Gunner B
Gunner B (8 March 1973 – 18 January 2003) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from May 1975 until October 1978 he contested thirty-three races, winning fourteen times, finishing second five times and third seven times. Originally trained in Yorkshire, he won twice as a two-year-old in 1975 before becoming a highly successful handicapper in the following season, when he won the Cecil Frail Handicap, Andy Capp Handicap and the Doonside Cup. He won three races in 1977 including the Group Three Diomed Stakes but appeared to have been well-exposed as a tough, consistent horse who was some way below the best. After joining the stable of Henry Cecil in 1978, however, he emerged as a genuinely top-class horse winning the Earl of Sefton Stakes, Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Prince of Wales's Stakes, Eclipse Stakes and Valdoe Stakes as well as finishing second in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup and third in the Champion Stakes. After his retirement from racing, he became a very successful sire of National Hunt horses. He died in 2003 at the age of thirty. Background Gunner B was a "strong, deep-bodied" chestnut horse with a narrow white blaze bred by Tom Barratt at his Harness Grove Stud in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He was the best horse sired by the American stallion Royal Gunner, who won the Cornhusker Handicap in 1966 and finished second to Roman Brother and Buckpasser in successive runnings of the Woodward Stakes. Gunner B's dam, Sweet Councillor, was an unraced daughter of Sugarstick, a half sister of the Cambridgeshire Handicap winner Sterope. During his racing career Gunner B raced in the colours of Tom Barratt's wife Pauline. The colt was originally sent into training with Geoff Toft at his stable at Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Racing career 1975: two-year-old season After running third on his debut, Gunner B finished first in a race over five furlongs at Pontefract Racecourse in May but was "unluckily" disqualified. He finished placed in his next three races before winning a six furlong maiden race at Newcastle in August. In the following month he won a Nursery (a handicap race for two-year-olds) at Doncaster Racecourse, winning by two lengths from Gemina. 1976: three-year-old season On his first appearance as a three-year-old, Gunner B won a minor race over ten furlongs at Doncaster on the opening day of the flat season in March. After finishing fourth on his next appearance he was moved up in class and finished second in both the Dee Stakes at Chester and the Dante Stakes at York in May. He was dropped back to a mile for the Cecil Frail Handicap at Haydock Park at the end of the month and recorded his first important victory, winning by eight lengths, ridden by Joe Mercer. He then won a moderate event over a mile and a half at his local Beverley Racecourse and then carried a big weight to victory in the Andy Capp Handicap