Australia: War Eternal brings rediscovered good form into Winter Challenge

At the age of 5, the New Zealand-bred gelding War Eternal is blooming.

In the last 45 days, War Eternal has won two of his last three starts in Australia, leading to his first appearance in a stakes since October 2022 in the $134,000 Winter Challenge Stakes at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on Friday evening.

War Eternal was the 2-1 favorite in early betting on Thursday in a field of 12, followed by King of the Castle (3-1) and Tamerlane (7-2).

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War Eternal won a seven-furlong handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on June 8, finished third by less than a length in a tougher handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on June 29, and rebounded to win a handicap at seven furlongs at Randwick last Saturday.

Trained by Bjorn Baker, War Eternal tends to run from well off the pace. He has won 4 of 23 starts in a career that began in June 2021.

The rejuvenated form could lead to a start in a seven-figure race later this year for War Eternal.

Baker recently told the Australian racing media that he hopes to qualify War Eternal for The Big Dance Stakes, a $2 million race at a mile at Randwick on Nov. 5. Horses earn berths for The Big Dance Stakes through a series of qualifying races. There are 11 remaining qualifying races from early August to late October.

The Winter Challenge is a handicap. War Eternal will carry the minimum weight of 116.8 pounds and will be ridden by Rachel King. Tamerlane, a 10-time winner, is the 133-pounds topweight, while King of the Castle will carry 118.

Tamerlane and King of the Castle finished first and third in the Winter Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on July 6. Tamerlane raced near the front and finished slightly more than a neck in front of Iknowastar, who is not part of the Winter Challenge field. King of the Castle closed from fifth of 11 to finish three-quarters of a length behind Tamerlane.

The Winter Challenge is part of a 10-race program at Rosehill Gardens that begins at 9:15 p.m. Eastern or 6:15 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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