War Front's Influence Felt in Weekend Juvenile Stakes

There was a point, not too long ago, when War Front would have had sound claims to be considered the world's most sought-after international sire. In fact, having started his career standing for just $12,500, his meteoric rise saw his stud fee reach $250,000 from 2017 through 2020, making him the most expensive active stallion in North America in 2019-20. War Front is now 24 years old and was retired from stallion duty at Claiborne Farm after successfully completing the 2026 breeding season. Naturally, with age, the son of Danzig has faded from the headlines somewhat as his crop sizes and strike rate have diminished. From a high of 22 black-type winners in 2016 and 2017, the most recent two seasons have seen him represented by five black-type winners in 2025 and four this year—two of which were the graded stakes-winning 7-year-olds Fort Washington and Sumter. Nonetheless, War Front's influence is still very present. Over the most recent weekend, he played a major part in the destination of three important juvenile races which were Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In events for the forthcoming Breeders' Cup. War Front himself was represented by his first juvenile group or graded winner since 2022 when Good to Be King prevailed in the Futurity Stakes (G3T). As a second-generation influence, War Front impacted two of the weekend's three grade 1 events for juvenile colts, appearing as the paternal grandsire of Champagne Stakes (G1) victor U. S. S. Valor, and the maternal grandsire of American History, who upset the Breeders' Futurity (G1). U. S. S. Valor U. S. S. Valor made his debut in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course, beaten a half-length and a neck by the highly rated duo of Gaudreau and Coach Pope. He returned just under a month later to take a 7-furlong maiden at the same venue in sensational style, running a 105 Beyer Speed Figure, the fastest by a juvenile in 2026. On Saturday, he produced another impressive performance, powering clear in the stretch to take the Champagne by 6 1/2 lengths, with Gaudreau back in second. The Champagne is U. S. S. Valor's final outing for 2026, and he will now remain in light training at Payson Park Training Center before returning in late winter/early spring to begin a campaign targeting the Kentucky Derby (G1). U. S. S. Valor is from the third crop of War Front son War of Will, who stood the most recent season for a fee of $5,000 at Rockridge Stud near Hudson, N.Y., having begun his career alongside his sire at Claiborne Farm, standing for an initial fee of $25,000. A winner and placed second in the 2018 Summer Stakes (G1T) at 2, War of Will captured the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and Risen Star Stakes (G2) on the Louisiana road to the Kentucky Derby. In the Derby itself, War of Will was off the board as one of the chief sufferers in the scrimmaging that saw Maximum Security disqualified from first, but he rebounded to take the Preakness Stakes (G1) in his next outing. Switching to the turf at 4, he gained his only subsequent victory in the Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland. War of Will embraces something of a paradox: although War Front campaigned as a dirt sprinter and never ran on the turf, his greatest impact as a sire was through his turf runners. War of Will—who, along with Omaha Beach from the same crop, proved to be War Front's top dirt runner—defied a grassy pedigree as a half brother to Irish champion 2-year-old Pathfork and out of a turf stakes winner by Sadler's Wells to become his sire's only winner of a United States Triple Crown event. In addition to U. S. S. Valor, War of Will's first three crops have also produced last year's Matron Stakes (G3T) scorer Final Accord, 2024 Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) winner Will Then, and Royal Companion, winner this year of the Dolley Madison Stakes—with all three scoring on the grass. A Team Valor homebred, U. S. S. Valor is out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Spangled Banner, dam of four other winners, including the 2023 Carter Handicap (G1) third Expressman. Spangled Banner, a winner as a 2-year-old, is a half sister to stakes winners Soros and Ladyecho, the dam of stakes winner Queen Del Valle. She is also a half sister to the graded stakes-placed Whatdreamsrmadeof, the dam of three-time grade 1 captress Curalina. The second dam, Eastern Ruckus, is a half sister to stakes winner Gold Star Deputy and to Captivating, the dam of Canadian champion 2-year-old colt and Horse of the Year Uncaptured. The family goes back to Orchestra, bred in France by Francois Dupre and imported by Windfields Farm in the 1950s. Orchestra won the 1956 Friar Rock, Star Shoot, and Woodstock stakes, proving to be a vital foundation mare for Windfields. She is now the ancestress of nearly 150 stakes winners, including 2016 Preakness Stakes (G1) scorer Exaggerator and 2022 Belmont Stakes (G1) hero Mo Donegal. U. S. S. Valor is the third graded stakes winner by War Front and his sons out of mares by Tiz Wonderful. There are also five stakes winners (four graded), including grade 1 winner American Patriot, by War Front and his sons from mares by Tiz Wonderful's sire Tiznow. Meanwhile, Tiznow's sire Relaunch appears in the pedigree of more than 30 stakes winners by War Front and his sons, including other grade 1 winners Noted and Quoted and Cistron. With that in mind, and even though it is some way back in the pedigree, it is interesting to observe that War Front's broodmare sire Rubiano, has Relaunch's stakes-winning sister Moon Glitter as his second dam. American History In the Breeders' Futurity, American History, whose only previous start was a winning debut at Saratoga, charged late to gain the day over the better-fancied Coach Pope and Q B Rocket. American History follows Tiz the Law, Mindframe, and Americanrevolution as the fourth grade 1 winner from the Northern Hemisphere crops by Constitution, who also has 10 group 1 winners from his Chilean-sired Southern Hemisphere crops. An $825,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2025, American History is out of the War Front mare Bloody Point, who is also the dam of the stakes-placed Quality Road filly Ada Clare. A half sister to 2020 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1) scorer Vekoma—now an extremely successful young sire—Bloody Point is out of the 2010 Distaff Stakes (G1) captress Mona de Momma. The fourth dam Long Legend is out of the famed European racemare Lianga. Long Legend is also the dam of successful sire Mr. Greeley, and third dam of 2006 champion 2-year-old colt, 2007 Kentucky Derby winner, and successful sire Street Sense. The pedigree of American History shares a notable similarity with that of U. S. S. Valor, as where U. S. S. Valor carries Relaunch and his sister Moon Glitter, American History has a double of Moon Glitter through Rubiano and his half sister Tap Your Heels, the dam of Constitution's sire Tapit.