TDN APBs: War Dancer & Rosalind

WAR DANCER 
(c, 4, War Front–Deed I Do, by Alydeed) 
*$25,000 wnlg '10 KEENOV; $220,000 yrl '11 FTSAUG. O-Magdalena Racing & Diamond M Stable; B-Cherry Valley Farm & Stuart S. Janney III (Ky); T-Ken McPeek. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-1, $424,998. Last Start: 8th GI Jamaica H. Oct 5 
  
ROSALIND 
(f, 3, Broken Vow–Critics Acclaim, by Theatrical {Ire}) 
*$70,000 yrl '12 FTKJUL. O-Landaluce Educe Stables; B-Hurstland Farm, James H Greene Jr & Pin Oak Stud (Ky); T-Ken McPeek. Lifetime Record: 5-1-1-2, $354,011. Last Start: 4th GI Hollywood Starlet Dec. 7 

War Dancer (War Front) and Rosalind (Broken Vow), a pair of heavy hitters from the loaded Ken McPeek barn, are nearing a return. 

Tabbed as a “TDN Rising Star” following an eye-catching last-to-first allowance win over the Keeneland grass at fourth asking Apr. 10, War Dancer made the grade three starts later in dramatic fashion by coming out on top in a three-way photo in the GII Virginia Derby at Colonial July 13 (video). The dark bay far from embarrassed himself when sixth, beaten six lengths, to champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Travers S. Aug. 24, then endured a nightmare trip back on grass, finishing eighth, beaten only 2 3/4 lengths, after getting stymied throughout the stretch run in the GI Jamaica H. at Belmont most recently Oct. 5. War Dancer has posted three works at Gulfstream since late January, including a smart five-furlong breeze in :59.30 Feb. 8.

“War Dancer had a little fever in the fall and we gave him a break after that,” McPeek commented. “He worked the other day in company with [GI Arkansas Derby runner-up] Frac Daddy (Scat Daddy) and we're looking to bring him back in the first part of March, probably in an allowance race.” 

McPeek continued, “I thought his race in the Travers was halfway decent [earned a career high 98 Beyer]. He only got beat six lengths to what ended up being the champion 3-year-old and he really didn't have a very good trip, either. I think he's improved and he's better than that. Then, everything that could go wrong went wrong in the Jamaica. We had to put him on the shelf after that; that's the way the ball bounced.” 

McPeek added, “I think as a 4-year-old, the sky's the limit with him. We haven't ruled out some sort of dirt campaign at this point, but trying to plot it is a little difficult right now. If we pigeonhole him as a turf horse, then there are really a lot of good choices out there. But we're going to take it one step at a time.” 

Rosalind–a close third after stumbling at the start in a controversial renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Nov. 2 (video)–has also been training smartly in South Florida for her seasonal debut. Off since a fourth-place finish as the 8-5 chalk in the GI Hollywood Starlet S. Dec. 7, the GI Darley Alcibiades S. runner-up zipped through five furlongs in :59.80 Feb. 8. 

“She had a small break after the Starlet, where she got hung really wide, and the [slow] pace in there just didn't do her any good,” McPeek offered. “She came out of it fine and we gave her a little time to put on some weight and catch her breath from a good campaign. She's being pointed for the [GII] Davona Dale [S. at Gulfstream Feb. 22] or the [GIII] Honeybee [S. at Oaklawn Mar. 8], or possibly even the [GIII] Florida Oaks [on grass at Tampa Mar. 8].” 

McPeek concluded, “The Breeders' Cup race is woulda, coulda, shoulda. She went straight to her knees leaving the gate and only got beat a half length. It's kind of my Breeders' Cup luck.” –Steve Sherack

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