It has been an impressive start for dual surface Grade 1 winner WAR OF WILL, with four of his six starters hitting the board in their first few weeks on the track and his two stakes performers having him lead multiple sire lists.
That first runner came on April 26 covering 5 ½ furlongs on the Keeneland turf. Out of Munnings mare Sandal, Flip Flops was also WAR OF WILL’s first placer when finishing third in the Maiden Special Weight to get the stallion off to a solid start.
It was the weekend of May 11, however, when WAR OF WILL made big waves.
That big day for the freshman came in the first race of the day courtesy of The Brigade. Racing over five furlongs on the synthetic surface at Gulfstream Park, The Brigade was making his first career start two weeks after having the second fastest work of the day at Palm Meadows in his second-to-last work before the race.
It was no surprise to see the juvenile go off as the favorite and in the end, he put in a solid third place finish to kick off his career.
A trio of WAR OF WILL debuters were their sire’s first stakes runners later in the card.
The first race in that sequence was the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies Stakes where My Emmy made her own debut. The five-furlong turf race saw My Emmy race near the back of the field just in front of WAR FRONT’s daughter Bullet. Bullet would go on to be the winner of the race and My Emmy didn’t disappoint in her own run when giving WAR OF WILL another placer when finishing third.
WAR OF WILL also had two runners a few races later in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes.
Again racing over five furlongs on the turf, Garden of War and Classy War were two more Mark Casse-trained runners for his former stable star. It would be Garden of War who would be the best of the WAR OF WILL runners in the race when showing his determination late in the race.
In a blanket finish for second behind the winner, Garden of War wasn’t willing to leave without a placing. His dead heat for third took WAR OF WILL to three placers from four runners on the card.
WAR OF WILL’s two juvenile stakes placers not only gives him the leadamong all Northern Hemisphere freshman sires in the category,but also gives him the lead among all Northern Hemisphere sires overall as well.