NOISY APPEARANCE BELMONT PARK

Noisy Appearance at Belmont Park for War of Will
Preakness (G1) winner visits paddock, gallops to prepare for the Belmont Stakes (G1).

When a person of importance arrives in New York City, it's not unusual to hear the blare of sirens from a police escort.

After arriving at Belmont Park the previous morning, Preakness Stakes winner (G1) War of Will visited the paddock June 4 and then headed to the main track for a gallop.

Adequan
Shortly after he began his exercise, sirens went off and trainer Mark Casse's heart skipped a beat, knowing what the loud noise meant.
The horns and flashing lights were a frightening signal that a horse was loose on the track — and at that moment, there were two of them.

Fortunately, both horses were reined in without incident and both of Casse's Belmont Stakes starters — Gary Barber's War of Will and Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston — completed their gallops without a hitch.

Only Casse's blood pressure suffered.

"I don't know if (War of Will) reacted," Casse said, "but I did. My heart rate went up. I was like, 'Really, what have I done?' I thought both horses went really well. There's always something following War of Will. They say he acted fine and I thought he galloped extremely well."

On an otherwise quiet day of training at Belmont Park in advance of the June 8 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), most of the attention was centered on War of Will, who made a grand appearance, sporting an additional 40-50 pounds since the May 18 Preakness.

"Most importantly (exercise rider Kim Carroll) was very happy," Casse said about the trip around the 1 1/2-mile oval. "She said he was great. I said 'Pimlico good?' She smiled. That's was good. If he can repeat the Pimlico deal, we'll be fine."

Super Saver
War of Will showed no ill effects after a van ride from Keeneland to Belmont Park as he was a handful prior to heading to the track, forcing Casse to revamp plans for the new star in his barn.

 "After he jumped on three of us this morning, I decided to call an audible. Maybe it's the cool air. I was going to jog him but then I did a 45, 56, 7, 32, hut, and I called an audible," Casse said. "He feels really good and you never know what you get with him. Some days he's nice and calm and other days, he's jumping out of his skin. Like a lot of stars do when they get notoriety, he's become a ham. I expect to come in one day and see he has a tattoo. Well, he does have one, but he's a stud and he knows it."

A half brother to the group 1 winner Pathfork, War of Will was purchased at the 2018 Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze Up Sale for $298,500 from the Oak Tree Farm consignment. Out of the Sadler's Wells mare Visions of Clarity, he was an RNA for $175,000 from the Lane's End consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Later in the day, Casse will be at Citi Field for the 5:30 p.m. post position draw for the Belmont Stakes, wondering if a certain trend will continue. War of Will, a winner of four of 10 career starts, drew the rail for both his troubled seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and his victory in the Preakness, so, especially with a long run to the first turn, he has no qualms about a hat trick. In fact, he's already calculating the odds of it happening.

"I want post one," he said. "What are the odds of it happening? 2,600-to-1?"

Sir Winston also galloped, though under much less scrutiny.

Adequan
"Then there's poor Sir Winston," Casse said. "Nobody pays him any attention."

A homebred son of Awesome Again , Sir Winston is coming off a solid effort at Belmont Park, finishing second to Global Campaign in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) May 11.

A winner of two of nine starts, the Kentucky-bred was fifth and last after a half-mile in the 1 1/8-mile stakes — 11 lengths behind — but closed enough ground to finish just 1 ¼ lengths behind the winner.

The first offspring of the Afleet Alex  mare La Gran Bailadora to race, Sir Winston has earned $161,773 and enters the Belmont Stakes in search of his first graded stakes win.  

"Extremely encouraging," Casse said about Sir Winton's effort in the Peter Pan. "He ran the last quarter in :23 2/5. The problem is everybody says, 'Oh, he closed at a mile-and-an-eighth so he'll love a mile-and-a-half. It doesn't work that way. The pace scenario is so different. If the pace was to get hot, it would help Sir Winston. He's truly a mile-and-a-half horse. The pace won't be as fast so he won't be so far out of it, but we're not going to take him out of his game. He'll come running."

And if he does, for the sake of Casse's heart, hopefully there will not be any sirens attached to it.