War of Will targeting a sweep in Louisiana Derby

NEW ORLEANS – War of Will resides in a stall just down from the tack office where David Carroll works here at Fair Grounds, and Carroll’s desk sits at an angle to where he can keep an eye on War of Will every moment.

Carroll is the top assistant here to Mark Casse, who trains War of Will, and Carroll has overseen his day-to-day training. In the months Carroll has been around War of Will, the colt’s performances and personality have made him a favorite.

“He wants to please you,” Carroll said Thursday morning. “You feel like you can’t let the horse down.”

So far, both are holding up their end of the bargain. The partnership has been perfect this meet. War of Will has knocked off the Lecomte and Risen Star, and on Saturday War of Will will seek a sweep of the local Kentucky Derby prep races when he heads the field in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby over 1 1/8 miles.

“Hopefully Saturday will go well and the dream will continue,” said Carroll, whose experience with top horses dates to him being the exercise rider for Easy Goer more than 30 years ago.

War of Will will be favored in the Louisiana Derby, the first of the final round of Derby preps that offer 170 points overall – including 100 to the winner – based on the system Churchill Downs uses to determine the field for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Many of his 10 rivals are horses he has soundly defeated this meet, including Risen Star runner-up Country House and Lecomte runner-up Hog Creek Hustle.

War of Will is a striking bay colt with white on all four legs and a generous blaze that runs from the top of his forehead all the way to his chin. Pretty is as pretty does. He has tactical speed, which has afforded him and jockey Tyler Gaffalione ideal trips in the Lecomte (in which he got a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 94) and Risen Star (92). It’s an edge Casse hopes to keep.

“It allows them to position themselves wherever they need to be,” Casse said on a national teleconference earlier this week.

“He’s extremely quick out of the gate, he had always been from day one, and he just has the ability to put that big body in motion and do it quickly. He also has a great mind, which then allows you to be able to get him to settle.”

Country House betrayed his inexperience in the Risen Star, when he lugged in badly through the lane while beaten by 2 1/4 lengths. His trainer, Bill Mott, said he will use a more severe bit for this race.

“He’ll use a Haughton bit to help guide him,” Mott said, referring to a bit popularized by harness racing legend Billy Haughton.

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Roiland ran on for third in the 1 1/16-mile Risen Star, but his lack of early speed and an apparent lack of pace in the Louisiana Derby make this a difficult task again.

“I’m disappointed there isn’t more pace, but hopefully going a mile and an eighth the extra sixteenth will compromise some of the others,” said Tom Amoss, who trains Roiland.

Amoss said Roiland will be ridden away from the gate a bit to try and stay in closer contact with the field during the early going.

“You never want to change a horse’s style, but in the case of Roiland, I believe he can be closer and still run the same style race,” Amoss said on a national teleconference earlier in the week.

Hog Creek Hustle was fourth in the Risen Star after finishing second in the Lecomte. He may be finding these longer distances challenging, and he drew the outside post.

Spinoff is an intriguing newcomer to the scene. He returned from a six-month layoff to crush an allowance field at Tampa Bay Downs last month.

Sueno was second in the Southwest at Oaklawn, and was flattered when third-place finisher Long Range Toddy returned to win a division of the Rebel last week.

Limonite was able to save ground for much of the Risen Star, but didn’t have a clean run in the lane and finished fifth.

Bankit, By My Standards, Lemniscate, and Mr. Money complete the field.

The Louisiana Derby is the last of 13 races on a card that begins at 11 a.m. Central. It is also the final leg of an all-stakes pick four that has a guaranteed pool of $500,000. It is preceded by three other Grade 2 stakes – the New Orleans Handicap for older horses on dirt, the Mervin Muniz for older grass horses, and the Fair Grounds Oaks for Kentucky Oaks aspirants.

The weather has been ideal all week and is forecast to remain so through Saturday, with a high temperature of 74 degrees and partly cloudy skies.