War of Will’s Will Then Returns on Top in China Doll

[Wandering Eyes]

Graded stakes winner Will Then gave trainer Jonathan Thomas his 300th career victory when she charged home an authoritative victress of the China Doll Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. The even-money favorite settled into second as Amorita bound out to the early lead and was clear through fractions of :23.67 and :48.14. Will Then inched up closer to the pacesetter on the far turn and surged to the lead at midstretch before drawing clear under a hand ride for an easy victory.

“I think she really ran awesome,” said winning rider Umberto Rispoli. “She is coming off of a layoff and the race just set up perfectly. I had a good target ahead of me. I used Amorita in front of me as much as I could and at the top of the stretch, she changed leads and really did the rest. She is a really special filly. I could feel that my filly was full of run, and I was happy with the way she was travelling around the track. She got a little hot in the post parade, but I think that was just because she was coming from off a layoff.”

A non-factor in her debut at Kentucky Downs last August, Will Then graduated over the Woodbine lawn Oct. 26. She was last seen with a late-charging victory in the Nov. 30 GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 30.

Remember Then, a daughter of multiple graded winner Owsley (Harlan), produced a filly by Quality Road last year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The flashy #5 WILL THEN ($4.00) wins the $100,000 China Doll Stakes at @SantaAnitaPark impressively. @ClaiborneFarm's War of Will is the sire of this three-year-old filly. @umbyrispoli was in the irons for trainer @ThomasStables. pic.twitter.com/W9ahuT9WU2

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 23, 2025

CHINA DOLL S., $98,000, Santa Anita, 3-23, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.21, fm.
1–WILL THEN, 124, f, 3, by War of Will
                1st Dam: Remember Then, by Pulpit
                2nd Dam: Owsley, by Harlan
                3rd Dam: Insipid, by Sham
O-Augustin Stables; B-George Strawbridge (KY); T-Jonathan
Thomas; J-Umberto Rispoli. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0,
$152,571. *1/2 to Born Dapper (Union Rags), SW, $141,218.
2–Amorita, 122, f, 3, Liam's Map–Cara Bella, by Ghostzapper.
($260,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Augustin
Stables and Stone Farm LLC; B-Stone Farm (KY); T-Richard E.
Mandella. $20,000.
3–Take Another Card, 124, f, 3, I'll Have Another–You Missed It,
by Lookin At Lucky. O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Simon
Callaghan. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 1.00, 2.10, 2.40.
Also Ran: Tequilaandtherapy. Scratched: Casalu.

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