WERE it not for the small matter of Arrogate’s extraordinary performance in the Dubai World Cup in March, Gun Runner would be unbeaten in his last five starts and probably spoken of as a live contender for the title of best active horse in the world. Readers may remember that Gun Runner beat the rest hands down at Meydan that day, only for Arrogate to come from a seemingly hopeless position to mow him down and win by two and a quarter lengths.

Whereas Arrogate has run poorly on his only start since, Gun Runner has won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs and, last Saturday, the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga by wide margins, the latter at the chief expense of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic third and recent Grade 2 winner Keen Ice.