Gunnn comes out blazing to claim Gold Cup

ELSTON Gunnn fired both barrels out of the gate in the 69^th running of the $50,000 Gold Cup on a rainy Wednesday evening when wiener dogs were running everywhere at Assiniboia Downs, and likely earned himself a championship in the process.

Named after an early Bob Dylan stage name, the three-year-old gelding by Hollywood Derby (G1) winner Mo Town used his speed early in the 1 1/8-mile race, opening a clear lead under jockey Shavon Townsend and getting a breather for the first half-mile before being pressured by favourite Go Go Boss down the backstretch, through the final turn and all the way to the wire.

No matter how hard he tried, Go Go Boss could not get by for trainer Robertino Diodoro. And while those two were going hoof-to-hoof on the front end through the final turn, 43-1 Saskatchewan-bred Al Reichert, trained by Robert Henson, was making a huge move four-wide on the turn. That set the rivals up for a thrilling stretch battle.

When the smoke cleared, Elston Gunnn was in front by a nose over Go Go Boss, with Al Reichert a head further back in third.

Trained by Eugene Burns for owner Joseph Schumer, Gunnn won his third stakes of the year at Assiniboia Downs, after the Golden Boy Stakes in June and the Plentiful Overnight Stakes in his start before the Gold Cup.

Gunnn paid $13.90, $4.40 and $3.20 across the board to his ample backers and earned just about enough to finish paying back Schumer, who bought the gunner for US$90,000 in November 2025. Gunnn has earned US$77,448 this year from a record of 3-3-1 in 11 starts, and he’s not done yet.

Burns has been working with horses since he was 12, and that experience came through after Gunnn finished third in the Manitoba Derby, when he opted to skip the Canadian Derby and run in the prep for the Gold Cup.

It worked out perfectly for the 42-year-old trainer from Boise, Idaho who now calls Georgia home. He’s been coming to Assiniboia Downs for three years now, and was joined by his wife of 15 years, Lindsey, for the Gold Cup. Lindsey trains dressage horses north of Atlanta, and also knows her way around a horse. She has a biology degree and was headed to medical school until horses changed her mind.

“I haven’t regretted it ever,” said Lindsey, who qualified for the US National Dressage Finals in musical freestyle last year. She met Eugene in Garden City, Idaho, during his early days as a trainer. That track no longer exists, but the romance continues.

Schumer is an electrical contractor in Phoenix. He started out with a $3,200 claimer he bought with partners. He now has “about 30 head” with trainers that include Burns at Assiniboia Downs, Tena Birdwell at Minnesota’s Canterbury Park and Dan MacFarlane at Prairie Meadows in Iowa.

“The horses are doing good enough right now that they’re paying for their own way,” said Schumer. “That’s why I have three trainers.”

Schumer hasn’t made it Assiniboia Downs yet, but his son Joe was here for the Manitoba Derby. “He sent me video from the starting gate,” said Schumer. “He loved it up there.”

Burns echoed those sentiments. “We could go anywhere. But everybody treats us well here, so we like to come and support the local racing.”

While Burns will be headed to Remington Park with some nice two-year-olds and Elston Gunnn, Tena Birdwell will be saddling local Debutante Stakes winner My Kid’s Said No in the Shakopee Juvenile Stakes at Canterbury Park on Saturday. After that, My Kid’s Said No will be headed to the new Belmont Park for the US$250,000 Breeders’ Cup win-and-your-in Miss Grillo Stakes in October.

It’s amazing how horses get around these days, and more than a few of Schumer’s have found a welcoming summer home at Assiniboia Downs.

Not unlike Dontgiveupthefight, a former Alberta runner that has won three stakes here this summer for trainer Robertino Diodoro, including the 45^th running of the $50,000 Manitoba Matron Stakes on Tuesday.

Or the 48 wiener dogs that performed for a loud and appreciative crowd on Tuesday and Wednesday night, running in six different races. Some are still trying to figure out where the finish line is. Burns knows where that is, and he was happy to have his wife at the wire with him on Wednesday.

“She’s my lucky charm,” he said.