Run the day before the Kentucky Derby, the Group I Kentucky Oaks (1m1f) produced a quinella for leading US sire Gun Runner and the winner Always a Runner was an interesting one on pedigree given she shares a third dam with Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot.
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Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Always a Runner was unraced at the start of the year, but has enjoyed a meteoric rise to win the Kentucky Oaks at just her third race start to remain undefeated.
She powered to the line from off the pace to win by a length and a quarter over another Gun Runner filly in Meaning.
Bred by Three Chimneys Farm and raced in partnership with Douglas Scharbauer after selling for $1,050,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Always a Runner has had to overcome a few things on her way to becoming a G1 star.
“I'm so proud of this horse,” said her trainer Chad Brown.
“She's overcome so much and to be able to be rewarded this way is unbelievable. She had a very serious case of pneumonia. When horses experience things like that, we just had to take things day by day. Her career was really up in the air. I never imagined she'd get to this day.”
Always a Runner is the first winner from Group II placed Malibu Moon mare Always Carina, whose dam Miss Always Ready is a full sister to Group II winner More Than Real (USA), who was imported to Australia back in 2012 by Kia Ora Stud.
The first foal for More Than Real in Australia was the stakes-winning Fastnet Rock filly Miss Debutante, who has gone on to become an elite blue hen for Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock. She has produced Group I Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot as well as Group winning fillies Platinum Jubilee and Queen of the Ball.
More Than Real is still going at Kia Ora Stud and they sold a Farnan yearling filly from her at Inglis Easter this year for $200,000 to Hollymount Stud / Shane Nichols Racing.
More Than Real has a weanling colt by Zoustar and is in foal to Captivant.
