Gun Runner has clearly been something special for quite some time and is a stayer. He stays and he stays and he stays some more. He’s a warrior and as he heads for the breeding shed, he’ll stop off for a little morsel in the form of the world’s richest horse race.

Deservedly, Gun Runner is the 4-5 morning line favorite to win today’s $16.3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Lots of good horses have come and gone over the past couple of years, and Gun Runner has the best view of the racing world, right up top.

We know the worth to his connections and we know his worth to horse racing as a whole, we also know his worth to those playing today. In addition to the Rainbow Six, the Pegasus is the finale of one of the better Pick 4 sequences you’ll see this time of the year.

The late Pick 4 includes the Hurricane Bertie Stakes, the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes, the South Beach Stakes and finally, the Pegasus.

With the eyes of this sport on this day, Pegasus World Cup Day will handle millions upon millions of dollars. Doesn’t mean as much to you if you don’t cash.

Gun Runner will be extremely difficult to beat, but Gunnevera could be the way to make money. He’ll be overlooked as he normally is when against top-shelf foes, and since this is over his home track, he’s primed for a big effort. And it’s just not the advantage of being at home. Gunnevera could rise to the occasion because he will get a pace to his liking. 

While Gun Runner can put away the group on the front end, he’ll have to have enough left for the closers – basically, THE closer. Gunnevera, if you recall, made a terrific move around the turn and finished 2nd in the Travers. He ran a winning race settled for second. He followed West Coast’s :48 and 1:12 4-5. Good horses like West Coast don’t get caught when they do that, and good horses like Gunnevera give it their all and often spend so much energy catching up that they don’t have their final-furlong explosiveness. That could very well change today. Again, Gun Runner‘s greatness is unquestionable and he’s the one to beat, but Gunnevera could spoil a lot of tickets. If you’re all about singling Gun Runner, good for you: That is far from a careless move. But if you are using some numbers along with Gun Runner, hoping for a nice score, Gunnevera looks like a legit option.

Here’s the suggested Pick 4 ticket:

Race 9: #1 Marley’s Freedom, #3 Rich Mommy, #7 Curlin’s Approval.

Race 10: #6 Rainbow Heir, #7 Richard’s Boy, #8 Pay Any Price.

Race 11: #5 Team of Teams, #9 Stormy Victoria, #10 Storm The Hill, #11 Celestine, #12 Ghostly Presence. 

Race 12: #6 Gunnevera, #10 Gun Runner.

50-cent Pick 4: 1-3-7 with 6-7-8 with 5-9-10-11-12 with 6-10 ($45).