War Front

The ruthless nature of the American bloodstock market's trend toward unproven sires combined with an increased demand in developing nations for international stock has resulted in a worrying mass exodus of middle market stallions from Kentucky in recent years. WinStar Farm sold the regally bred Take Charge Indy to South Korea in 2016 six weeks before his first crop turned two, with his support particularly in the sales ring having waned, but thanks to a clause in the contract WinStar was able to buy him back and the son of...

LEXINGTON, KY--John G. Sikura is not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to his stallion roster at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Kentucky, and indeed he is not prone to allowing such fickle factors as marketplace fashion to sway his belief in the long-term potential of an animal. These traits are apparent in his own pedigree-his father, the late great Canadian breeder and stallion master John Sikura Jr., had a tendency of shaking up the status quo during the Windfields Farm reign of the 1960s and 70s...

If a horse is standing at a major farm in Kentucky you can be assured that he was a quality racehorse. That's Omaha Beach (War Front--Charming, by Seeking the Gold). He earned $1.6 million, won three Grade I races and would have been the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby if not for a minor issue that led to his being scratched. But what separates Omaha Beach, who is entering stud this year at Spendthrift Farm, from so many others is his versatility. During his 2019 campaign, he won at...

By Andrea Branchini Meritaten, f, 3, War Front--Queen Nefertiti (Ire) (GSP), by   Galileo (Ire). Sam Houston Race, 1-29, 1m (off turf), 1:41.38.   B-Claiborne Farm (KY). A winner of a maiden in Texas has a curious name. MERITATEN is a daughter of QUEEN NEFERTITI, in very ancient history--and also in the Jockey Club Register three millennia later. The original Nefertiti (1370-1330 BC) was an Egyptian queen and the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten, the Pharaoh who started a religious revolution by worshipping one god only, the sun (named Aten). Meritaten was...

by Kelsey Riley & Bill Finley LEXINGTON, KY-Less than 24 hours after arriving at Spendthrift Farm, three-time Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front) was paraded on Tuesday afternoon for a crowd of breeders, media and fans, with farm owner B. Wayne Hughes making an appearance to welcome the latest addition to his stallion roster, who starts out this year at $45,000. The imposing bay posed for upwards of 20 minutes, his behavior more reminiscent of a seasoned stallion than a colt fresh off the racetrack. "He's a remarkably intelligent...

Four-time champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) delivered a filly by War Front Wednesday night at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington. "Beholder foaled a very nice War Front filly last night on the farm," confirmed Ned Toffey, General Manager at Spendthrift. "This filly is a good-sized, well-made foal, with a great shoulder and plenty of bone. She couldn't be doing any better. The delivery was very smooth and uneventful. It was another beautiful effort by Beholder." The dark bay filly was born at approximately 8:30 p.m. and "stood up within 20 minutes" according...

Reviewing the 2019 sires' championship, it was striking to observe such consistent correlation between fees and performance. Almost without exception, the top of the table was dominated by the most expensive stallions in the business. The big guns, in other words, had all found their range. Of the top 20 sires in Kentucky, in fact, only one is still standing for less than $40,000. Yet he is also younger than all bar one of that elite. (Uncle Mo is also just 12.) Those two distinctions are hardly unrelated, of course....

Fox Hill Farms Inc.'s Omaha Beach (War Front) galloped at Gulfstream Park Friday morning in preparation for his highly anticipated career finale in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25. "He galloped about a mile and a half this morning and looked good," trainer Richard Mandella said. Omaha Beach's training for the Pegasus had been compromised for a few days due to a minor foot issue. "He had a bruise in his foot the other day," Mandella said. "We took the shoes off. We poulticed it for a...

The Tapit colt Flightline became the first seven-figure seller of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale after bringing a cool $1 million from West Point Thoroughbreds. Consigned as hip 80 by Lane's End, the Mar. 14 foal is out of GSW/MGISP Feathered (Indian Charlie). Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine paid $2,350,000 for Feathered in foal to War Front at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.

The Frankie Dettori show, which diverted to Killarney midweek, moves on to The Curragh on Saturday with 'TDN Rising Star' Star Catcher (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) the key actress in the G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks. Untried in Classic company unlike some of her contemporaries, Anthony Oppenheimer's homebred proved her quality with a defeat of the G1 Epsom Oaks third Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in a strong renewal of the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot June 20. Staying on powerfully at the end of her first try at a...

Editorial (War Front--Playa Maya, by Arch) will shuttle to Peru for Haras San Pablo and Haras El Embrujo to stand for the 2019 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. The deal was brokered by Climax Stallions LLC, in conjunction with Dante Zanelli Bloodstock and Horse International LLC. The half-brother to MGISW and top sire Uncle Mo entered stud in 2018 at Roland Farm in Warwick, Maryland. Editorial retired from racing with a 2-1-1-0 record. "Editorial's first crop of babies have impressed a vast majority of their breeders," says Sean Feld of Climax...

With Claiborne's announcement that War Front would remain at $250,000 in 2019, the 16-year-old sire becomes the top-priced U.S.-based stallion, along with Medaglia d'Oro. Tapit will stand for $225,000, Gainesway Farm announced Wednesday. The leading sire by percentage of lifetime graded stakes winners, War Front has sired 29 black-type horses in 2018, and four Grade or Group 1 stakes winners, including U S Navy Flag, Fog of War, and Lancaster Bomber. War Front's yearlings have brought prices up to $2.4 million. The stud fee for Claiborne's Blame--sire of two GI...