War of Will
In terms of the horses themselves, Americans of due adventure could hardly have more compelling incentives to prospect the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. Last year's auction was staged immediately after Kentucky-bred Ruling Court (Justify) vindicated his status as the record-breaking sale-topper of 2024 by winning the G1 2,000 Guineas, while GI Preakness Stakes winner War of Will (War Front) is among those American-bred graduates to have excelled back on native soil. But this time round there is a fresh spur to American interest. Because even as sires like Justify have finally...
LEINANI (f, 3, Omaha Beach--Romy, by Karakontie {Jpn}) debuted Jan. 24 over this main track in a six-furlong maiden dash, closing from the back of the field to run fourth. Well supported to the tune of even-money favoritism for this second jump, she was away alertly this time and moving well behind fractions of :23.93 and four panels in :47.30. In hand from four off the rail and clearing those early pacesetters coming off the bend, Leinani drew away from Slow Kara (Medaglia d'Oro) to win by 8 1/4 lengths....
Her owners made a special trip out to Santa Anita Park for the GI American Oaks and Ambaya (Ghostzapper) made sure they'd go home with the hardware. The chestnut held all potential challengers at bay late to score her first elite-level win in the nightcap of the record Classic Meet opening card. The Jonathan Thomas-trainee spent most of her season on the board, running second or third three times after breaking her maiden at first asking June 12 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Her placings included a third in the Christiana Stakes...
Edited Press Release With a stud fee for multiple Grade I winner Mindframe (Constitution--Walk of Stars, by Street Sense) still to be determined pending his start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Claiborne Farm has released its advertised stud fees for 2026, with Grade I winner Prince of Monaco (Speightstown--Rainier, by Medaglia d'Oro) leading the way at $30,000. The fastest-ever 2-year-old by prominent sire-of-sires Speightstown, Prince of Monaco covered a Claiborne-record 176 mares, including 44 black-type runners in his first season at stud in 2025. GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner...
GI Preakness Stakes winner War of Will (War Front) will relocate from Claiborne Farm to New York's Rockridge Stud for 2026, the farm announced Sunday. "We are honored to have this opportunity with Gary [Barber] on another stallion and thrilled to have Claiborne dipping a toe into the NY market," said President of Rockridge Lere Visagie. Barber added, "I am very much looking forward to supporting War of Will in the lucrative New York breeding program. With the new Belmont facility coming online with three surfaces, I know War of...
Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch's Final Accord (War of Will), a very sharp debut winner sprinting over the Woodbine lawn Sept. 11, stayed perfect in Thursday's GIII Matron S. at the Belmont at the Big A meeting. Sixth through a half mile in :44.60, Junior Alvarado tipped Final Accord out off the turn for home and the 5-1 chance came rolling down the center while racing greenly to win by a length. Favored Royal Testament (Midshipman) nosed out unlucky pacesetter Should've (Not This Time) for second. The latter was rushed...
6th-CD, $127k, Aoc, 3yo/up, f, 1 1/8mT, 8:30p.m. ET Sold for a price befitting royalty on the back of a 3-year-old season where she was Group 1-placed in Germany, SPANISH EYES (GER) (Zarak {Fr}) will debut here under the lights at Churchill Downs for her new connections. Purchased at ARQDEC last year for €1.3-million by David Redvers Bloodstock for the partnership of Qatar Racing and Michaela Faust, the filly is out of Sortilege (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), herself a multiple highweight mare in Germany and Italy as well as being...
While a lot of press has been given to Into Mischief and Medaglia d'Oro this week--and rightfully so, as one got his third GI Kentucky Derby winner and the other his third GI Kentucky Oaks winner--another exceptional sire once again proved why he's been at the top of the sire lists for years. You may even have missed his big weekend, as War Front didn't sire one of Saturday's headline winners. However, of the 11 graded races contested across the nation on Derby Day, three of his sons did. Three...
They bet her like she would dominate, and so she did. With an electric turn of foot, Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro--Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo) rolled past her rivals in the lane and scored an emphatic victory in the GII Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs to kick off the graded action on Kentucky Oaks day. Coming into this contest on a three-race win streak which began when she broke her maiden Jan. 4 in the Listed Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Nitrogen has also been the betting choice for all...
Graded stakes winner Will Then gave trainer Jonathan Thomas his 300th career victory when she charged home an authoritative victress of the China Doll Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. The even-money favorite settled into second as Amorita bound out to the early lead and was clear through fractions of :23.67 and :48.14. Will Then inched up closer to the pacesetter on the far turn and surged to the lead at midstretch before drawing clear under a hand ride for an easy victory. "I think she really ran awesome," said winning...
2nd-GP, 50K, Msw, 3yo, (S), 1mT, 1:25 p.m. Purchased for $650,000 at FTSAUG in 2023, Florida-bred OUR SOUPER HERO (War of Will) was his sire's priciest yearling from that debut crop. Owned by Live Oak Plantation, the colt, who will face fellow Florida-breds Friday, is a half to both GSW/MGISP Pappacap (Gun Runner) and GSW Boppy O (Bolt d'Oro). First dam Pappascat, herself graded stakes placed, boasts a perfect four-for-four record for runners to winners. Debuting on the turf for trainer Mark Casse, Our Souper Hero gets Dylan Davis aboard....
This tier of the market, between $20,000 and $29,999, offers particular value through its more established names: horses that have walked the walk sufficiently to clear the basement level, while somehow failing to achieve due commercial prestige. Indeed, our podium is dominated by the two eldest of the eligible stallions, while the only candidates considered for the third step were all in the process of consolidating strong starts. That said, the case for the three young sires at the other end of the spectrum--whose first foals are about to slither...