For Crestwood Farm, the goal going into 2026 was all about tapping into the Gun Runner phenomenon. With two high-profile sons of the remarkable Three Chimneys sire targeting the upper echelon of the market in champion Sierra Leone ($75,000 at Ashford Stud) and multiple Grade I winner Locked ($35,000 at Gainesway), Crestwood sought to present a third son of Gun Runner that would appeal to a different segment of commercial breeders in Kentucky.A millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner, Il Miracolo (Gun Runner — Tapit's World, by Tapit) will launch his stud career at Crestwood with an introductory fee of $7,500.“We were tracking sons of Gun Runner for a while,” said Crestwood's Stallion Seasons and Pedigree Analyst Robert Keck. “He had miler speed. He won at one turn and over two turns. He had seven triple digit speed figures, so we were impressed with that. He's a very talented horse and we're excited about him.”Campaigned by Alexandres Investments and trained by Antonio Sano, Il Miracolo broke his maiden as a 2-year-old, putting in a front-running 5 1/2-length win going a mile at Gulfstream Park. At three, he scored in the GIII Smarty Jones Stakes, placed second in the GII Hagyard Fayette Stakes and was third in both the GI Pennsylvania Derby and GI Clark Stakes. He returned to the track last year at four to add four more graded placings, including a win in the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes.Il Miracolo retired with earnings of over $1.1 million, placing in 14 of 23 lifetime starts.“He was consistent and he was sound,” said Keck. “He was talented right off the bat, being precocious at two, and he went on to win or place in eight graded stakes.”Keck said that Il Miracolo's physical presence aligns with his rigorous race record.“He's a very well-made horse, so you can understand how he was able to stay so sound,” he noted. “He has a lot of substance, a lot of size, and is an extremely good-boned horse. You just don't see horses nowadays with the type of bone that he has.”Il Miracolo scores in the GIII Ghostzapper Stakes | Nicole ThomasBred in Kentucky by Willow Oaks Stable, Il Miracolo is out of the graded stakes-placed mare Tapit's World (Tapit), a daughter of GSW Higher World (Peaks and Valleys).“Il Miracolo is the only Gun Runner out of a Tapit mare in Kentucky right now, so it's exciting to be getting a really powerful broodmare sire on the bottom,” Keck explained. “When I saw the pedigree I got really excited about it. He's got three crosses of Fappiano, who is out of a Dr. Fager mare. He's got Holy Bull on the bottom, who carries Ta Wee, Dr. Fager's sister. He also has Blushing Groom in there, so I think people can do a lot with the pedigree.”Keck said breeders have found Il Miracolo's access to a premier sire line at a competitive price particularly appealing. The new recruit is expected to breed over 100 mares in his debut season.“This horse will draw quite a few people that breed at Crestwood every year, and for the price range that Il Miracolo is in, I think he'll be a good first-year stallion for us,” said Keck.Crestwood's stallion division includes several other young sires starting new chapters in 2026. Classic Causeway ($6,500) and Stage Raider ($6,500) will both see their first foals in 2026 while Sir Winston ($5,000) will be represented by his first crop of 2-year-olds.The post Crestwood Taps Into Gun Runner Line with Il Miracolo appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.