert Sacre at Keeneland

Co-breeder Robert Sacre hit a slam dunk at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale when his Gun Runner colt consigned as Hip 822 sold for $275,000 to Peter Pugh, agent for Cherry Knoll Farm.

The former NBA player owns the 19-year-old Tiznow mare Usrah in partnership with Carl Grether of Tom Grether Farms, who introduced him to the breeding and sales scene when the two crossed paths during Sacre's time at Gonzaga University, which Grether's daughters also attended.

While Grether owns shares in about eight other mares, Usrah is the lone broodmare owned in partnership by Sacre, and her short yearling by Gun Runner is just the second horse they have sent through the ring together.

"Carl influenced me," said Sacre. "I knew him from college and he's been excellent at picking horses.

"I told him, 'Whatever you're doing, I want to be a part of,' and he was able to help me through this whole process and picking out horses. At some point we sat down and made a plan and we have executed it.

"It worked out good for us. I'm very grateful to have Carl helping and mentoring me throughout this whole process; it's been great. Our plan is to keep selling."

While Usrah was acquired for $25,000 by Grether in 2010 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on an Invasor cover, Sacre first joined in on her 2020 foal, a filly by Collected.

After failing to meet her reserve as a weanling when the hammer fell at $27,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale, the filly sold for $40,000 to BL Transport at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale the following season. Mulholland Springs consigned the filly and the Gun Runner colt, who rode his sire's popularity into the ring on Wednesday.

The Three Chimneys stallion enjoyed an explosive debut season during which he set a record for progeny earnings by a first-crop sire with more than $4.2 million. His 58 yearlings sold at auction in 2021 averaged $288,483 and his 14 two-year-olds sold last year averaged $306,286.

"There's no doubt that, as hot as Gun Runner is, that helped," said John Mulholland. "This colt stood out from a pedigree and sire power position. He's just a lovely horse, never missed a beat, was never a problem to raise, never any issues from day one, and he showed himself well.

"We were hugely busy and he was out of the stall 132 times. I rarely ever saw him not have a wonderful show to someone. He handled it all with a lot of class and I think the gentleman wound up with a good horse whether he pinhooks or races him."

Bred in Florida by Arthur Appleton out of the Rahy mare Serena's Sister, a full-sister to champion Serena's Song, Usrah was a $300,000 purchase by Shadwell from Denali Stud's consignment to the 2003 Keeneland November sale. She never made it to the races but her progeny account for $811,586 in earnings, including black-type runners Dawly (by Awesome Again) and Protective Shield (by Lookin At Lucky). She has produced 11 foals, six starters and four winners.

Mulholland said: "The mare has produced a lot of very nice individuals over the years. Carl and his wife Leslie bought her several years ago and we've had her ever since. We've sold hugely well out of the mare over the years.

"We sold one to Sam Siegel for nearly $300,000 [a $270,000 Into Mischief filly at the 2016 Keeneland September sale]. We recently sold a Practical Joke out of her for $120,000 [to de Meric Stables at the 2019 Keeneland November sale]. She has earned her way over the years and has gone on to be a nice black-type producer. The second dam continues to produce as well. Seemingly every few years there's a black-type horse under the second dam."

Sacre was still riding high after watching the Gun Runner colt go through the ring.

"It's like watching your baby," he said. "When I was drafted by the NBA to the Lakers, it was like that, a draft. It's the closest thing to an NBA draft, you don't know what to expect, everything is unknown, but it worked."

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