Gunny Highway ran a patient race Sept. 14 at Remington Park, and in the end that resolve paid off with his maiden victory and the first winner for his sire, Blended Citizen .
With Harry Hernandez in the irons, Gunny Highway stalked along the rail for much of the 7 1/2-furlong turf race bidding their time hoping a window to strike would become available. Sitting fourth and with no clear path to the front available, Hernandez moved sharply to the outside at the top of the stretch.
Now running four-wide, Gunny Highway lost a few strides to his rivals but with nearly a furlong until the wire, the gelding caught the leaders and pulled away for a two-length triumph in 1:37.94.
Trained by Ronnie Cravens, the win came in Gunny Highway's second start. The gelding is a Davey De Wilkett homebred.
The sire stood this year at Wright Farms Performance Horses near Coweta, Okla., for $2,000.
On the track, Blended Citizen proved versatile as he won on dirt, turf, and synthetic. He won multiple grade 3 races: The 2018 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) and Peter Pan Stakes (G3) as well as the 2019 Louisiana Stakes (G3), which was his penultimate start.
Campaigned by Sayjay Racing, Greg Hall, and Brooke Hubbard, Blended Citizen was bred in Kentucky by Ray Hanson. In 22 starts, the son of Proud Citizen was 5-1-2 with $558,230 in earnings.
