Biggest battalion of War Front two-year-olds make an early charge

After staking his claim as the world’s most versatile sire with Preakness Stakes winner War Of Will joining European champion offspring such as US Navy Flag, Air Force Blue and Brave Anna, Claiborne Farm stallion War Front is poised to achieve even more with his largest-ever crop of juveniles this year.

A total of 98 two-year-olds sired by War Front and born in 2017 are reported by the American Jockey Club, consisting of 48 colts and 50 fillies. To date, around 39 per cent of those offspring have been sent to Europe for racing, including five originally shipped by Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell to the United Arab Emirates for early training there prior to anticipated European careers.

With Royal Ascot approaching, War Front has already logged six juvenile winners this season, led by Coolmore-bred and raced Group 3 winner Etoile, a filly whose dam, the multiple Group-winning Sadler’s Wells mare Gagnoa, is a three-parts sister to Derby victor Pour Moi.

The extent of Coolmore’s investment in War Front has never been clearer, with at least 24 of the sire’s current juveniles registered as bred by a Coolmore-related entity - far higher than any other breeder - and a pair bred by John Magnier’s mother, Evie Stockwell.

Coolmore has also acquired several other War Front two-year-olds in private transactions, including Pistoletto, a brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Avenge who has won both starts to date for Aidan O’Brien, and another colt, King Neptune, a winner and stakes-placed in a trio of starts for Ballydoyle.

Claiborne bloodstock manager Bernie Sams observed that War Front’s huge success in Europe, largely due to Coolmore’s collection and guidance of his offspring, has somewhat overshadowed the sire’s prowess with dirt runners, but Classic winner War Of Will and Arkansas Derby victor Omaha Beach have again highlighted his all-round sire prowess this spring.

Etoile (right) and Peace Charter (pink cap) finish first and second in a Naas Group 3Credit: Caroline Norris

“Everybody [at Claiborne] has been pleased for War Front, as much as anything. I wouldn’t say you take it for granted because he’s been so successful. It was somewhat of a feather in his cap to get back to having Grade 1 dirt runners again,” Sams said.

War Front’s largest crops prior to this year’s group of juveniles numbered 84 born in the years 2012, 2014 and 2016. Sams said Claiborne and shareholders decided in 2018 to limit the stallion’s book to 82 mares that season and that his number for 2019 and future years will be similar.

“People know that’s all there is. When he's full, he's full,” Sams said, adding that there are scant seasons to War Front available on the market annually.

A son of Danzig who looks remarkably like the late global leader whose sons and daughters also excelled on both dirt and turf, War Front is more correct than his sire was, Sams said.

War Front has achieved success with daughters of a variety of broodmare sires, but Coolmore has benefited with top runners by doubling his Northern Dancer line back with mares by Galileo, Sadler’s Wells and Montjeu.

Of War Front’s 2019 juveniles, 24 are out of Galileo mares, with another five out of Sadler’s Wells mares and three out of Montjeu mares, numbers that equal approximately one-third of the crop.

Since War Front stands for $250,000, the highest advertised fee in North America, virtually all of his current juvenile offspring possess outstanding pedigrees. Among the most intriguing from the crop connected to Coolmore - either bred by or purchased by the Irish powerhouse - and sent to Europe are these blue-blooded individuals:

• St. James’s Square, the colt out of Grade 1 winner Streaming, by Smart Strike, purchased by MV Magnier for $2.4 million to top the Keeneland September yearling sale;
• Fort Myers, a colt out of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Marvellous, by Galileo;
• King Of Athens, a colt who has placed in his only start while raced in partnership with the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings. He was produced by Coolmore’s Group 1 winner Together Forever, by Galileo and a full-sister to Oaks winner Forever Together;
• Knight Of Malta, a colt out of Oaks winner Was, by Galileo;
• Love Bracelet, a filly out of Irish Oaks winner Bracelet, who is by Montjeu and a granddaughter of Urban Sea;
• New World Tapestry, a colt bred in partnership with the Niarchos family out of Yorkshire Oaks winner Tapestry, by Galileo, who placed in his debut at The Curragh;
• Ohio State, a brother to U S Navy Flag and multiple Group 1 winner Roly Poly and thus out of Group 1 winner Misty For Me, a Galileo sister to champion Ballydoyle;
• War Leader, a brother to Group 1 winner Lancaster Bomber and half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner and sire Excelebration

Stockwell’s homebred juveniles by War Front, so far unnamed according to American pedigree records, are a brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hit It A Bomb and a colt out of Lahinch Classics, a Galileo mare whose three-parts sister Liscanna produced Hit It A Bomb.

In addition to the Coolmore-connected two-year-olds, a number of expensive 2018 auction yearlings by War Front have been shipped to Europe. They include Maria Rosa, a half-sister to champion and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist purchased by Godolphin for $1.75m, the highest price for any of the sire’s fillies at the Keeneland September sale.

