Midnight Skull became the first winner for freshman sire Warrior's Charge in taking a maiden special weight contest on debut Aug. 9 at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.
Fourth early after an alert start, Midnight Skull rallied to take over in midstretch and maintained a 1 1/2-length advantage from the eighth pole to the wire. He raced 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.53 over a sloppy track under Juan Diaz.
Giovanni Merced trains the Marshall Gramm and Liz Crow-bred Midnight Skull for Skull Stable PR, who acquired the New York-bred for $30,000 from the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Midnight Skull is out of the debut-winning Overanalyze mare She's Overanalyzed.
Warrior's Charge, a 10-year-old son of Munnings , was bred by Al Shaquab Racing in Florida out of the stakes-placed Broken Vow mare Battling Brook. He was a multiple grade 3 winner in campaigns ranging from 2 to 6. Fourth in the 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1), he would follow up the next year with victories in the Razorback Handicap (G3) and the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3). He retired with a 6-3-4 record from 22 career starts and $1,016,690 in earnings.
Warrior's Charge is also represented on the racetrack by Tyson's Gamble, second in his lone start May 24 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Warrior's Charge stood earlier this year for $5,000 at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions near Stillwater, N.Y.
