GI Maker's Mark Mile | Horse Racing Free Tips

Raging Bull Returns a Winner in Maker’s Mark

Having last tasted victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile last May, Peter Brant's Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) exploded from off the pace to comfortably best 8-1 chance Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}) in Friday's GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland. Settled in a rail-hugging fifth behind Get Smokin (Get Stormy) through opening fractions of :22.47 and :45.65, the 7-2 chance made a big move to get into contention approaching the quarter pole, swung out three wide to take control at the head of the lane and drove clear to score by two lengths over the game Ride a Comet. Chad Brown-trained stablemate Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was third.

“He was traveling so good down the backside,” said Ortiz Jr. “I was close to the leaders. I tried to stay in contact with the field. He broke sharp today. I had an advantage there. The first turn, I let him run then I slowed him down. He relaxed so well. He was like three or four lengths behind the leaders. I said I'm just gonna wait until it's time to go. By the three-eighths pole, I saw some separation, so I went for it a little early. He responded well, so I just went for it. He still had something at the end.”

“Both horses [Raging Bull and stablemate and third-place finisher Sacred Life] ran great, especially given the layoffs they were facing,” added Brown. “Raging Bull got a great trip and setup. He's much more effective with a solid pace in front of him. Irad deserves a lot of credit for getting him into the race early and securing a great spot into the first turn.”

Winning four of six to start his career as a 3-year-old, including victories in the GII Hall of Fame S., GIII Saranac S. and Manila S., the 2016 Goffs September buy recorded his first win at the highest level in the 2018 GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. Despite failing to score in five starts as a 4-year-old, he earned second in the GI Fourstardave H. and third in the GI Manhattan S. before getting promoted to third via DQ in that season's GI Woodbine Mile. Kicking off 2020 with a confident score at the Grade I level at Santa Anita, the French bred was a close-up third in last year's renewal of this race before finishing fifth in the Fourstardave at the Spa. A good second in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile in Lexington in October, the 6-year-old finished 10th in his latest start in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

Pedigree Note:
Raging Bull, one of seven Group 1/Grade I winners for Dark Angel, holds the distinction of being the Yeomanstown Stud stallion's second North American Grade I winner, following Hunt (Ire) in 2018. One of two winners from four foals to race thus far out of his French SP dam, Raging Bull is a grandson of Rolly Polly was an Italian highweight filly at two and annexed both the GII Senator Ken Maddy S. and GIII Las Cienegas S. going down the hill at Santa Anita. Bought by Brant's White Birch at Goffs November in 2016, Rosa Bonheur is responsible for an unraced juvenile full-brother to Raging Bull named Bobbie D (Ire) and a yearling brother by Dubawi (Ire).

Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $300,000, Keeneland, 4-9, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.86, gd.
1–RAGING BULL (FR), 118, h, 6, by Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Rosa Bonheur (SP-Fr), by Mr. Greeley
                2nd Dam: Rolly Polly (Ire), by Mukaddamah
                3rd Dam: Rare Sound (Ire), by Rarity (GB)
(€90,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Dayton
Investments Limited (FR); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 18-7-3-3, $1,496,750. Werk Nick
   Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ride a Comet, 118, h, 6, Candy Ride (Arg)–Appealing Zophie,
by Successful Appeal. ($45,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $375,000
2yo '17 OBSAPR). O-John C. Oxley &My Meadowview Farm
LLC; B-My Meadowview LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $60,000.
3–Sacred Life (Fr), 118, h, 6, Siyouni (Fr)–Knyazhna (Ire), by
Montjeu (Ire). (€50,000 Ylg '16 ARAUG). O-Michael Dubb,
Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables & Bethlehem Stables
LLC; B-Mr. Viktor Timoshenko & Mr. Andriy Milovanov (FR);
T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
Margins: 2, HF, HF. Odds: 3.50, 8.80, 4.50.
Also Ran: Field Pass, Hit the Road, Darain (GB), Somelikeithotbrown, Get Smokin, Flying Scotsman.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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A New Heir to War Front’s Throne at Claiborne

War Front is undoubtedly heralded as one of America’s top turf sires, but Claiborne’s Bernie Sams said he finds any stereotype that the stallion is solely a grass producer is unjustifiable.

