Saturday Sires: War Front

[Wandering Eyes]

While a lot of press has been given to Into Mischief and Medaglia d'Oro this week–and rightfully so, as one got his third GI Kentucky Derby winner and the other his third GI Kentucky Oaks winner–another exceptional sire once again proved why he's been at the top of the sire lists for years. You may even have missed his big weekend, as War Front didn't sire one of Saturday's headline winners. However, of the 11 graded races contested across the nation on Derby Day, three of his sons did.

Three of 11: that's a remarkable 27% of the graded races on one of the premier days of the sport. Of course, eye-popping statistics are a matter of course for the 23-year-old War Front, who has stood his whole career at Claiborne Farm, where he was also born and raised.

“Statistically speaking, he's still at the top of every list by percentages,” said Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne. “His results have spoken for themselves. In the era of big books, I don't know that those numbers will be eclipsed.”

War Front has fewer foals, and thus starters, than any of the other North American stallions among the top 10 on the Active Lifetime Sires List–as many as 600 fewer starters than some!–and yet his quality tops the charts.

When examining his percentage of black-type winners, graded winners, and Grade I winners to starters, War Front tops in each category, often by significant margins. Consider this:

• War Front leads with 13.95% black-type winners (a leading 23.88% by black-type horses);
• War Front leads with graded winners at 8.27% (a leading 16.67% by graded stakes horses);
• War Front leads with 2.96% Grade I winners (second with 6.03% by Grade I performers).

Those sort of numbers harken back to the very best sires of yesteryear.

“On all fronts, he's amazing,” said Hancock. “He started out the hard way, came in here at $12,500 and we even had to drop his stud fee down to $10,000 and beg people to breed to him. His third crop, I think it was, he had very few mares. That was the bottom for him and then he just shot into the stratosphere.

“He's an international super sire, with winners all over the country and on so many continents, and now he's turned into a spectacular sire of sires. It's really cool to see his legacy being carried forward with his sons.”

Kopion wins under the Twin Spires | John Gallagher/Coady Media

On Saturday, War Front's son Omaha Beach sired uber-impressive GI Derby City Distaff Stakes winner Kopion, who not only got the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the weekend with a 109, but also set the highest Beyer of the year so far (110) when winning the GII Santa Monica Stakes in February. Omaha Beach is the nation's current leading third-crop sire and closed out 2024 as the nation's leading second-crop sire. The son of War Front, who stands at Spendthrift, has had a good month: in addition to Kopion, his daughter On Command won Sunday's License Fee Stakes at the Big A, son Normandy Coast won Keeneland's Palisades Stakes, and daughter Kehoe Beach was third in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley Stakes.

Also on Saturday, War Front's Summer Front sired GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes winner Simply in Front, while his son The Factor, who stands at Lane's End, sired GII Charles Whittingham Stakes winner Atitlan.

Claiborne also stands two War Front sons: War of Will and Annapolis. The former, an American Classic winner, has his first sophomores this year, led by graded winner Will Then. The latter, winner of the GI Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes in 2022, has his first foals on the ground now.

“We couldn't be where we are without the clients that we have,” said Hancock. “Joe Allen is one of them and gave us an opportunity to stand War Front and carry on the Danzig legacy here at Claiborne. We have to think It's been a huge success for all involved. It's been a great thrill for us to see how it's kind of played out with him being born and raised here.

“Now he's got a couple of sons that are here; like War Front, Annapolis was also born and raised here, and is carrying on his legacy. I really think Annapolis has had some tremendous foals and with the support he's gotten from some great breeders, he's going to have every chance and opportunity to extend that War Front legacy here at the farm.”

War of Will and Annapolis, as well as the aforementioned Omaha Beach, are three of the 25 Grade I winners for War Front. Only four active stallions in the U.S. have 25 or more Grade I winners; War Front has gotten his with the fewest foals. Only Tapit has more than 25; there's a three-way tie for second between Curlin, Medaglia d'Oro, and War Front.

War Front's 76 runners to win or place in a Grade I race comprise 8.98% of his named foals. Despite all the wonderful stallions out there, only one (Gun Runner) can exceed this percentage in the Grade I win/place category and it's by a very slim margin.

Annapolis | Sarah Andrew

War Front has had such an outsized success overseas there may be somewhat of a perception he's primarily a turf sire. Hancock is quick to point out it's a perception that isn't necessarily true. The bay particularly made a stir during the 2019 Triple Crown season when War of Will won the GI Preakness Stakes two weeks after GI Arkansas Derby winner Omaha Beach scratched with an entrapped epiglottis as the morning-line favorite the week of the Derby.

“A lot of his early success and what made him a great sire early on was his dirt performers,” said Hancock. “That's what kind of put him on the map, then Coolmore got involved and took a lot of them over to Europe, where he had even more success on the turf. But he actually started out as a dirt sire. He has a Classic winner on the dirt, as well as many Classic winners and champions on the turf.”

A Joseph Allen homebred, War Front's own race career took place solely on the main track with Beyers up to 114. His seven stakes wins or placings include a victory in the GII Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and runner-up finishes in the GI Vosburgh Stakes and GI Forego Stakes. Hancock compared the bay to his own spectacular sire, Danzig. That three-time leading sire also stood at Claiborne.

