Three days before his Queen’s Plate champion Wonder Gadot goes for the middle jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown in Tuesday’s Prince of Wales at Fort Erie, owner Gary Barber celebrated a stakes double Saturday courtesy of two other fillies. Got Stormy got the job done as the 3-5 favorite in the Ontario Colleen (G3) at Woodbine, but a few hours later at Del Mar, the 5-1 War Heroine had to answer a distance question in the $202,760 San Clemente (G2).
The Peter Miller pupil brought a two-for-two record on turf, both in downhill sprints at Santa Anita. War Heroine had yet to win beyond that about 6 1/2-furlong trip, and she’d been beaten by double digits in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez (G2) and the one-mile Busher at Aqueduct. Those came on dirt, however, and the question was whether the front runner could carry her speed farther on the grass. As a daughter of Lonhro and stakes-winning miler War Tigress (by War Chant), War Heroine had the pedigree to see out the trip, and she ran up to it in the San Clemente.
Hustling from post 9, War Heroine scampered past 5-2 favorite Ms Bad Behavior to grab the lead through a swift opening quarter in :22.85. Jockey Tyler Baze then measured her pace through splits of :46.86 and 1:10.67, and turned for home with more up his sleeve. Ms Bad Behavior, who kept tabs in second, took a run at the leader in upper stretch, but could not lift enough. War Heroine dug in determinedly, and the favorite got no closer than her flank.
Hitherto unbeaten Ollie’s Candy finished fastest of all in her turf debut, but came too late. She nabbed Ms Bad Behavior for runner-up honors, and bore down on War Heroine, who reached for a wire that came in time.
Ahimsa rallied for fourth. Flammetta, Animosity, West Palm Beach, Ms Peintour, Miss Sienna, Lexington Grace, Dulce Ride, Rockin Ready, and Pursuing the Dream rounded out the order of finish. Streak of Luck was scratched.
By negotiating the firm-turf mile in 1:34.90, War Heroine rewarded her backers with a $13.80 win mutuel and improved her mark to 6-4-0-0, $240,945. She wired her career debut here during the Bing Crosby meet, her only win on dirt. After fading to sixth behind Midnight Bisou in the January 7 Santa Ynez, War Heroine rebounded in her first turf try in the February 11 Sweet Life, repelling Ms Bad Behavior. But she could not build on that effort next time in the Busher. She once again regained the winning thread back on the grass April 29, and fired fresh off the break here.
The next obvious target is the August 18 Del Mar Oaks (G1), an additional test of her stamina over 1 1/8 miles. As his postrace quotes reveal, Baze is a believer. For whatever it’s worth, Miller finds her reminiscent of turf sprint maven Belvoir Bay, whose upper limit is a mile.
War Heroine was bred by Waymore in Kentucky and sold for $37,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September. If her immediate family is rather light on black-type, she traces to a close relative of Grade 1 winner and noted producer Country Queen, ancestress of such Group 1 stars as Siyouni, Siyouma, and Slickly. This is also the family of Grade 1 hero Procida.
Quotes from Del Mar
Winning rider Tyler Baze: “She’s an extremely fast filly, extremely fast. But it isn’t so much about the speed, it’s about how they’re expending their energy. She was doing it well today. I knew she was good for a mile; she’s all heart. She loves to stick her neck out and win. She’s tough.
On her aptitude for the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Oaks “No problem.”
Winning trainer Peter Miller: “She reminds me a lot of Belvoir Bay – small but mighty. She’s got a big heart and a lot of speed. I didn’t think we’d be on the lead and I told Tyler she doesn’t need to be, but if they give it to you take it. He rode a super race, got reasonable fractions and she really kicked home strong. I see no reason not to try her in the Del Mar Oaks. I think that’s the move and that’s what we’ll do.”
Jockey Corey Nakatani on runner-up Ollie’s Candy: “An awesome race for her. This was good education for her today. They got her right now. She’ll be ready for the (Del Mar) Oaks now.”
Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux on Ms Bad Behavior, third as the favorite: “Good trip inside saving lots of ground. She responded well. This was her first time back in a while (since April 7). She’ll be plenty ready now for the (Del Mar) Oaks.”
