Gunite (horse)

Gunite (foaled February 3, 2019) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who won multiple Grade I events including the Hopeful Stakes as a two-year-old in 2021 and the Forego Stakes at Saratoga Racetrack in 2023.

Background
Gunite is a dark bay or brown colt that was bred in Kentucky by his owner Winchell Thoroughbreds. Gunite is the progeny of Three Chimneys Farm's freshman sire Gun Runner, the 2017 American Horse of the Year and six-time Grade 1 winner, who was trained by Steven M. Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys. Gunite is the first foal to race out of the Cowboy Cal stakes winner Simple Surprise, who is out of the Grade 3-placed, stakes-winning sprinter Simplify, a daughter of Pulpit. Simple Surprise has a yearling full sister to Gunite and produced a filly by Copper Bullet in 2021. She was bred back to Tapiture also in 2021.

Simplify is half sister to the five-time stakes winner Classify, and three-quarter sister to the Tapit mare Omnitap, dam of Air Strike, successful in the G3 Triple Bend Stakes, and Pegasus Stakes winner Home Brew. Gunite's third dam, Classic Olympio, was a fast and precocious performer on the West Coast, winning four black-type events, including the Moccasin Stakes and Anoakia Stakes, and she also took second in the G2 Santa Ynez Stakes and third in the G2 Railbird Stakes. The fifth dam, Lilac Hill, took the Cotillion Handicap when it was run at Liberty Bell (now Parx), and was half sister to G1 Gran Premio di Milano scorer Rouge Sang, three-quarter sister to Del Mar Derby winner and sire Speak John, and closely related to Stage Door Johnny, the champion 3-year-old colt of 1968 (both by Prince John, out of granddaughters of the mare Folle Nuit).

Career highlights
As a two-year-old Gunite broke his maiden on his third attempt at Churchill Downs in a Maiden Special Weight event over six furlongs. He followed up with a second in the Grade II Saratoga Special to High Oak. Remaining at Saratoga on Labor Day Gunite captured the Grade I Hopeful Stakes with a commanding $5 3/4$ lengths victory over Wit with High Oak finishing fourth.

Retirement and stud
After his final start on November 4, 2023 in the Breeders' Cup Sprint connections of Gunite announced his retirement from racing. In 2024 Gunite will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for a fee of US$35,000.

Statistics
Notes: An (*) asterisk after the odds means Gunite was the post-time favorite.

Pedigree
Inbreeding:
 * Giant's Causeway: 3S x 3D ; Storm Cat: 4S x 4D ; Mariah's Storm: 4S x 4D