Air Force Blue was one of the most brilliant two-year-olds this century, a Timeform 128p-rated star who swept the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, Group 1 National Stakes and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes by an aggregate margin of eight and a quarter lengths. His only defeat at two came on his second start, when chasing home Buratino in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Sadly, the Aidan O'Brien-trained bay showed little in four starts at three, finishing well-beaten in two classics, in the Group 1 July Cup and, on his final start, trailing home last of seven in a Group 3 at the Curragh. He was retired to Coolmore's US division – Ashford Stud – but will probably have quite a few runners here from 2020.
He was bred by Stone Farm, cost $490,000 as a yearling, and is the best of several winners out of the stakes-placed Chatham (by Maria's Mon). Two of that mare's siblings have produced a stakes winning daughter at stud, and their dam, Circle Of Gold (by Seeking The Gold), is an unraced full-sister to Flanders.
That's the US-born Flanders – and not the well-known Irish-born broodmare of the same name – and she was the two-year-old filly champion there in 1994 when winning the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes, Grade 1 Frizette Stakes, and Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes. She then became the dam of two horses of note: Surfside (by Seattle Slew) and Battle Plan (by Empire Maker). The latter won the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap and was runner-up in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, both over nine furlongs, and is a minor blacktype sire in Japan, whereas Surfside was a Breeders' Cup-placed multiple Grade 1 star who was crowned US champion three-year-old filly in 2000. Surfside is the dam of Grade 3 scorer Irish Surf (by Giant's Causeway) and grandam of Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg winner and Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes third High Celebrity (by Invincible Spirit), and other descendants of Flanders include Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks third Open Water (by Include). There are other talented horses to be found within the branches of these first three generations of the family, but nothing among them to guide us as to how Air Force Blue might fare as a sire. There are 114 registered foals in his first crop and he looks likely to get his best winners in the broad five to 10-furlong range. Given the immense talent he showed at two, it is reasonable to expect that some of his offspring will also do well at that age. AIR FORCE BLUE (USA) - b.2013 - War Front - Chatham, 4 wins inc Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1), National Stakes (Gr1), Phoenix Stakes (Gr1), 2nd Coventry Stakes (Gr2). Sire in USA. First foals in 2018.
FOALS CATALOGUED:
Bf - Satin Box (by Manduro) Tattersalls November 11,500gns
Danzig (by Northern Dancer) was one of the world's greatest stallions and there are two major branches of his line dominant in Europe, those forged by Danehill and Green Desert.
It is too early yet to know a third one might develop from among his final sons to go to stud, but with an ever-growing list of pattern winners on both sides of the Atlantic, and with his initial stallion sons including The Factor - one of four current freshman sires with a Group/Grade 1 winner to their name so far, in Europe or the USA, in 2016 (the others are Gemologist, Helmet, and Union Rags) - there is a chance that War Front could achieve that feat. War Command was among his early racing stars in Europe and the Timeform 120p-rated juvenile star was one of the most popular new stallions last year, covering 152 mares at Coolmore Stud. He made a winning debut over seven furlongs at Leopardstown in early June, took the Group 2 Coventry Stakes by six lengths, added a three-length score in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes and rounded off the year with defeat of Cable Bay in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. His only defeat that year was a shock third-place finish to Sudirman in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes.
War Command ran only three times as a three-year-old, earning a Timeform rating of 119 despite not making the frame in any of those appearances. His best placing was fourth behind Kingman in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Ascot, in which he was beaten by three and three-quarter lengths.
A half-brother to the Group 3 Prix de Conde scorer Naval Officer (by Tale of The Cat), War Command is the best of nine winners out of the Grade 2 E P Taylor Stakes scorer Wandering Star (by Red Ransom), a full-sister to the dam of New Zealand's 2011/12 juvenile champion and subsequent classic star Rollout The Carpet (by Holy Roman Emperor). His grandam, Beautiful Bedouin (by His Majesty), was an unraced daughter of the Prix Jacques le Marois heroine Gris Vitesse (by Americo) and that made her a half-sister to the dual Derby-placed pattern scorer and leading sire Silver Hawk (by Roberto). Having a successful stallion in the family augurs well for War Command's prospects, especially when that classic sire is somewhat closely related to his dam, Wandering Star, and, of course, this is added to the attraction of him being a Group 1-winner by a leading son of Danzig. War Command looks like a leading candidate for 2018's champion freshman sire title race and, if he lives up to the promise of his pedigree, he could become a source of classic and other top performers at around eight to 10 furlongs. WAR COMMAND (USA) – b.2011 – War Front – Wandering Star, 4 wins inc Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1), Futurity Stakes (Gr2), Coventry Stakes (Gr2), 3rd Phoenix Stakes (Gr1). Sire in Ireland. First foals in 2016.
