Connect’s Chip Honcho Guts It Out in Gun Runner

[Wandering Eyes]

Sent off as the 39-10 third choice in a field of six for Saturday's Gun Runner Stakes at the Fair Grounds, Leland Ackerley Racing LLC's Chip Honcho (Connect) prompted the early pace and kept plugging away down the long stretch to be up on the wire and earn 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The $210,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling–with blinkers added off a Churchill one-mile maiden win Nov. 20–broke to his right, causing a bit of a chain reaction, but he showed speed enough to track the early tempo to the outside of the talented Ohio-bred Crown the Buckeye (Yaupon) through strong fractions of :23.62 and :46.66.

Right at the pacesetter's flank into and around the turn through three-quarters in a testing 1:10.98, Chip Honcho still had a few lengths to find as Crown the Buckeye plugged on gamely and the front-runner finally ran out of steam late, allowing Chip Honcho to race over the top of him in the final three or four strides. Favored 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Liberty National (Maxfield) made late progress at the rail to just get up for second ahead of Crown the Buckeye. Quality Mischief (Into Mischief) was in the photo and beaten about a length for all of it in fourth.

“I had him in good position to the outside after I got him to settle,” said winning rider Paco Lopez. “He really started setting down a nice run at the quarter pole, and I thought we could go get the leader. My horse gave everything he had.”

Chip Honcho was runner-up on Keeneland debut behing 'Rising Star' Dr. Kapur (McKinzie) but got the job done last time in the Louisville mud.

The 18th stakes winner for his Lane's End-based stallion, whose son Rattle N Roll was victorious in the Tinsel Stakes at Oaklawn earlier Saturday, Chip Honcho is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to fellow SW Whiskey And Rye (Maclean's Music). Miss My Rose did not produce foals in either of the last two seasons and most recently visited Muth.

GUN RUNNER S., $100,000, Fair Grounds, 12-20, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.76, ft.
1–CHIP HONCHO, 122, c, 2, by Connect
1st Dam: Miss My Rose (SW), by Magician (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ava G, by Afternoon Deelites
3rd Dam: Affirmed Miss, by Affirmed
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($210,000 Ylg '24 FTKJUL). O-Leland Ackerley Racing LLC; B-Venneri Racing Inc & Tony Fanticola (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen; J-Paco Lopez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $150,475.
2–Liberty National, 122, c, 2, Maxfield–Virtuoso, by Awesome Again. 1ST BLACK TYPE.  ($525,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Brookdale Racing Inc & Fern Circle Stables; B-Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G McPeek. $20,000.
3–Crown the Buckeye, 122, c, 2, Yaupon–Feisty Tomboy, by Unbridled's Song. ($225,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). O-Paradise Farms Corp, David Staudacher & Hooties Racing LLC; B-Pick View LLC, Paul W Schaffer & William D Pickerrell (OH); T-Michael J Maker. $11,000.
Margins: 3/4, HD, NK. Odds: 3.90, 1.30, 2.00.
Also Ran: Quality Mischief, Very Connected, Mister Punch. Scratched: Arabia Wild, Mesquite.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

CHIP HONCHO ($9.80) kept digging down the lane in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at @fairgroundsnola. The son of Connect (@LanesEndFarms) earns 10 Points on the @spendthriftfarm Road to the @KentuckyDerby for trainer Steve Asmussen. @Pacolopez1018 was on board. pic.twitter.com/bgrPaWiYho

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 21, 2025

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