He was bred to be a champion. His sire, Cherokee Run, was 1994's champion sprinter, who came from a male line that had produced 1991's brilliant Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Arazi. War Pass' dam was a stakes-winning daughter of Mr. Prospector, a two-time track record setter and one of the most influential sires in the stud book. In his pedigree was Bold Ruler, the sire of Secretariat; War Admiral, a Triple Crown winner; and Native Dancer, one of the greatest horses to ever set foot on a track. If you looked back far enough, you could even find English champion Nasrullah four times in the fifth generation of his pedigree.
War Pass sold as a yearling for a modest $180,000 and became a member of Bob LaPenta's formidable racing operation. His trainer, Nick Zito, was a Hall of Fame conditioner who had already won countless prizes, including the Kentucky Derby twice. They began to train this well-bred colt into solid racing shape, and the fruits of their labors came to fruition on a hot day in late July:
It was fitting that War Pass would begin his short career at Saratoga, the proving ground for so many future champions. The dark bay colt went to the lead immediately, effortlessly gliding through quick fractions of :21.98 and 45.02. He held off a late challenge from Commandeered, flicking that colt away as if he was no more than a fly on his flanks. War Pass left the gate at a value price - 6-1. Next time, his odds would be much lower. 3/2 was his price as he flew to the lead in a Saratoga allowance race, glued to the rail. Again he ripped through speedy fractions as if they were nothing; again he shook off his rivals like a bunch of cheap claimers. There was some immaturity in War Pass' run this time, weaving in and out in the stretch. Nevertheless, he hit the wire a comfortable five and a half lengths in front.
After two easy wins in soft company, it was time for War Pass to step up in class. His next race would be more of a leap to the top, as he was entered in the Champagne Stakes (G1). There, he would face the 1-2 finishers in Saratoga's premiere two year-old stakes, the Hopeful (G1) - Majestic Warrior and Ready's Image. Behind those two, War Pass was sent off as the third choice at 9/2. If he won this race, the colt would earn a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1).
The gates opened and War Pass wasted no time getting to the lead. At his flanks were Silver Edition and Z Humor, but soon, he began to pull away from them. The fractions he set this time were a little less taxing than his early speed at Saratoga, but he still found himself on the lead. Challenges that many expected from Majestic Warrior and Ready's Image never came; those two faded to third to last and last, respectively. Instead, the crowd cheered as the white shadow roll of War Pass appeared in front around Belmont's sweeping turn - the dark bay colt was alone on the lead! He looked incredibly powerful in his stretch run. Cornelio Velazquez was pumping his strong arms, coaxing his horse all the way to the wire and fighting off the late-running Pyro. War Pass crossed the wire by a diminishing margin; despite the lack of daylight between him and Pyro, it had looked effortless for Zito's colt. He had stamped his ticket to the Breeders' Cup.
A fast track and a sunny day would not greet War Pass on America's biggest two days of racing. Instead, Monmouth was miserable and rainy, turning the track to a sloppy mess. War Pass had never raced on an off track before; he also hadn't faced the caliber of horses he would in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Despite the question marks surrounding the colt, though, he was the morning line favorite for the race, and the bettors sent him off at a solid 2/1. He would break from the rail as the #2 horse, a position that suited his front-running style perfectly.
War Pass splashed away to an easy lead, pulling comfortably away from his nearest rivals. Despite the slop, he was still setting sharp fractions, but this time, he began to steadily increase his lead down Monmouth's backstretch. He ran with his head regally high, his white shadow roll floating far above the sloppy muck beneath his feet. As he rounded the far turn, he began to kick clear of the white-bridled face of Kodiak Kowboy in second. After setting a six furlong mark that was faster than any of his previous, War Pass entered the homestretch an astonishing seven lengths in front. His only danger now came from the closer, Pyro, and everyone knew that Pyro would get nowhere near his rival today. Cornelio Velazquez barely moved on War Pass as the colt cruised to the finish, winning by nearly five lengths. The popular two year-old colt, who had now won all four of his starts, was certainly now crowned as champion of his peers.
