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Windrunner Runs Away with the SC Quarters Classic
Original article written by Amanda Haderthauer posted 10 years 1 week agoI was in Chat when I heard the news. Windrunner had won the grade 1 Steward’s Cup Quarters Classic. At first I didn’t believe it, and when I saw it for myself I was almost giddy, and I don’t even own this horse. But Windrunner is a SIMlebrity (get it, SIM + celebrity = SIMlebrity), and I imagine I wasn’t the only person excited to see that Windrunner finally got a big win. Windrunner’s thread on the forum is 14 pages long, after all, with lots of people offering advice on what to do with this tricky horse.
Windrunner started his career with 17 consecutive second place finished, including seconds in the Ear of the Hound Stakes (Year 32 week6) in his very first start, the grade 2 California Marathon (Year 34 week 14) and the grade 1 Steward’s Cup Quarters Classic (Year 34 week 16). Windrunner finally broke his maiden in week 6 of Year 35, in a sponsored maiden special restricted to California Breds. He added blinkers for that race and won by over four lengths. In his next start, a sponsored NW2, he took off the blinkers and was a very impressive winner by over seven lengths.
His next start saw him facing stakes company in the Another Heartbreak Stakes (week 12). In that race he seemed to go back to his mid pack style of running (his only two wins had come in a front running fashion) and while he broke well and gave a good effort he could do no better than third, beaten a neck total. In week 14 he ran in the grade 2 California Marathon, in which he was second last year. After his third place effort last out he got the blinkers back, even though his confirmed one piece of equipment needed was hind bandages. Unfortunately the blinkers experiment backfired and he ended up running fourth, in his first off the board finish.
Landon Alexander, Windrunner’s owner, didn’t let that disappointing fourth place effort change her plans of a repeat appearance in the Steward’s Cup Quarters Classic, in which he ran second last year. He lost the blinkers for this race. He had an awkward start and was mid-pack at the first call. Approaching the wire he closed quickly to beat Rocky Top by a nose to win his first stakes race, graded stakes race, and Steward’s Cup race all in one night. Oh, he also ran a career high speed figure of 83.
Windrunner is bred and owned by Landon Alexander. He is sired by Quarter Miler out of the Dbacks mare Cut This Out. His race record stands at 22: 3-17-1 with earnings of $289,800. Rumor has it that Windrunner will be retiring after his SC race, standing for $5,000 to $8,000. Just note that this information was put out before he won the SC Quarters Classic, so things could change.
In my opinion this is the perfect ending to Windrunner’s racing career. After so much talk about what to do with this horse this, and what this horse could have been, to see him win the biggest race of year for routing quarter horses, it’s like a Hollywood ending. So congratulations to Windrunner and Landon.