Talented three-year-old War Of Will, a half-brother to the Cape based G1 winning stallion Pathfork, showed his class when he scored a decisive victory in Saturday’s classic G1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racecourse.

The War Front colt, a first Preakness winner for both trainer Mark Casse and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, found room along the rail early in the stretch and powered clear to land the second leg of the US Triple Crown by a length and a quarter from Everfast, with Owendale taking third.

Trainer Mark Casse said after the win, “It was so important to win it. I just wanted him to get his chance to show everyone how good he is because he is a super horse. We thought we were going to win it two years ago (with Classic Empire) and we got beat at the wire so I kept trying to figure out where the wire was. It was exciting, just unbelievable.”

War Of Will, who suffered severe interference when promoted to seventh in the recent G1 Kentucky Derby, has now won four of ten races, with his previous scores including both the G2 Risen Star Stakes and G3 Lecomte Stakes. He has now banked $1 491 569 in stakes.

The 2019 Preakness Stakes was marred when Bodexpress bucked coming out of the gate and dislodged jockey John Velazquez, who fortunately was uninjured.

War Of Will is the second G1 winner produced by Sadler’s Wells matron Visions Of Clarity (Pathfork having captured the G1 boylesports.com Vincent O’Brien National Stakes in 2010), with the latter herself a winner of the Listed Prix de Bagatelle.

Visions Of Clarity in turn was produced by G1 Cheveley Park Stakes runner up Imperfect Circle, who is also dam of G1 Irish 2000 Guineas/G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winning sire Spinning World.

Imperfect Circle is directly descended from the great mare Best In Show, also ancestress of such standouts as Redoute’s Choice, Rags To Riches, El Gran Senor, Almond Eye, and Peeping Fawn.

Ireland’s Champion Two-Year-Old of 2010, when unbeaten in three starts, Pathfork has proved a prolific sire of winners, with his best progeny including G1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Mighty High, fellow graded stakes winners Red Chesnut Road and My Friend Lee, this season’s Listed Tattersalls Summer Juvenile Stakes heroine Miss Honey, G1 performer Marchingontogether and East Cape champion Madame Speaker.