“I think War Front has been labeled to some extent as a turf sire, but unfairly so because he got his start with dirt stakes winners,” he said. “Then a lot of people started breeding to him and taking a lot of them to Europe. He probably is equally as good on dirt as he is on turf, if we had as many of them here.”

Sams’s theory on War Front’s progeny comes to fruition in the versatile ability displayed by War of Will. The son of War Front is among an elite group that can claim Grade I wins on both dirt and turf, and is the first of War Front’s progeny to snag a Classic victory.

The imposing bay recently joined his sire at Claiborne Farm and will stand for a fee of $25,000 in his first year at stud.

A $175,000 R.N.A at the Keeneland September Sale, War of Will was pinhooked privately by Norman Williamson before selling for €250,000 at the Arquana May Breeze-Up Sale in 2018. The youngster was purchase by Justin Casse and sent to his brother Mark Casse’s barn, where he made his debut on the grass.

While competitive in stakes company at two, the colt failed to break his maiden in four starts and Casse decided to look past the colt’s grass pedigree, switching the blaze-faced bay to the dirt.

The result was a three-race win streak, with a five-length maiden-breaking sophomore debut, followed by a graded stakes double in the GIII LeComte S. and the GII Risen Star S.

That’s when Claiborne started to take notice.

“We started getting interested in War of Will when he won down at Fair Grounds,” Sams said. “He was very impressive. We’d kind of been keeping an eye out for a son of War Front, and he seemed to fit the bill.”

After drawing the first position in last year’s GI Kentucky Derby, rider Tyler Gaffalione had War of Will poised for a perfect ‘up the rail’ victory. But the seam never opened, and they ran seventh in a highly controversial Run for the Roses.

The duo sought redemption and earned it when two weeks later in the GI Preakness S., they again drew the one hole, but this time found an opening and never looked back. The victory gave all connections- owner Gary Barber, Casse and Gaffalione- each their first Preakness win and first-ever Classic win.

“After he won the Preakness was when we got very serious,” Bernie said of the then stallion prospect. “Just with the fact that he was a big, strong son of War Front that had won an American Classic on the dirt going two turns, and had speed.”

War of Will did not see the winner’s circle again last year, so Casse followed a hunch and turned the bay back to the turf for his four-year-old season.

He was rewarded when War of Will took the GI Maker’s Mark Mile S. at Keeneland, defeating Graded and Group I winners Raging Bull (FR) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Next Shares (Archarcharch).

“The Grade I at Keeneland on the grass was very exciting,” Sams said. “For him to be a Grade I winner on dirt and turf, there’s a lot of grass racing in America now, so you know it can go both ways with him. And his female family has quite a bit of turf in it.”

War of Will is the ninth foal out of Visions of Clarity (Ire) {Sadler’s Wells), a stakes winner at three in France and half-sister to European champion and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Spinning World (Nureyev). The mare is also responsible for Irish highweight and Group I winner Pathfork (Distorted Humor), as well as Juddmonte’s three-time graded stakes winner Tacitus (Tapit).

Sams said Claiborne is looking forward to offering their first son of War Front, but that War of Will offers a new aspect to the sire line for breeders.

“To have had Danzig and War Front and now him is very exciting,” he said. “If he could be halfway as successful as those two, it’d be a good deal. There’s definitely more size and scope to him than his father and grandfather. [In terms of] conformation, he sells himself. He’s a big, pretty horse. He’s correct and has plenty of bone.”

War of Will’s appeal is so great, it seems, that he might just end up taking a few mare’s off his sire’s book.

