My Gun’s Loaded fires career-best performance to capture G1 Alabama pres. by Keeneland Sales
Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales at Saratoga Race Course served as an acid test for the lightly raced My Gun’s Loaded, but the daughter of Gun Runner answered the challenge with aplomb to edge the favored Counting Stars and fend off the rail-skimming Measure in the prestigious 10-furlong test for sophomore fillies.
Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for owner Douglas Scharbauer, My Gun’s Loaded is now a perfect 3-for-3 – all at Saratoga under jockey Manny Franco – since joining her current stable for her sophomore campaign after making one start as a juvenile for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. She entered from a local victory in a one-mile optional claimer from the Wilson Chute on July 24 versus elders.
“My filly today was expertly ridden by Manny Franco,” Brown said. “My team did an unbelievable job developing this horse. I felt good in the paddock. She came in and she acted with a lot of confidence. She was calm and collected and I just thought she was the best looking horse today in the paddock, being fresh and ready.”
Brown said the filly is reminiscent of his 2023 Alabama victress Randomized, who also entered this event off a local win going one-mile in the Wilton.
“Going from a mile to a mile and a quarter is a big ask, but the thing that gave me some confidence was we won the Alabama a few years ago with a horse named Randomized that did the same thing, so it has been done,” Brown said.
Though she brought the least experience and had never competed beyond one mile, the chestnut performed like a seasoned veteran to run widest of all down the lane and post the neck victory over Measure, with another 1 1/2 lengths back to dual Grade 1-winner Counting Stars in third. A. P.’s Girl finished fourth with Ati Girl and Nycon completing the order of finish.
“I’m so proud of the horse,” Brown said. “I’m so appreciative of Douglas Scharbauer, who gave me this horse to train over the winter, and of course, she is 3-for-3 for us and she’s 3-for-3 at Saratoga. She really likes it here.”
My Gun’s Loaded emerged from post 4 in the six-horse field, and settled into a stalking third heading into the first turn behind 1-4 favorite Counting Stars, who broke from the outside post, raced wide and was coaxed along by Jose Ortiz to pressure the Hall of Famer John Velazquez-piloted Ati Girl through the opening quarter-mile in 24.55 seconds over the fast footing.
“I tracked Counting Stars the whole way around,” Franco explained. “I was following her, following her. I knew Johnny was inside because Jose never [went] down to the rail, so [Jose] was outside. So, I just followed him the whole way around.”
Ortiz asked Counting Stars to pick it up turning onto the backstretch, and assumed clear command from a tucked-in Ati Girl while Franco kept a moderate hold on My Gun’s Loaded just behind the top pair and ahead of Nycon, A. P.’s Girl and the trailing Measure. Counting Stars reached the half-mile in 49.44 and three-quarters in 1:14.06, with Ortiz primed for a fight as he shook the reins and My Gun’s Loaded began to creep closer.
Brown said the slower fractions were a touch worrying until he saw his filly extend her stride.
“I was concerned until about the three-eighths marker, then I got a good glimpse of Manny on the other side, and I could see that he had plenty of horse moving up,” he said. “Now, the margin was close, but I felt pretty confident that we’d still be interested near the wire.”
Ati Girl retreated after the mile in 1:38.99 with Counting Stars and My Gun’s Loaded floating out very wide into the center of the course, leaving a cavernous opening along the inside for Measure to flash an impressive late foot and throw her hat in the ring through the final eighth. My Gun’s Loaded bore down on the outside of Counting Stars, and the pair drifted back in while exchanging a few bumps as Counting Stars made one last surge in a brave effort to keep her foe at bay.
"At the five-sixteenths pole, I put my filly outside of [Counting Stars], and my filly just jumped on the bridle, so I [said], 'I don't want to move that early, somebody can come from behind.' At the same time, I was confident because, like I said, she jumped on the bridle and I [had] a lot of filly under me,” Franco said.
My Gun’s Loaded pinned her ears to stick her head in front at the sixteenth pole, and while she had put away Counting Stars, she was left to deal with her Mark Casse-trained stablemate Measure as she made her final push under Flavien Prat. My Gun’s Loaded would not be denied, and notched her first stakes win under a celebrating Manny Franco in a final time of 2:04.87.
Franco added that the late surge from Measure only emboldened My Gun’s Loaded.
“When she made the front when I passed Counting Stars, she started waiting a little bit for company, but I knew I had it done,” said Franco, who earned his first Alabama victory. “When she felt [Measure] inside, she gave me a little more, too, so I knew [she] was there."
Brown tipped his cap to Counting Stars, who landed third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May ahead of local Grade 1 wins over the Brown-trained and Scharbauer co-owned Always a Runner in the DraftKings Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks.
“Counting Stars is a great horse,” Brown said. “I had the benefit of a fresh horse today. I mean take nothing away from the way she [Counting Stars] fought, she’s danced every dance from the Oaks on through, and I needed a fresh horse to beat her, goes to show you how good she is.”
Brown mentioned the nine-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame – which he won with Randomized in her next start after the Alabama – on September 25 at the new Belmont Park or the nine-furlong Grade 1 Spinster on October 4 at Keeneland as potential target races.
“I’m going to talk to Mr. Scharbauer and his manager Donny [Denton], great team back at the farm he has that selected this horse,” Brown said. “They have a close-knit team. They selected her and with them managing her, they are wonderful to deal with. Off the top of my head, races like the Beldame or the Spinster versus older horses might be in play. She is lightly-raced and her numbers are fast.”
Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse was far from disappointed in the effort from both his fillies.
“Measure ran great, I guess she got away a little slow, but Measure ran great,” he said. “[Counting Stars] ran hard. She’s been dancing for a long time. I’m proud of her. When they run hard, I don’t get disappointed, would I like to have won? Of course, but no, it takes a lot to get me disappointed, so I’m proud of her, she ran hard, we were third best today.”
Prat praised the determination from Measure, who was a last-out third in the Coaching Club American Oaks.
“At the eighth-pole I thought I had a chance to win and just couldn’t get there. Great effort,” the rider said. “She didn’t show much speed. She likes to wait so I wasn’t too worried about that.”
Ortiz, who picked up the mount aboard Counting Stars from his brother and the filly’s regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. after he was injured two weeks ago, said he could not offer any excuses for the daughter of Honor A.P.
“When you ride a horse like that, you ride them like they are the best. I didn't want anybody bugging me on the outside. She had the speed, so I let her be there in the four path, three path. I was very content every step of the way, to be honest,” Ortiz said. “I think she put up a great run down the lane. [My Gun's Loaded and Measure] ran amazing today. I got everything my own way. I was happy and content with my position. I had no excuse."
Bred in Kentucky by Corser Thoroughbreds, My Gun’s Loaded was a $650,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the stakes-placed Congrats mare Strive, a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Hip Hop N Jazz. She banked $330,000 in victory while returning $8.74 on a $2 win ticket.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card headlined by the $200,000 Albany in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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