Godolphin purchased another well-bred pair at Keeneland who were shipped to England: Telemaque, a $650,000 colt who is a brother to Group winner and Grade 1-placed Long Island Sound and is out of a half-sister to Zenyatta, and South Coast, a $300,000 half-sister to Grade 1 winner Wicked Strong.

Additionally, Godolphin also have a War Front juvenile colt out of Group 1 winner Wavering, by Refuse to Bend, that Sheikh Mohammed’s global juggernaut bred in Great Britain, and the filly Silent Wave, also bred in Britain and a winner on debut for Charlie Appleby at Goodwood on May 25.

Silent Wave is out of Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture, a sister to Group winners Sir Isaac Newton and Japan, the latter of which was third in this year’s Derby.

Shadwell purchased a pair of War Front juveniles at Keeneland last fall for $1.2m each and both were shipped first to the UAE with European racing apparently their intended target. They are Al Qaqaa, a colt from the family of Group 1 winners Yesterday, Quarter Moon and Diamondsandrubies, and a filly from the same family who was produced by Galileo’s Group-placed daughter Betterbetterbetter.

Another Shadwell purchase who joined that duo in the UAE was a $950,000 colt out of Orate, a Claiborne mare who is a sister to Pulpit and who already has produced War Front’s stakes-winning and Group 1-placed son Whitecliffsofdover.

Pistoletto: War Front colt is unbeaten in two starts for Aidan O'BrienCredit: Patrick McCann

Among other prominent War Front juveniles that have been sent to Europe or who were bred in Europe are Entente, a sister to Coolmore champion Air Force Blue bred by Stone Farm in Kentucky and withdrawn from the Keeneland September sale; the Niarchos family’s homebred filly Greenland, produced by Grade 1 winner Daisy Devine; and Juddmonte’s recent winner and Group 3-placed Peace Charter, a daughter of Grade 1 winner Emollient, by Empire Maker.

There is also Thibaan, a colt bred by Shadwell out of American champion turf mare Lahudood, by Singspiel; another, as yet unnamed, Shadwell-bred colt who is a half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner and promising young stallion Muhaarar; Dafinah, a filly out of Canadian champion Spring in the Air bred by Prince Faisal’s Nawara Stud; Tinker Toy, a colt of Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Cursory Glance bred by Merry Fox Stud, and Warzuzu, a filly purchased in utero with the Dynaformer mare Lady Zuzu by Wertheimer et Frere for $2.35m.

Another high-profile youngster sent to Europe is a still unnamed colt out of Pivotal’s multiple Group 1-winning daughter Immortal Verse, who set a European record when sold for 4,700,000gns at Tattersalls in 2013. Bred by Merriebelle Stables in Kentucky, the colt is a half-brother to Immortal Verse’s 2019 filly by Caravaggio, who was bred by Merriebelle in partnership with the Coolmore group Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt.

While so many of War Front’s outstanding offspring are already in Europe, he will not be without promising youngsters to race in America.

Currently available records indicate the American group includes an as yet unnamed half-sister to two-time American champion and Queen Anne Stakes winner Tepin, who was among six War Front offspring bred by Coolmore-related entities and sold as yearlings for a total of $3.22m. The filly, also a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Vyjack, was sold for $750,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale to agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt, who often buy for LNJ Foxwoods.

Other War Front juveniles apparently still in America and/or owned by Americans include:

• Manchester, a colt who was a $1.1m Keeneland purchase by WinStar Farm’s Maverick Racing and China Horse Club. He was produced by the Street Cry mare Tiffany’s Honour, a half-sister to Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches, the latter a champion who also won the Kentucky Oaks;
• Global Brand, a filly out of multiple Grade 1 winner Marketing Mix, by Medaglia D’Oro, bred by Glen Hill Farm;
• Invader, a brother to Grade 1 winner Fog Of War purchased by agent Gatewood Bell for $500,000 at the Keeneland September sale. At the time, Bell said the colt was purchased for Everett Dobson’s Cheyenne Stables and could be raced with a partner. Invader was bred by a Coolmore partnership and has been training forwardly at Keeneland;
• Lasy W, a filly bred by the Wertheimers out of Grade 1 winner Zaftig and thus a half-sister to multiple Graded stakes-placed Spinoff;
• Shore Bird, a half-sister to talented multiple Grade 2-winning sprinter Catalina Cruiser bred by William S. Farish;
• Stolen Holiday, a half-sister to Group 1 winners Master Of Hounds and Eishin Apollon. Bred by a Coolmore group, the filly was sold for $750,000 to Northshore Bloodstock, agent, at the Keeneland September sale and has been in training in Florida;
• War Zone, a colt who is the first foal out of Grade 1 winner Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy, and from the family of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver who was listed as a $275,000 RNA at Keeneland. He was bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Philip Steinberg.

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