Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:16 am |
Back to: Top News
Updated: October 24, 2025 at 7:21 am
Locked wins the Woodward | Sarah Andrew
Multiple Grade I winner Locked (Gun Runner), will miss his intended engagement in the Breeders’ Cup Classic due to an “untimely illness” and has been retired from racing, according to a press release from Gainesway Farm, where he will begin stud duties in 2026.
Locked is the second foal from Luna Rosa, a winning daughter of Malibu Moon and a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Gabby’s Golden Gal and multiple Grade II winner Always A Princess.
Locked broke his maiden for trainer Todd Pletcher by 7 1/4 lengths in September of his two-year-old year at Saratoga Racecourse, and was declared a decisive `TDN Rising Star’ presented by Hagyard. He followed that with a win in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Cup Futurity at Keeneland. Locked completed his 2-year-old campaign with a fast-closing third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by a nose.
In Locked’s 3-year-old debut, he stopped the clock at 1.21.02 for seven furlongs at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. He scored another impressive win just a few weeks later in the prestigious GII Cigar Mile, defeating older horses, which included GI winners Mullikin and Book ’em Danno.
Locked continued his form on the racetrack at age four and headed west to win the GI Santa Anita Handicap by a record-setting 8 ½ lengths. The victory earned him a 109 Beyer, 3 ½ Ragozin, and negative 5 Thoro-Graph.
“From the moment we put a saddle on his back at Ocala Stud, Locked always presented himself as a superior talent,” Eclipse President Aron Wellman said. “He was a star 2-year-old, returned at age three off nearly a year layoff after getting knocked off the Kentucky Derby trail with a rare injury, to come a tick off the track record for seven furlongs at Aqueduct and then conquered older foes, including several Grade I winners, in the Cigar Mile. He was a troubled second in the Pegasus World Cup and then set the record for the largest margin of victory in the Santa Anita Big ‘Cap, only to close out his career with a logic-defying win in the historic Woodward. He was a stellar racehorse and with his natural athleticism, toughness, pedigree and looks, we are enthusiastic about his prospects of becoming a marquee stallion at Gainesway as an heir apparent to his sire, Gun Runner.”
“Locked is an exciting stallion prospect of the highest caliber,” said Antony Beck. “In his career, he demonstrated true brilliance and versatility from distances ranging from 7 furlongs to 1 ¼ miles. I couldn’t be more excited about Locked’s arrival at Gainesway and I look forward to breeding a large number of our best mares to him.”
Raced by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Walmac Farm, Locked will retire with 6 wins from 11 starts and earnings of $1,911,825.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.