War Pass, Indian Blessing top Experimental Free Handicap

War Pass received the highweight in the Experimental Free Handicap(Charles Pravata/Horsephotos.com) Recent Eclipse Award recipient WAR PASS (Cherokee Run), undefeated winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), received the highweight assignment of 127 pounds on the 2007 Experimental Free Handicap, released on Thursday by The Jockey Club. The filly division is headed by undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) at 123 pounds. Robert V. LaPenta’s War Pass won all four of his starts last year for earnings of $1,397,400. In addition to his 4 3/4-length triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he also won the Champagne S. (G1). He was bred in Kentucky by Cherry Valley Farm LLC. The 127 pounds assigned to War Pass is equivalent to the assignment on last year’s highweight, Street Sense, and is one pound above the standard impost for top Experimental colts. Street Sense became the 11th Experimental Free Handicap highweight to win the Kentucky Derby (G1). War Pass is weighted seven pounds higher than the triumvirate of DIXIE CHATTER (Dixie Union), INTO MISCHIEF (Harlan’s Holiday) and PYRO (Pulpit). The seven-pound spread in weights equals the record established in 1952 when Native Dancer, at 130 pounds, was weighted seven pounds more than runners-up Laffango and Tahitian King.

Dixie Chatter was victorious in half of his four starts last year, including
the Norfolk S. (G1), while earning $191,400. Into Mischief won the CashCall
Futurity (G1) and placed second in the Hollywood Prevue S. (G3). He finished the
year with two wins from three starts and earnings of $448,800. Pyro garnered
only a maiden win from four starts in 2007, but was a closing second in both the
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Champagne. He concluded 2007 having banked $516,718
in earnings.

In the filly division, the 123 pounds assigned to Indian Blessing is the
standard impost for top Experimental fillies and is equivalent to the assignment
on last year’s highweight, Dreaming of Anna (Rahy). Bred in Kentucky by her
owners, Patti and Hal J. Earnhardt III, Indian Blessing was undefeated in three
starts as a juvenile. In addition to her 3 1/2-length score in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies, Indian Blessing also won the Frizette S. (G1) for earnings of
$1,357,200.

Indian Blessing is weighted two pounds higher than Stonerside Stable’s
COUNTRY STAR (Empire Maker), who broke her maiden in the Alcibiades S. (G1) and
concluded her two-year-old season with an easy victory in the Hollywood Starlet
S. (G1). She won two of her three starts as a juvenile and earned $575,900. At
119 pounds is Brereton C. Jones’ PROUD SPELL (Proud Citizen), winner of the
Matron S. (G2) and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Proud Spell
won three of her four starts in 2007 and earned $608,770.

Among sires of Experimental horses, Tale of the Cat tops the list of colts
and geldings with five representatives while Yonaguska heads the fillies’ list
with four representatives. Combining the two lists, Fusaichi Pegasus, Kafwain,
Tale of the Cat and Van Nistelrooy are the leading sires with five
representatives each. Of the 204 juveniles weighted, 130 were bred in Kentucky,
30 in Florida and 12 in New York.

The Experimental Free Handicap, published annually by The Jockey Club since
1935, is a weight-based assessment of the previous year’s leading two-year-olds,
with the weights compiled for a hypothetical race at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. This
year’s weighting committee of racing secretaries was composed of Ben Huffman of
Churchill Downs; P.J. Campo of the New York Racing Association (NYRA); and
Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

The committee weighted a total of 105 males and 99 fillies. Eligible for
weighting were all two-year-olds of 2007 who finished among the top four in
graded or other unrestricted races with an added value of at least $75,000, run
in the continental United States.

The full Experimental Free Handicap list is available at www.jockeyclub.com.