WAR OF WILL’s Will Reign visited the winner’s circle for the first time on Saturday when the filly won a Woodbine Maiden Special Weight after two starts at the stakes level.
The Mark Casse trainee broke from the inside post in the 5 ½ furlong synthetic race as the race favorite and quickly went to the lead. An outside rival made sure she kept an honest pace, but it wasn’t too pressured a run for the filly with that rival backing off in the turn.
Running unopposed around the turn, she was kept focused in the stretch and safely held the advantage at the line by 1 ¼ lengths.
Owned by Gary Barber, the Clearsky Farms-bred is the first foal out of stakes winner Green Destiny. That mare is a half-sister to the stakes placed Owen’s Leap and 15-time winner Meade, who also finished fourth in a Grade 2.
The trio is out of the stakes winning Defy Gravity, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Call Back. The family just gets more impressive from there with third dam Quickest a half-sister to the Grade 1 winning Super Saver and three other stakes winners.
Now the sire of nine winners, WAR OF WILL’s three stakes performers from his first crop ties him for fifth among freshman sires.