Well-traveled Quarry proving quite a success story
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Follow this hectic timeline – the 3-year-old gelding Quarry began a two-day, 1,360-mile van ride from Assiniboia Downs in Manitoba to Louisiana Downs on Tuesday, with an overnight stay in Nebraska.
After arriving at Louisiana Downs, Quarry had two light mornings of exercise before winning Saturday’s $250,000 Super Derby. Early Sunday morning, Quarry was vanned approximately 235 miles to owner Henry Witt Jr.'s, farm near Waco, Texas.
“This horse is used to hauling,” trainer Jerry Gourneau said on Sunday morning.
Quarry is used to winning. The Super Derby was his second consecutive stakes win and was preceded by the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Century Mile in Alberta on Aug. 22.
The win in the Super Derby has led to talk of a rapid turnaround for the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park on Sept. 27, a $400,000 race at 1 1/8 miles. The trip from Waco to Oklahoma City is 285 miles.
“He bounced back pretty good,” Gourneau said of Quarry’s status on Sunday. “He jumped on the trailer like he was ready to go to the next step.”
Quarry has been a success story for Witt and Gourneau. Claimed for $80,000 at Churchill Downs in June, Quarry has since won two of five starts and earned $250,235. He is the most successful runner owned by Witt and trained by Gourneau.
Gourneau, 64, is on course to win his sixth training title in the last decade at Assiniboia Downs, which ends its 2026 meeting on Oct. 7. Gourneau was leading trainer there in 2018 and from 2020 to 2023. Through Saturday, Gourneau had 48 wins from 246 runners at Assiniboia this year, well ahead of Steve Keplin Jr., who had 24 wins from 58 starters.
Witt owns a windshield company based in Waco and is a former champion driver in modified dirt track auto racing. Witt’s runners have earned more $1.3 million this year, a record for the stable. The Witt-Gourneau team often has several runners on each program at Assiniboia.
Gourneau said Witt scouts his own claims and opted for Quarry, who is by War of Will. Quarry needed 10 starts to beat maidens and was claimed the day he finished sixth in a turf race for nonwinners of two at Churchill Downs. After finishing eighth of nine in an allowance race on a wet-fast track at Ellis Park in July, Quarry was moved to Gourneau’s summer base in Canada.
The gelding has not been worse than third since, including a nose loss in the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia in early August.
Gourneau said Quarry showed improvement after he dealt with “real minor issues” that he said were plaguing the gelding.
“I didn’t like the way he was shod,” Gourneau said.
“The horse got better.”
After the win in the Canadian Derby, a friend suggested Gourneau nominate Quarry to the Super Derby despite the travel distance. The race became more appealing when Witt and Gourneau saw the list of nominations.
“I told Henry we had a pretty good shot when we saw the nominations,” Gourneau said.
Quarry was the 4-1 second choice in a field of eight in the Super Derby at 1 1/8 miles. He was near the front and had a three-length lead with a furlong remaining. The advantage was needed. Sav’n Money (16-1) closed well, but Quarry held on to win by a half-length. Trendsetter, the 1-5 favorite, finished third.
In the hours before the race, Quarry was restless in the stable.
“We had to tie him up at the barn because he was bucking and playing in the stall,” Gourneau said.
The enthusiasm extended to the race. Quarry was closer to the front than expected.
“Normally, he’s sitting third, or fourth or fifth,” Gourneau said. “He just wanted to go.”
Gourneau said Quarry handled the transition from the Canadian plains to the hot and humid conditions better than he did.
“It’s pretty hot there,” he said. “I was sweating buckets. I’m a northern boy.”
Oklahoma City in early autumn may be more comfortable.
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