War Of Will, the hugely talented half-brother to Irish champion and Cape stallion Pathfork, confirmed his status as one of the best three-year-olds currently racing in North America when recording a convincing victory in the G2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds racetrack on Saturday.
A son of War Front, the Mark Casse trained colt pulled clear to register a comprehensive 2.25 length win in Saturday’s $400 000 contest.
As the leader neared the final turn, War of Will was asked for more and he readily went to the front.War of Will was a half-length clear after reaching six panels in 1:12.20 and held a 2 1/2-length edge after a mile in 1:37.87 while keeping his main foe at bay through the lane.
“For a big horse, he has tremendous speed,” trainer Mark Casse said. “He probably made the lead a little earlier than we’d like…when he hits the lead, his old ears will start wandering and stuff.”
War Of Will, now a winner of three of only seven outings, has now recorded back to back graded victories, with the colt having captured the G3 Lecomte Stakes at his previous outing. Runner up in the G1 Summer Stakes last year, War Of Will, now a leading contender for the 2019 US Triple Crown series, took his earnings to $491 569 with Saturday’s score.
The colt has now garnered 60 points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
He is one of three stakes winners produced by the Sadler’s Wells sired Prix de Bagatelle winner Visions Of Clarity, who is also responsible for Pathfork (G1 boylesports.com Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, G2 Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes) and Tacticus (Birdstone Stakes, Temperence Hill Invitational Stakes).
Pathfork, who stood the 2018 season at the Sandown Stud, is enjoying another good season with his recent representatives including Listed Tattersalls Summer Juvenile Stakes winner Miss Honey, star Eastern Cape filly Madame Speaker and the top class filly Mighty High. The latter, winner of the G1 Allan Robertson Championship at two, has won three of five outings to date and last time out was second in the Listed Swallow Stakes.
A son of US champion sire Distorted Humor (whose son Alternation is the sire of current top class US filly Serengeti Empress), Pathfork has four lots on offer at next month’s Cape Yearling Sale.