War’ Set for Second Skirmish at Turfway
by Ben Massam
After multiple flights across the Atlantic Ocean, Tabor, Smith, Magnier and Allen’s The Great War (War Front) has found a home in Kentucky–a return to the state in which he was bred that trainer Wesley Ward hopes will ultimately propel his charge to the top of the American sophomore division.
Winner of his 3-year-old debut in the 6 1/2-furlong 96 Rock S. at Turfway Park Jan. 31, the colt will make his next start Saturday in the John Battaglia Memorial S. over 1 1/16 miles at that same venue. As a juvenile, The Great War registered three wins from seven starts on the turf in Ireland and Great Britain prior to traveling to America to finish fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on dirt at Santa Anita Nov. 1. He was transferred from Aidan O’Brien to Ward following that effort.
Ward said his initial impressions of The Great War were highly favorable.
“He’s doing everything right and he hasn’t skipped a beat since he came into the barn,” noted the trainer. “From the Breeders’ Cup, he had to travel back to Ireland because of quarantine restrictions. He came back through Chicago, and after he got out of quarantine there, he came down to my barn in Kentucky at Keeneland.”
In light of the hectic travel schedule, Ward acknowledged that he considered the variables of climate familiarity and level of competition when plotting a course of races for the bay. The local series for 3-year-olds at Turfway, he concluded, seemed like the perfect option.
“He was in Ireland in a cold-weather climate and came through Chicago–which would have been cold,” explained Ward. “I just thought [Kentucky] would be a really good path to see how good this horse is, instead of coming down to Florida to catch the best newly turned 3-year-olds in the east coast division. He got through the first hurdle with an ‘A-plus’ and we’re heading into this next race with big expectations for him.”
The Great War won last month’s 96 Rock S. with the greatest of ease, pressing the pace before drawing clear to a 7 1/4-length score in what essentially amounted to a paid workout. Drawn widest in post 11 for Saturday’s affair, Ward said that his trainee’s natural speed and adaptability leave him with little concern.
“Honestly, [post 11] couldn’t have been a better post to get because we have speed, which we saw in his last race,” the conditioner reasoned. “So when he breaks, we won’t have to contend with anyone outside pressuring us. If he wants to go, it will be at my rider’s discretion to let him go. But having an outside post, we can possibly track somebody that wants to go fast early and maybe sit off them. So it’s an ideal post for this particular horse.”
Bred by Claiborne Farm, The Great War was sold to his current owners for $1 million as a Keeneland September yearling. Ward, however, had his eyes on the colt since last June when he competed against him in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot. The experience enabled him to gather useful information for the runner’s transition to his own barn.
“When he was the 4-5 favorite [in the Norfolk], I was looking at him, being as he was my key competition at the time,” the two-time Breeders’ Cup winning trainer recalled. “I looked at his feet and he’s got a dirt foot on him. He doesn’t have a big flat foot of a turf type of runner, so I talked to my good friend Paul Shanahan and said I wouldn’t be scared to run this horse on the dirt in the future.”
As fate would have it, the dirt-footed colt is now under the care of Ward–and the trainer has high praise for the runner whom he may keep on the synthetic surface at Turfway for the duration of the winter. As such, a graded stakes try may be on the horizon.
“He’s a beautiful colt, and he’s a $1 million yearling, so that sort of signifies how his physical attributes are,” said Ward. “He’s done everything right, so we’re hopeful he takes this next jump and then we’re off to the GIII Spiral S. [at Turfway Park Mar. 22].”