“Everybody has loved him,” Sams said. “I’ve had a couple of people that had asked about breeding to War Front and came out and looked at War of Will and now are going to breed to him and not War Front. So that’s the kind of mares he’s going to end up getting.”

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Classic Winner War of Will to Claiborne Upon Retirement

Claiborne Farm has purchased an interest in Classic winner War of Will (War Front–Visions of Clarity {Ire}, by Sadlers Wells), who will stand at the Paris, Kentucky farm upon the conclusion of his racing career. The winner of a trio of a trio of graded events at three, including the GI Preakness S., the Gary Barber-campaigned colt most recently scored in the GI Maker’s Mark Mile over the Keeneland turf July 10. War of Will’s 2021 stud fee will be announced following the Breeders’ Cup.

“War of Will has an outstanding pedigree, and combined with his race record, he should be very appealing to breeders,” said Claiborne’s Walker Hancock. “He’s a Classic winner on dirt at three and a Grade I winner on turf at four, which places him in rare company. War Front is one of the most successful sires of his generation and there is no doubt he is becoming a sire of sires. We believe War of Will has the capability to follow his father’s success.”

To date, 4-year-old War of Will has earnings of over $1,796,000 and four graded stakes wins for trainer Mark Casse.

“I am very proud to be standing War of Will at Claiborne alongside his famous father,” said Barber. “War of Will has a special place in my heart having brought so much joy to me and my family. He is a once in a lifetime horse.”

Runner up in the GI Summer S. at Woodbine at two, the bay kicked off his 3-year-old campaign with back-to-back wins in the GIII LeComte S. followed by the GII Risen Star S. Seventh in a roughly-run edition of the GI Kentucky Derby, he took the Preakness by 1 1/4 lengths and added a third-place effort in the GI Pennsylvania Derby later in the season.

“I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to be around a lot of good horses, but I have to put War of Will right there at the top. He has a special place in my heart,” said Casse. “He’s a class act. There’s a reason we call him WOW. It’s not just because of his initials. Everything he does is a WOW. The way he looks. The way he trains, and his pedigree. I’m excited to see him go to Claiborne and follow in his father’s footsteps.”

Looking ahead, Casse added, “Our plan is to point towards the Woodbine Mile next, and then, hopefully, the Breeders’ Cup.”

Bred in Kentucky by Flaxman Holdings, War of Will is out of Visions of Clarity, a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and GI Breeders’ Cup Mile hero Spinning World. Visions of Clarity is also responsible for Group 1 winner Pathfork (Distorted Humor) and multiple stakes winner Tacticus (A.P. Indy). War of Will is one of sire War Front’s 21 Grade I/Group 1 winners.

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Battle Brewing in GI Maker’s Mark Mile

A trio of top-rung winners head a field of nine in Friday’s feature at Keeneland, the GI Maker’s Mark Mile S. Leading the fray is Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who most recently marked his seasonal debut with a victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita May 25. A three-time graded winner in 2018, including Del Mar’s GI Hollywood Derby, the French-bred hit the board in three of five starts last term, including a second in the GI Fourstardave H. at Saratoga in August followed by a third-place finish, after being moved up via DQ, in the GI Woodbine Mile in September. Accompanied by Joel Rosario, Raging Bull is trained by Chad Brown, who is also represented by G1 St James’s Palace S. hero Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Winless in eight starts since that career-high performance in 2018, the Gunther family homebred–third to stablemate Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) in last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Mile–most recently finished third in the Shoemaker Mile. Throwing in an interesting twist is the Classic-winning War of Will (War Front). Trained by Mark Casse, the annexed the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen S. at the Fair Grounds last winter before going on to take the GI Preakness S. later that spring. On the board in one of four starts after that effort, recorded in the GI Pennsylvania Derby, the Gary Barber-owned colt returned in 2020 with a fifth-place finish in the Shoemaker Mile.

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