War Court should have lively pace to chase

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The stretch-runner War Court could get a good setup in Thursday’s Woodbine feature, a conditioned allowance with a $50,000 claiming option going 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta.

A 5-year-old owned by Chiefswood Stables, War Court was sent to trainer Layne Giliforte after his first two poor performances at 3. He graduated in his third start for Giliforte last August and then doubled up in a first-level allowance in October.

“After he came to me, he just started to come around,” Giliforte recalled. “He showed promise right from the first time I ran him. The first one was a turf race, and it was just a little too short for him. After that, he’s been very consistent.”

This year, War Court closed from sixth to end up second to the good Gaston in his May 28 season opener and then went on to finish third in another Tapeta route for conditioned allowance types and $50,000 claimers on July 9.

“He’s doing fantastic,” Giliforte said. “We had a couple of opportunities to run him, and we passed them up because they were offered as turf. We didn’t really want to go back and forth too much with him. We have a good plan in mind for him and wanted to stick to the [Tapeta] while he was running well.”

Christopher Husbands retains the mount on the flashy chestnut War Court, a son of Declaration of War.

Dolder Grand, Kerouac, and Haddassah all possess speed.

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Dolder Grand is winless in eight starts since capturing an allowance in August 2021, but the $800,000 2-year-old purchase managed to finish fourth in both the Grade 3 Seagram Cup and Grade 3 Ontario Derby that fall. He ran second in 4 of 5 outings last year and faded to fifth behind War Court after pressing a fast pace in his July 9 seasonal bow.

Patrick Husbands will ride Dolder Grand for trainer Mark Casse. Husbands was aboard for both of the 5-year-old’s victories.

Kerouac wired first-level allowance types after setting a lively pace going 1 1/8 miles in his second start off the sidelines July 9, and the 84 Beyer Speed Figure he received makes him a good fit at this level.

Kevin Attard trains Kerouac and Haddassah, the 2021 Prince of Wales Stakes winner on the dirt at Fort Erie. Haddassah weakened to third after setting a slow pace most recently and is running with a $50,000 tag on the drop in his fourth start off the bench.

Casse also entered Like the King, who won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks in 2021. The handsome chestnut has been mired in a slump and is shortening up off a pace-pressing third traveling 1 1/4 miles.

Rounding out the field is Last Dawn, the last Sam-Son Farm-owned runner at Woodbine. Trained by Gail Cox, the homebred won his maiden and an allowance in June and July before a dull seventh-place finish on the inner turf July 30.

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