War Front colts attack Triple Crown from both coasts SID FERNANDO A talented sprinter on dirt made his first splash as a freshman sire with a colt going long on the turf, but Soldat’s two-year-old success only an indicator of War Front’s versatility as a sire rather than Young Vinery’s growth one of a specific specialty. Soldat and The Factor have given Claiborne War Front is the sire of two of the top 14 Presented Farm’s War Front a one-two punch of highly by Yum! Brands (G1) candidates ranked in the latest regarded three-year-olds on each coast, and TIMES Road to the Triple Crown poll: Fasig- Tipton Fountain of Youth the stallion currently leads second- Stakes (G2) winner Soldat and San crop sires by 2011 progeny earnings. Behind him in second, Vicente Stakes (G2) winner The however, is Vinery’s Florida-based Pomeroy, whose Flashpoint Factor. Together, they are two of won the Hutcheson Stakes (G2) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park the four stakes winners in War on the same card as Soldat’s Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Front’s first crop. War Front ranked Stakes (G2) win. fourth among freshman sires last Pomeroy, a grandson of Danzig, leads second-crop sires by 2011 year and, through Monday, ranked stakes winners with four, and Vinery itself is represented by three third among second-crop sires. sires on the top ten War Front retired from racing on the second crop following a 2006 season in which list with Congrats and he won the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Silver Train joining Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2) at WAR FRONT Pomeroy. That’s a . He began his stud career at the Hancock fam- heady accomplish- ily’s in Paris, Kentucky, for an advertised fee of $12,500. ment for Dr. Tom His fee is listed at $15,000 this year. Simon’s growing stal- “He was pretty easy to fill up in his first year at stud,” Bernie Sams lion station, which is of Claiborne said. “He stood for a reasonable price and is by Danzig, spread between three looked like Danzig, and was fast on the track, so it wasn’t any trouble.” farms in Kentucky, Soldat broke his maiden with a victory in last year’s With Anticipation Florida, and New Stakes (G3) and finished second in his other four starts, including the York and quickly is Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2). The Factor won in his second ca- Vinery/Louise Reinagel photo scaling the heights. POMEROY reer start, blazing six furlongs in a track record 1:06.98 on December Congrats, a son of 26 at Santa Anita Park before going on to win the San Vicente. War A.P. Indy bred by Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider, stands for Front’s other stakes winners are Tensas Punch and Warning Flag, an advertised fee of $15,000 but good luck if you can get to him who won the Irish Stallion Farms at a sniff of that price; no guarantee seasons have sold this year Road to the E.B.F. Star Appeal Stakes on turf at for more than twice that amount, and why not? Congrats was ® Dundalk in Ireland. the leading first-crop sire of 2010 by progeny earnings and had TRIPLE CROWN “He seems to be throwing run- two two-year-old Grade 1 winners! Like Pomeroy, he began his Sponsored by ners everywhere and on every- career in Florida and is the heir apparent to Vinery’s top sire, thing—turf, dirt, synthetic, Ireland, More Than Ready. East Coast, West Coast,” Sams said. Pomeroy was bred by Claiborne’s Seth Hancock through his Joseph Allen bred and raced War Front, and Sams said the stallion Cherry Valley Farm and is a son of the pensioned Claiborne deal was borne out of a longtime relationship between Allen and the sprinter Boundary—a son of Danzig and the sire of 2008 Ken- farm. Claiborne boards some of Allen’s mares, and War Front was tucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Big Brown. raised at the Paris farm, which also stood Danzig. Like his sire, Pomeroy was a notable sprinter, as was the Old Claiborne is on quite a run, having campaigned its homebred Blame Trieste horse Silver Train. Both horses fit the distinct speed to a Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) victory and champion older male profile that that Vinery recruits, but Congrats, Pioneerof the honors last year. Blame began standing alongside his sire, Arch, this Nile, and a few others are proof that the farm looks across the season. The farm also has an active roster of racehorses at the track spectrum for sires, too. led by sparkling debut winner Bind. Tom Ludt is the president of Vinery and deserves much of the “Everyone at the farm is very excited about the offspring of our stal- credit for the farm’s upward profile, which has been engineered lions and our racehorses,” Sam said. “Everyone at the farm works by partnering with owners of stallions and racehorses. Simon’s toward experiences like this. It’s a fun situation to be in.” Grapestock LLC, for example, owns a 25% stake in Congrats with War Front is out of the multiple stakes-winning Rubiano mare Starry John Sykes, and likewise a 25% stake in Pomeroy with Silverleaf. Dreamer, dam of multiple Grade 3 winner and sire Ecclesiastic and Grapestock, by the way, also is the breeder of 2011 Southwest multiple graded stakes winner Teammate.—Ed DeRosa Stakes (G3) winner Archarcharch, which it sold, and 2009 Louisiana

Derby (G2) winner Friesan Fire, which Vinery raced in partner- ® ship with Fox Hill Farm. Last year,Vinery was co-owner of Gotham THOROUGHBRED TIMES Stakes (G3) winner Awesome Act, which it purchased. The farm also campaigned, with Fox Hill, 2009 champion sprinter Kodiak Buyer’s Guide Cowboy, another purchase and now a Vinery stallion. Grant Williamson is the farm’s stallion director, and he’s taken on the role of social media promoter, too. “It’s the way of the fu- You’ll be ahead ture, isn’t it?” he says more than asks. Vinery has a Facebook of the game! page, as well as a Twitter handle, @vinerystallions, where Williamson, whose personal Twitter handle is @gawilliamson, Call now to order your posts useful and promotional information about the stallions on sales supplement! the digital grapevine. The farm certainly is growing like one, 859-260-9800, ext. 7199 too. www.thoroughbredtimes.com Thoroughbred Times TODAY March 2, 2011 7