“Danzig certainly was a tremendous talent on the racetrack. He only made three starts, but War Front puts a lot of durability in his offspring. He won the Grade II that later became a Grade I, so he's not a Grade I winner, but he's certainly made up for that with his offspring that have won Grade Is.”

Syndicated into 40 shares upon retirement, War Front stood his first year in 2007. By the time his first crop of 3-year-olds had run, his $12,500 initial fee had shot up to $60,000. Two years later, he was at $150,000. Eventually, he spent several years at $250,000. A horse cannot sustain that type of fee without results. War Front had results.

In addition to those 25 Grade I winners, he is responsible for 70 graded winners and 118 black-type winners. Some stallions have more, but none have those numbers from just 846 starters. War Front's percentage of career winners at 74.7%, by the way, also tops the top 10 active sires.

No one would have believed it five years ago when he still commanded a $250,000 fee, but War Front is advertised at $75,000 for 2025.

“Everyone gravitates to freshman sires, but that's the way our market is right now, the commerciality of it,” said Hancock. “It is frustrating when you have a horse like him that people are all going to the freshman sires. Here War Front stands, one of the greatest sires of the 2010s, I'd say. But the astute breeders are certainly taking advantage of it and are being rewarded.”

While only a select few War Front yearlings make the sales ring these days, his yearling average topped out at $743,293 in 2018 when 22 were sold. His career yearling average is at $345,967. Twenty-nine of his yearlings have sold for more than $1 million in the ring, while four sold for more than $2 million.

“His sale statistics were phenomenal there for a stretch,” said Hancock. “He's in the twilight of his career now, not as commercial as he once was and that's to be expected, but he still produces high-quality individuals. If you're a breed-to race-person, you'd have to consider War Front as an option, even in his older age.”

Hancock said War Front is hale and hearty at 23.

“He's doing great this year. He's doing just as good this year as the last few years. At this rate, we'll hopefully be able to keep going with him! But certainly we'll take one year at a time and do what's right by him. By looking at him, you would have no idea he's 23. He looks about 16 or 17. We've really managed his book throughout his career. I don't think he's ever bred more than 120 mares, so we have limited him a bit, but I think it's paid off for everyone who has bred to him and had a successful horse by him.”

War Front with Claiborne's late Joe Peel | Sarah Andrew

Humorously, as the elder statesman of the farm, War Front has also taken on a new role as ambassador as he greets Horse Country tour guests. It amuses Hancock.

“He's certainly a fan favorite, a very well-behaved stallion. He loves his peppermints. He'll stick his tongue out at you and really interact well with the tour groups. He's really good about standing up and letting everyone take a picture with him. He just sort of looks at the camera and knows that he's something special. He's really transitioned well into being the rock of the tour for us.”

War Front's grandsire, Northern Dancer, wasn't known for his size. Hancock said War Front isn't a big horse, either.

“He's not very imposing. He's only 15.2, 15.3, but if you breed a middle-sized to big mare to him, you don't have to worry about size limitations. He's kind of a longer horse, kind of built downhill, kind of reminds you of a turf sprinter the way he's built. He's a gorgeous horse, really dark complected, has a pretty blaze, a nice foretop. He's just a very, very cool horse.

“He's more of a middle-distance, sprinter horse but he can get a mile-and-a-half horse. He's not necessarily limited by distance, but probably does favor more toward sprint and middle distance with his offspring.”

War Front and Hard Spun over at Darley remain the last major sires by Danzig, who died in 2006. Both continue to churn out tough and talented runners. Full of standout days in his career, War Front had another one just two months ago when he sired the winners of the GII Buena Vista Stakes (Liguria) and the GIII Canadian Turf Stakes (Fort Washington) on the same day a son (Lancaster Bomber) sired the winner of the GIII The Very One Stakes (Beach Bomb {SAf}).

War Front bred 62 mares last year and will serve about the same this year. Hancock said it's helped the horse that he works with a variety of broodmare sire lines.

“We've had a lot of luck with Blame and Arch mares, Coolmore had a lot of success with the Galileo (Ire) cross. A.P. Indy sire lines have been good to him, so have Medaglia d'Oro, El Prado (Ire). He really doesn't have any limitations in who you can breed him to.”

Much has been written about Claiborne's long history of standing top sires and its longer influence in the sport, with generations of Hancocks nurturing the farm's legacy. Celt, more than 100 years ago, clinched the 1921 leading sire title to become Claiborne's first year-end stallion topper. There have been many since, including four-time leading sire Sir Gallahad III and five-time leader Nasrullah, as well as Bold Ruler, whose eight titles are a modern-day record. Where does War Front fit into such a legacy?

“I think you'd have to put (two-time leading sire) Mr. Prospector right at the top,” said Hancock. “But War Front will certainly have his spot in the main cemetery here by the office. He's been unbelievable for us. We're so thankful we've had to opportunity to stand him. My dad might say something different, but for me, he's the best sire I've been around since I've been here. He's been tremendous for the farm.”

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