Strong Starts for War Front Sons

Air Force Blue | Coolmore

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Two sons of War Front, Air Force Blue and Hit It A Bomb, have both got off to strong starts with their first yearlings going through the sales ring this year. Air Force Blue had high prices of €250,000 at Goffs Orby and $400,000 at Keeneland September, while Hit It A Bomb had a top price of $140,000 at Keeneland September. The two stallions have had similar paths to success, with European racing serving as the foundation to their careers as Kentucky stallions.

Air Force Blue was bred and raised at historic Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He was purchased as a yearling for $490,000 by MV Magnier at Keeneland September and comes from a family of champions including Flanders (Seeking The Gold), the 1994 American champion 2-year-old filly. Flanders went on to produce Surfside (Seattle Slew), who became the American champion 3-year-old filly of 2000, winning the GI Santa Anita Oaks and GI Frizette S.

Air Force Blue was sent to Europe to be trained by Aidan O'Brien for a Coolmore partnership. He quickly established himself as one of the best juveniles in Europe with consecutive wins in the G1 Phoenix S., G1 National S., and G1 Dewhurst S., good enough for a Timeform mark of 128 in the last named. That rating was the highest ever for an Aidan O'Brien 2-year-old. After his 3-year-old campaign, he was brought back to the States to stand at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in 2017 and was well supported as a freshman with a book of 154 mares.

Hit It A Bomb is also a Kentucky-bred, foaled the same year as Air Force Blue, in 2013. Bred by Evie Stockwell, the mother of Coolmore's John Magnier, the bay is out of Irish Group 3 winner Liscanna (Ire) by Sadler's Wells. Hit It A Bomb is also a full-sibling to Brave Anna, who won three stakes in her 2-year-old season including the G2 Albany S. at Royal Ascot.

Hit It A Bomb was also sent to Ballydoyle. He was undefeated in his first three starts, coming back to Kentucky to claim the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland to wrap up his 2-year-old campaign. Retired after his 3-year-old season, he too returned to Kentucky to stand at Spendthrift Farm.

Both Ashford and Spendthrift welcomed the opportunity to stand these European-raced stallions. Spendthrift's stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker said he believes that Hit It A Bomb's exceptional turn of foot defines him as a sire.

“Watching the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and seeing his turn of foot was something incredible to watch,” Toothaker said. “He went from last to first in just the length of the stretch. That turn of foot got us. We are hoping it passes on to his progeny.”

Toothaker said he has found that breeders like seeing the great bone of Hit It A Bomb that is expected from the Danzig line. One son of War Front has led to another for Spendthrift, which acquired MGISW Omaha Beach for the 2020 season.

Toothaker said, “At the time of Hit It A Bomb's racing career, we really wanted a son of War Front because of the great success that he was having. We have liked Hit It A Bomb so much that we went back to the well to get Omaha Beach. We are excited to have two sons of War Front in 2020.”

Coolmore's Adrian Wallace said that Air Force Blue was brought back to stand in the States because of his precocity and his successful American family. While Air Force Blue ran exclusively on turf, his sire and dam and both grandsires won on the dirt. Wallace also pointed out Air Force Blue's conformation is a quality that breeders have liked.

“He is a very well-conformed horse with a lot of size, scope, and strength,” Wallace said. “He is a bit rangier than what might be typical of that sire line. He has a lot of presence and is a very good mover.”

The two first-crop sires have had strong starts to their debut yearling seasons. Air Force Blue had three yearlings go through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale that sold for $280,000, $200,000, and $100,000. His yearlings averaged over $88,000 at this year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The highest price went to a colt out of Orchard Beach (Tapit). The colt is a half-brother to Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy), who won the G2 Coventry S. and G3 Cornwallis S. last year. David Redvers Bloodstock went to $400,000 for the purchase. Adrian Wallace said that this colt was very precocious, a quality that is prevalent in Air Force Blue's offspring.

“This colt was a good mover and very fast-looking,” said Wallace. “He was medium-sized, and looked like he would be an early horse even though he was an April colt.”

Another high-priced colt sold for $350,000 to Blandford Bloodstock. This colt is out of High Finance (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}) and is a half-brother to Grade I winner Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}), who earned over $1 million. Air Force Blue rounded out the Keeneland September sale with eight six-figure yearlings, and his lone yearling to go through the ring at Tattersalls October Book 1 last week made 70,000gns, purchased by Japan's JS Company.

Hit It A Bomb also had a successful Keeneland September sale with yearlings averaging $70,500 from a $7,000 stud fee. His highest-priced colt sold for $140,000 to Jordan Blair Racing. The colt is out of Sliced Bread (Noonmark), and is a half to two-time stakes winner and sire Kanthaka (Jimmy Creed).

Hit It A Bomb's top-priced filly sold for $95,000 to Boomer Bloodstock. She is out of the mare Five Star Daydream (Five Star Day), and is a half to Gas Station Sushi (Into Mischief), winner of the GIII Beaumont S. at Keeneland.

Toothaker recalled that he liked the look of this filly. “She had a lot of bone to her and a good body,” he said. “She was very pretty and had a lot of substance.”

Overall, Toothaker said he believes that buyers were very happy with the precocity they found in the Hit It A Bomb yearlings. “People could buy with confidence knowing they would get a runner,” he said. “He's a young sire but has a highly successful sire line. Buyers felt like his yearlings had that look to them, that commercial look showing that they would be precocious.”

Both of these American-bred, European-raced sires have caught the attention of breeders and buyers. War Front has had a very productive year in America with the likes of War of Will and Omaha Beach, and pedigrees with the Claiborne stalwart's bloodlines are as popular as ever. With the successful juvenile careers of Air Force Blue and Hit It A Bomb and the precocity that buyers have found in their yearlings, there will be a lot to look forward to next year as their first crops take to the track.

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