FOALS CATALOGUED (updated)
bf – Acts Out Loud (by Mr Greeley) Goffs Nov not sold bc – Aguinaga (by Machiavellian) Goffs Nov withdrawn bc - Alland (by Teofilo) Tattersalls Nov 55,000gns bc – Amor Fatal (by Kheleyf) Goffs Nov not sold bc – Amzara (by Montjeu) Goffs Nov withdrawn bf – Areeda (by Refuse To Bend) Tattersalls Nov 100,000gns bf – Art Fair (by Alzao) Goffs Nov €9,000 bc – Asgardella (by Duke of Marmalade) Tattersalls Nov 22,000gns bf – Boundless Joy (by Montjeu) Goffs Nov withdrawn bc – Celestial Dream (by Oasis Dream) Goffs Nov €26,000 grf – China In My Hands (by Dark Angel) Goffs Nov €9,000 bf – Corps de Ballet (by Fasliyev) Tattersalls Nov 12,000gns bf – Darsan (by Iffraaj) Goffs Nov not sold bf – Deora De (by Night Shift) Goffs Nov €10,000 bc – Dialma (by Songandaprayer) Tattersalls Nov 11,000gns bc – Divine Grace (by Definite Article) Tattersalls Nov withdrawn bc – Divisme (by Elusive Quality) Tattersalls Nov 50,000gns bc – Emeralds Spirit (by Rock of Gibraltar) Tattersalls Nov not sold bc - Fabulouslyspirited (by Selkirk) Arqana Dec €16,000 bc – Final Opinion (by King's Theatre) Goffs Nov not sold bf – Flying Finish (by Priolo) Tattersalls Nov not sold bc – Folle Blanche (by Elusive Quality) Tattersalls Nov not sold bf – Foreplay (by Lujain) Goffs Nov €18,500 grc – Glowing Star (by Clodovil) Goffs Nov €32,000 bc – Glympse (by Spectrum) Goffs Nov withdrawn bc – Gold Bubbles (by Street Cry) Tattersalls Nov not sold bf – Hazarista (by Barathea) Goffs Nov €20,000 bf – Highindi (by Montjeu) Goffs Nov not sold bc – Icing (by Polar Falcon) Tattersalls Nov 10,500gns bf – Intapeace (by Intikhab) Goffs Nov €32,000 bc - Kotdiji (by Mtoto) Tattersalls Nov 32,000gns bc – Laka (by Oasis Dream) Tattersalls Nov not sold bf – Lisselan Diva (by Barathea) Goffs Nov withdrawn bf – Mad About The Girl (by Excellent Art) Goffs Nov not sold bf – Megaspiel (by Singspiel) Tattersalls Nov withdrawn bc – Miss Crystal (by Montjeu) Tattersalls Nov not sold bf – Mubkera (by Nashwan) Goffs Nov withdrawn bc – Natural Choice (by Teofilo) Tattersalls Nov 15,500gns bc – New Plays (by Oratorio) Tattersalls Nov not sold bc – Pearl Magic (by Speightstown) Tattersalls Nov 42,000gns bf – Pina Colada (by Sabrehill) Goffs Nov €30,000 bc – Shalamzara (by Tiger Hill) Goffs Nov €5,000 bf – Silkenveil (by Indian Ridge) Tattersalls Nov (p/s) 13,000gns bf - Skysweeper (by Hurricane Run) Arqana Dec €5,000 bc – Spanish Sun (by El Prado) Goffs Nov withdrawn bf – Starlight Princess (by Mastercraftsman) Tattersalls Nov not sold bc – Todber (by Cape Cross) Tattersalls Nov 30,000gns bf - Tohaveandtohold (by Pivotal) Tattersalls Nov not sold bf – Xarzee (by Xaar) Goffs Nov not sold bc – Zeyran (by Galileo) Tattersalls Nov not sold |
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November 2018
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