Gun Song wears down Randomized in Beldame

The storyline going into Friday’s $232,500 Beldame (G2) was all about rediscovering top form, but it wasn’t the odds-on favorite, Randomized, who followed the script at Aqueduct. Instead, Gun Song was the one to restore her fortunes as the third choice in a four-horse field. 

Trained by Mark Hennig for R. Lee Lewis, Gun Song was one of three cross-entered to the Beldame and to Sunday’s $400,000 Delaware H. (G3). Majestic Oops, the 2-1 second choice on the Beldame’s morning line, scratched in favor of Delaware Park. In theory, that might have made Randomized’s task easier. But fellow cross-entrant Margie’s Intention opted for the Beldame, and she kept Randomized from having an easy lead.

Even so, the Randomized of the past arguably would have had much more left down the stretch. After carving out fractions of :23.78, :47.26, and 1:11.19, Randomized pulled away from Margie’s Intention. Yet the 0.42-1 choice did not put the race away, as she did during the peak of her powers in the 2023 Beldame.

Gun Song, who had been nestled just behind the leaders, drove through the emerging gap between them and challenged Randomized. Although the favorite tried to dig in, Gun Song always appeared to have her measure.

Under a well-judged ride by John Velazquez, Gun Song edged 1 1/4 lengths clear through a slow final furlong in :13.29. The Gun Runner filly clocked 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.45.

“Perfect,” Velazquez said of his winning trip. “They stayed off the rail, so I wanted to stay there. They (Randomized) were the horse to beat, so I followed. I was looking for space by the quarter-pole, and we got it.

“That helped me a little bit, that the other horse (Margie’s Intention) went with them. I kept her right behind her heels anyways. So, I was pretty comfortable where I was. When I did get out, she responded very nicely.”

Randomized was unable to summon enough of a response. 

“She jumped well,” said Randomized’s rider, Flavien Prat. “She got herself into the lead. She just couldn't hold on all the way there."

Randomized barely salvaged second by a neck from Margie’s Intention, who stayed on with renewed purpose late. The outclassed Just Music was last throughout and ultimately eased.

Gun Song paid $11.54 in a contest with no show wagering. Last seen retreating to fourth in the July 18 Shuvee (G2) at Saratoga, the chestnut was snapping a six-race losing streak.

“Very satisfying,” Hennig said. “When you kind of put one away in mid-July and say, ‘I’m going to point to one race in September,’ you’re putting some pressure on yourself. I said after that race in July that I’m just going to get her ready for one try, and if she runs well, we’ll talk about whether she deserves a trip to California (for the Breeders’ Cup  Distaff [G1] at Del Mar).

“I’m glad it went well. So many things can go wrong in this game. She got a really nice trip today, Johnny rode her well, my help did a great job with her, and everything went well.”

Gun Song, whose signature win came in the 2024 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), came close to two other major wins last fall. Just a neck away from Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna when runner-up in the Cotillion (G1), she missed by a head in the Mother Goose (G2) at this track and trip. 

But Gun Song’s four-year-old campaign had been lackluster in comparison until the Beldame. The prerequisite was improving the condition of her hooves.

“We finally got her feet right,” Hennig revealed. “Ian McKinlay has shod her the last two times, and she really responds to him. He’s done a great job with her and got her going the right way. We had a really good 60 days since her last effort.”

Gun Song has compiled a mark of 16-5-5-2, $915,720. Her other stakes credits include a win in last year’s Cathryn Sophia S. at Parx, a runner-up effort in the Monmouth Oaks (G3), and an even second in the June 14 Obeah S. at Delaware. 

Hennig will monitor developments on the Breeders’ Cup front before committing to a Del Mar venture. 

“You’ve got some more preps to go, and these races have a chance to start falling apart, especially with these older horses as they get closer (to the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup). We’ll see how she comes out of it, see how the other races go, and evaluate whether that’s the right move.”