War Front and sons take opening week of Saratoga by storm

War Front, one of the biggest names in the North American sire ranks, took to the battlefield at Saratoga Race Course last weekend – and he brought the troops with him. The standout commercial and racetrack sire and his sons combined for seven wins in the first four days of racing at Saratoga, from Thursday through Sunday.

The group was led by two of War Front’s grandsons who captured graded stakes events for 3-year-olds on the turf. Decorated Invader, by international stallion Declaration of War, won the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes on Saturday. One day later, Speaktomeofsummer, from the first crop of Summer Front, won the Grade 2 Lake Placid for fillies.

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Both Decorated Invader and Speaktomeofsummer are trained by Christophe Clement, who also trained Summer Front. Tom Moore owns Speaktomeofsummer and owned Summer Front, which makes the Lake Placid victory “even more meaningful,” Clement said.

Multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Summer Front, standing at Airdrie Stud, is the sire of six stakes horses from his first crop, including Ete Indian, winner of the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and third in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Summer Front had a two-win day Sunday, as his daughter My Sassy Sarah won a New York-bred allowance event one race before the Lake Placid. Summer Front notched his first winner of the meet on opening day, as Eternal Summer, also owned by Moore’s Waterford Stable, won a maiden-claiming race by disqualification.

War Front, the flagship sire for Claiborne Farm, stands for an advertised fee of $250,000, making him the most expensive stallion in North America. He got himself in the win column at this Saratoga meet on Sunday, as his daughter In Front scored a maiden special weight victory at a mile on the turf for owner-breeder DATTT Stable and trainer Shug McGaughey. In Front is out of the Galileo mare Wonderful, a full sister to multiple Grade 1/Group 1 winner Magician and to Grade 3 winner Apple Betty.

Two other Grade 1-winning sons of War Front have recorded winners at this meet. Data Link, who stood alongside his sire at Claiborne before being pensioned, sired Propensity, who won a claiming race Thursday. Winning Factor, by Lane’s End sire The Factor, won a starter allowance on Saturday.