Rewards

just behind him in seventh place. Another feather in Tapit’s cap is the fact he is the sire of 2022’s Horse of the Year, the magnifcent and undefeated Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Flightline.

Sires such as Tapit and Gun Runner commandsix-fgurestudfees,andintheir prime can breed, conservatively, between 100 and 200 mares per season. Tat math brings with it a lot of commas and zeroes and the dulcet tones of a busy cash register. It’s lightning striking the same place twice. So, one would think Winchell, a Las Vegas-based casino entrepreneur, has earned the right to sit back and be satisfed with having smacked a pair of grand slams. Not exactly.

“Since Gun Runner has hit, we’re searching for the next one,” Winchell said matter-of-factly. “I’m looking for light- ning to strike a third time.”

It’s not braggadocio. Although his is a medium-size operation by today’s standards, Winchell’s pipeline continues to overfow, with promising performers pouring from its ranks with the consistency of a metronome. Travers Stakes (G1) winner Epicenter is to begin his stallion career at Ashford Stud. Copper Bullet, a grade 2 winner at Saratoga who stands at Darby Dan Farm, will see his frst runners hit the track in 2023. Gunite, a graded stakes winner at Saratoga (including the grade 1 Hopeful) each of the past two seasons, will one day follow his sire, Gun Runner, to a stallion paddock. And Extra Anejo, an eye-popping debut winner at Keeneland by a whopping 9½ lengths in 2022, is just revving up his racetrack career carrying Winchell’s