War of Will

May Day Ready (Tapit) put it all together once again in her second career start to claim the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes. A winner on unveiling Aug. 4 at Saratoga as the second longest shot on the board in a roughly run maiden on the grass, she shipped south from that productive contest which also yielded Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), who won an allowance earlier on the same card. Sent away here at 9-2, she tracked the action in front of her from sixth and raced along from cover...

Once again American investors have shown an increasing receptivity to European bloodlines, this time at the big yearling sale in Deauville. For now, however, we're still only talking about a minority even among those with the resources required to import elite yearlings. But with a reciprocal curiosity also growing in Europe--thanks to Justify, in particular, but also to those breeze-up pinhookers now preparing their next raid on the September Sale--it does feel as though the overdue renewal of transatlantic traffic is beginning to gain commercial traction. We still have a...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --Though he was en route to Toronto Thursday, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he had a clear view of She's Got Will's (War of Will) one-length victory in the sixth race at Saratoga Race Course. Casse watched the 1 1/16th miles $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies on his iPad on the Queen Elizabeth Way in southern Ontario about 30 miles from Niagara Falls. He was headed from Saratoga to Woodbine Racetrack for Saturday's $1-million King's Plate Stakes, where he will saddle Essex...

Mark Casse has had plenty of good horses in his career. His favorite is not all that surprising. He has had an audience with one of the most iconic people the world has ever seen. He is one of a select few to have been elected into Racing Hall of Fames in the U.S. and Canada. What does he do when he has a little down time? What's the deal with Tom Cruise? Read more in this week's Saratoga Conversation to find out. TDN: Correct me if I am wrong,...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the fall of every year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is out on the recruiting trail. He looks for the best four-legged athletes he can find. He goes to Lexington to seek out young talent. If Thursday's sixth race at Saratoga Race Course-- a $100,000 maiden special weight at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf--is any indication, coach Casse may have found a couple of  blue chippers at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tracy Farmer's Abientot (Not This Time) finished strongly to...

11th-Colonial Downs, $60,000, Msw, 7-18, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.91, gd, 6 lengths. CURAHEE (g, 2, War of Will--Blameitonthemusic, by Blame) graduated with a professional six-length tally over the Colonial turf course Thursday. The even-money favorite, looking to become the fourth winner for his freshman sire (by War Front), broke sharply and was on the lead in the early strides. He sat a pressing second as Lazio (Bucchero) had the lead through an opening quarter in :22.17. Curahee stuck a head in front at the top of the lane and skipped...

2nd-Presque Isle Downs, $30,500, Msw, 6-17, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f (AWT), :52.72, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. WILLOW OAK (f, 2, War of Will--Joyful Cat, by Kitten's Joy) was bet nearly in half from her 8-1 morning line off a promising worktab over the Turfway Tapeta and came away late to become the first winner for her Classic-winning freshman sire (by War Front). Under a hustling ride from Adam Beschizza from gate five, the Dede McGehee homebred was a midpack fifth into the turn, was roused right-handed while progressing leaving the...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - Without a breakout horse and numerous outs, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training dutifully marched through its paces Thursday, with a colt by Nyquist attracting the session's highest price of $550,000 late in the day. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable, signed the ticket on the session topper for the third straight day. From a catalogue of 302 horses, just 187 went through the ring Thursday and the session, which started...

In our walk of life, nothing succeeds like succession. As with any other form of agriculture, a horse farm is not just a business but a legacy sometimes shaped by several generations of rain-or-shine toil and kitchen-table lore. The balance sheet may happen to be in the black, or in the red--but that's just a moment in time. How does one put a price on the decades of patient nurture that have gone into land and bloodlines? Yet there's never any guarantee about the next generation, whether in terms of...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com. The most memorable moment of 2023 was our Keeneland September yearling class assembling at the sale. I always look forward to that two-week stretch and the excitement surrounding all the new horses we bring into the stable. Twice this year, I thought we were finished buying...once after picking up the Caracaro filly and again after we bought the War of Will filly we were (and still...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, which produced record-setting renewals in 2021 and 2022, opened Monday with solid, if less spectacular figures, than a year ago. A total of 257 yearlings grossed $11,224,800 Monday. The session average of $43,676 was down 10.5% from last year's opening day and the median of $20,000 was down 25.9%. "It was a solid opening session," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "I think the results were basically in line with expectations and what we are seeing throughout the marketplace in 2023. There...

War Front (Danzig) will again lead the way at Claiborne Farm among their nine-stallion roster for 2024, with a fee of $100,000, the same price for which he stood in 2023. In 2023, War Front's yearlings sold for up to $800,000, and he is among the top 10 North American-based sires this season by percentage of black-type winners from starters (6.9%), black-type performers from starters (11.8%) and total graded stakes winners (six). War Front's GI Preakness S.-winning son War of Will will stand for $25,000. His first yearlings sold at...