A stallion who has sired his own American classic winner in studmate WAR OF WILL, WAR FRONT will be represented in this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) in another way when two of his sons and one of his daughters see runners load into the gate at 6:57p.m. ET on Saturday.
That duo by his sons are Summer Front’s Summer Is Tomorrow – second in the March 26 UAE Derby (G2) – and Hit It A Bomb’s multiple graded stakes winner Tiz The Bomb. As a broodmare sire, WAR FRONT is represented by Grade 2-placed Ethereal Road, out of his Grade 3-placed daughter Sustained.
Interestingly, all three of WAR FRONT’s progeny with runners in this race found their highest successes on turf. Hit It a Bomb’s highest success came in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) in 2015 and Summer Front was a Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed runner on the surface. That bodes well for WAR OF WILL, who not only won a Grade 1 on turf but also won the Preakness Stakes (G1) by 1 ¼ lengths on dirt over a field that included Improbable, Owendale, and others.
The Kentucky Derby has a strong connection to WAR FRONT outside this year’s field as well. The stallion saw his three-time Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach win the Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2019 to become the early Kentucky Derby favorite that year. From his third crop, Lines of Battle won the 2013 UAE Derby before finishing ahead of Will Take Charge, Palace Malice, Verrazano and others with his run under the twin spires.
Even WAR OF WILL was only a few lengths away from winning the 2019 Kentucky Derby when interfered with two weeks before winning the Preakness Stakes.
There is an exciting future ahead for WAR FRONT and his sons on the dirt both in the Kentucky Derby and beyond. WAR FRONT himself continues to be a top dirt sire while multiple sons have sired graded stakes winners on the surface. Included in that group are Hit It A Bomb’s Group 1-winning Hit Emerit, and The Factor’s Grade 1-winning duo of Noted and Quoted and Cistron from only a few sons at stud.
Also coming up with runners this year to enhance WAR FRONT’s sire of sire credentials is his first crop son U S Navy Flag, who is already registering winners. Those three winners from four runners include Friday’s 9 ¾-length Keeneland Maiden Special Weight winner Love Reigns (Ire) who garnered TDN “Rising Star” honors, plus Ocean Vision who ran fourth in the Listed First Flier Stakes.
With all WAR FRONT’s success as a sire of racehorses and stallions, it will be no surprise to see WAR OF WILL with both standout 2-year-olds and classic hopeful 3-year-olds when his first crop hits the track in 2024.