1st-NAA, €15,500, Mdn, 10-16, 2yo, c/g, 6fT, 1:19.97, sf/hy.
SPIRIT OF VALOR (c, 2, War Front">War Front–Stone Hope, by Grindstone), a debut third over this trip at The Curragh one week earlier, raced prominently from the outset of this quick turnaround. Pushed along passing the two pole, the 8-13 chalk quickened to the fore approaching the final eighth and was ridden out in the closing stages to assert by 3/4 of a length from Imagine If (Ire) (Dream Ahead). “It's tough going out there and the ground is softer than we thought,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien. “He works well with an ease [in the ground], but that's a good bit more than an ease and I think he'll prefer much better ground. I thought he'd handle the ground better and had thought about looking at the [Oct. 23 G3] Killavullan at Leopardstown, but now I don't know. He struggled a bit and I thought he'd have won easier. It's possible he may be finished [for the season] now.” The $850,000 KEENOV foal is a half-brother to GII Peter Pan S. third Street Life (Street Sense) out of a winning half-sister to MGSW GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic runner-up Brilliant (War Chant), who in turn is out of an unraced half to GI Jerome H.-winning sire Furiously (Danzig). His fourth dam is GI Selima S. victress Dancealot (Round Table) and he is also a half-brother to a yearling colt by Orb and a colt foal by Giant's Causeway. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, €11,183. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Nursery Place (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien.
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