Photo:

Fair Grounds / Hodges Photography

The Louisiana road to Kentucky Derby 2025 begins on Saturday in Fair Grounds’ Gun Runner Stakes.

Only five horses were entered, but the 1 1/16-mile dirt race looks well-balanced with Admiral Dennis listed as a narrow 9-5 morning-line favorite over Magnitude at 2-1.

Post time for the $100,000 Gun Runner is 4 p.m. EST, and it goes as race 7 of 12. FanDuel TV will show it live.

Check out Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page for downloadable PPs for the Gun Runner and more, courtesy of our partners at Brisnet.

We also have Super Screener picks and analysis for the Gun Runner as well as recent top speed figures for each contender.

Best speed figures

Horse	Morn. line	Beyer*	Brisnet	TimeformUS	HRN
1. Built	7-2	77	89	102	92
2. Render Judgement	4-1	78	87	99	90
3. Magnitude	2-1	80	86	102	95
4. Chris’s Revenge	6-1	71	81	88	85
5. Admiral Dennis	9-5	79	91	101	92
*Daily Racing Form

Looking at the pace

A moderate pace is expected for the Gun Runner with Built and Magnitude knocking heads early. 

Pace projector appears courtesy of TimeformUS

HRN picks

Ready to step up your handicapping game? Check out our $97 deal and get Super Screener each week plus Power Picks and Horses to Single reports every day up until Kentucky Derby 2025.

Ed DeRosa’s Gun Runner fair odds see Admiral Dennis as a standout and will happily single him.

DeRosa also has Tenacious Stakes fair odds, and he believes either Warrior Johny or Velocitor could run down tspeedy Saudi Crown.

Scott Shapiro has Untapable fair odds, and Golden Gamble looks like the value of the Kentucky Oaks 2025 prep in his eyes.

Ashley Tamulonis and Laurie Ross went head to head handicapping the Gun Runner, and they had a hard time getting around Admiral Dennis and Magnitude in the exacta. However, there was disagreement to be had in the trifecta.

J. Keeler Johnson’s latest Horses to Watch column is high on Admiral Dennis in the Gun Runner and Track Phantom in the Tenacious.

The holiday edition of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod is here, featuring a trio of race callers in Larry Collmus, Paul Allen and Keith Nelson.

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last start	Morn. line
1		Built Hard Spun	6.05	Wayne M. Catalano Corey J. Lanerie	1st, KEE MSW (10/06/2024-R7)	7-2
Last race		1st, KEE MSW (10/06/2024-R7)
2		Render Judgment Blame	6.17	Kenneth G. McPeek Brian J. Hernandez Jr.	5th, 2024 Kentucky Jockey Club G2	4-1
Last race		5th, 2024 Kentucky Jockey Club G2
3		Magnitude Not This Time	6.14	Steven M. Asmussen Jose L. Ortiz	1st, CD AlwOC (11/17/24-R6)	2-1
Last race		1st, CD AlwOC (11/17/24-R6)
4		Chris’s Revenge Instagrand	0.00	Brittany T. Russell Jaime Torres	4th, CD STR (11/24/2024-R1)	6-1
Last race		4th, CD STR (11/24/2024-R1)
5		Admiral Dennis Constitution	6.05	Brad H. Cox Luis Saez	1st, CD MSW (11/7/24-R9)	9-5
Last race		1st, CD MSW (11/7/24-R9)