Veteran WAR FRONT runner Fort Washington earned his first Grade 1 victory on Saturday at Arlington Million (G1) win.
Making his second career Grade 1 start in this Colonial Downs race, Fort Washington was squeezed quickly out of the gate and took up running as the last place runner. The longshot Time Song led the field into the first turn and pulled away by a few lengths down the backstretch with Fort Washington happy to stay to the inside of another horse at the back.
Eased a little bit to give himself a chance to switch to the outside, Fort Washington shifted all the way to the outside of the field to make a huge run. Grand Sonata wasn’t an easy foe to beat near the line, but Fort Washington was up to the challenge and reached the line half a length ahead.
The 26th Grade 1 winner for WAR FRONT, this was Fort Washington’s seventh career victory with the 6-year-old finishing in the top three in 17 of 27 starts.
Trained by Shug McGaughey for Magic Cap Stables, Fort Washington was bred by Joseph Allen and White Birch Farm out of the Grade 3-placed Azaelia. A winning Turtle Bowl mare, Azaelia has produced three winners from three to race. She is one of five winners out of her own dam and comes from a strong family.
Azaelia’s dam Azalee is a half-sister top stakes winner and Group 1 placed Asti, Group 3 placed Amazon Beauty, and stakes placed Peter Anders. Asti is also the dam of the stakes placed Marine Officer while Amazon Beauty produced stakes winner Ronald R and the dam of stakes winner Elaire Noire.
Buyers have a chance to purchase a full sister to Fort Washington at Keeneland September with Mill Ridge selling the filly as Hip 1843.
WAR FRONT’s 26 Grade 1 winners puts him fourth among all active Northern Hemisphere sires with all three ahead of him having more runners, with two having more than 600 more runners than WAR FRONT.