War of Will Seeks to Wow Them in Woodbine Mile

After spending 2019 on the Triple Crown trail, winning the Preakness Stakes (G1), War of Will is following the green—the money and the surface—this year.

The 4-year-old son of War Front  heads the CA$1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T) Sept. 19 in advance of a scheduled start in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) Nov. 7 at Keeneland. As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, a win on Saturday would secure an automatic, paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Mile—for him or any other competitor.

Matched only against seven rivals—including stablemate March to the Arch, 3-year-old Shirl's Speight, 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee, and Value Proposition—War of Will is the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

The 4-year-old son of War Front  is already a top-level grass winner in 2020 for owner Gary Barber, having narrowly taken the July 10 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland in his second start of the year. That followed a sixth-place finish in his season debut in the May 25 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park when he was a bit keen and tired when racing with blinkers.

Those blinkers were removed for the Maker's Mark and resulted in a more determined effort. Appearing second best to Parlor in midstretch, he rallied in the closing yards to edge that weakening rival by a nose. The win marked his fourth graded stakes victory and first on turf.

Saturday's race will be War of Will's third Woodbine start. He launched his career with a pair of races at the Toronto oval, running third in his debut in August 2018 and second three weeks later in the Summer Stakes (G1T) in September. Now, after two years, the well-traveled colt is back where his career began. 

Trainer Mark Casse, who won the 2016 Mile with Tepin and the 2017 race with World Approval, anticipates War of Will being sharp in his third start of 2020.

"He's coming off that nice win in the Maker's Mark Mile, and he's trained as good as I've ever seen him train since that race," he said.

Rafael Hernandez will ride from the outside post in a field of eight in the one-turn Woodbine Mile.

Charles Fipke's Shirl's Speight, who missed a start in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) after developing a fever, faces older stakes horses for the first time in the Woodbine Mile. 

Trainer Roger Attfield said the Speightstown  colt missed one work due to illness but not regular galloping. He was pleased with a five-furlong breeze Sept. 15 on the synthetic track at Woodbine in 1:00 1/5.

Shirl's Speight was considered for the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course before the connections decided to keep him at home. 

"This (race) is still a big step, but it's better than the alternative," Attfield said. "There was the dirt, the ship, (and) I couldn't send help with him." 

Kazushi Kimura will ride.

Starship Jubilee, owned by Blue Heaven Farm and trained by Kevin Attard, will make her 38th start. The bay was claimed for $16,000 on Attard's behalf by his father and fellow trainer, Tino Attard, at Gulfstream Park in early 2017. 

Entered in the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Starship Jubilee failed to meet her $425,000 reserve and was subsequently sold privately to Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm. 

The 7-year-old daughter of Indy Wind  won her first four starts of 2020 before finishing fourth in the Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 23. 

"I don't think people realize how hard it is to keep a horse consistent," Attard said. "When you see that consistency—there are always so many things that can go wrong, bad trips, bad luck, horses waking up on race day and not feeling well—bringing their 'A' game each and every time, it shows you how special it is and how special this horse is."   

Attard is hoping a return to Woodbine's turf course, where she has won six races, including the 2018-19 Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T), results in another trip to the winner's circle. 

She bids to join Ventura (2009) and Tepin as the only females to take the Mile. 

Leading jockey Justin Stein picks up the mount.

Besides March to the Arch and War of Will, Casse also runs the stretching-out Olympic Runner for Barber; trainer Barb Minshall runs a pair in Armistice Day and Admiralty Pier; and Value Proposition makes his first start in Canada after previously racing in New York for trainer Chad Brown, finishing third in the Poker Stakes (G3T) last out on July 4.

The 24th running of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile will air on NBCSN from 5-6 p.m. ET with post time estimated at 5:39 p.m. The card also includes the CA$125,000 Singspiel Stakes (G3T), the CA$135,000 Woodbine Cares Stakes, and the CA$135,000 Ontario Racing Stakes. 

Entries: Ricoh Woodbine Mile S. (G1T)

Woodbine, Saturday, September 19, 2020, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1March to the Arch (FL)	Patrick Husbands	124	Mark E. Casse	5/2
2	2Armistice Day (KY)	David Moran	122	Barbara J. Minshall	20/1
3	3Shirl's Speight (KY)	Kazushi Kimura	120	Roger L. Attfield	8/1
4	4Starship Jubilee (FL)	Justin Stein	121	Kevin Attard	4/1
5	5Olympic Runner (KY)	Daisuke Fukumoto	122	Mark E. Casse	15/1
6	6Admiralty Pier (KY)	Steven Ronald Bahen	123	Barbara J. Minshall	10/1
7	7Value Proposition (GB)	Luis Contreras	122	Chad C. Brown	6/1
8	8War of Will (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	126	Mark E. Casse	2/1