A two year-old champion colt carries a multitude of responsibilities, the most important of which is being the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby in the next year. Because of this, many expected War Pass to surface in a stakes race near the dawn of 2008. Instead, Zito entered him in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. His peers held him in such awe that only four others were willing to show up against him. One was his stablemate, Web Gem, owned by Richard Brand. War Pass, who would break from the #5 slot in the starting gate, was an overwhelming favorite at odds of 1/20.
I don't think I've ever seen another horse win as effortlessly as War Pass did that day. Setting the easiest fractions of his career, the dark bay colt cruised the mile easily in a still solid 1:36 and change. Cornelio Velazquez was a statue in the irons, not even bothering to look back. It was a public workout in company for the champion two year-old colt. After that yearly debut - a sharpener for the greater tests to come - many were excited for War Pass' road to the Kentucky Derby. The colt, in five starts, looked nothing less than immortal. Zito entered him in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), another stepping stone to the spring classics. War Pass went off again as the overwhelming favorite.
They say even the best horses have bad days, but no one expected it to happen to War Pass. The handsome colt, after all, was an invincible front-runner. When the gates opened at Tampa Bay that day, War Pass did not break quite as alertly as he had before. He found himself pinched between the colts on either side of him and soon, War Pass was in a position he had never been in before - he was not on the lead. He attempted to snatch the lead from between horses but was shuffled back again and spent the majority of the backstretch on the outside in third. As they reached the far turn, Velazquez asked his mount for run. Many expected the 1/9 favorite to accelerate as he had in all his other races. Instead, astonishment filled the air as War Pass spun his wheels, dropping further and further back from the new leaders. A Barclay Tagg trainee named Big Truck won the race; War Pass finished dead last, more than twenty lengths behind.
His connections and racing fans alike were severely disappointed by his poor effort. The Tampa Bay Derby was to be his easiest race on the road to the Derby, and he had failed this test by a huge margin. Confidence in the champion took a severe drop after the race, only rising again as War Pass began to train up for Aqueduct's signature three year-old race, the Wood Memorial (G1). Meanwhile, Pyro, who had played second fiddle to War Pass in their two stakes meetings the previous year, had captured the Louisiana Derby (G2), and most eyes now strayed to Big Brown, the impressive winner of the Florida Derby (G1). War Pass, after all, was not immortal, as people had learned.
The gates opened for the Wood Memorial, and immediately, War Pass set off for the lead. This was encouraging; once War Pass was in front, he certainly would have enough gas in the tank to hold off these horses. Inner Light, a pacesetter for late-closing stablemate Court Vision, pressed War Pass through a quarter in :22 2/5. This was nothing for the fleet-footed champion but certainly would test him through nine furlongs. He got a slight breather in the second quarter as he finally shook off Inner Light, and went even slower for nine furlongs. As they hit the stretch, War Pass was still in front, but he was laboring badly. It was clear that this was not the same colt that had opened up seven lengths on a field of stellar juveniles just five months before. Another Tagg trainee would defeat War Pass; this time, it was Tale of Ekati, who came to his inside and wore down the tired favorite. War Pass was weaving midstretch again; this time, it was from exhaustion rather than immaturity. The final time was an very slow 1:52 and change. The Derby was in a month and War Pass had yet to win a stakes race as a three year-old.
His graded earnings guaranteed him a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May, but did he truly belong? He couldn't last even nine furlongs on a demanding lead, and when he lost the lead - like at Tampa - he sputtered out in the drive. There were many question marks surrounding 2007's champion two year-old. Matters were not solved when, a few weeks after the Wood Memorial, War Pass' name was taken out of Derby consideration - he had fractured a sesamoid, probably during his hard run against Tale of Ekati. The Triple Crown of 2008 would have its own highs and lows without War Pass - Big Brown's scintillating victories in the Derby and Preakness contrasted with his suspicious last place performance in the Belmont as well as the death of filly Eight Belles following her second place finish in the Derby. As all this went on, War Pass was on the mend. Many people hoping for his return to the races were crushed with the news, in early September 2008, that he would be retired to stud. There would be no more races for the brilliant son of Cherokee Run. His home and duty lay in a breeding shed at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky.
The timing could not be more perfect, as Cherokee Run was pensioned from stud duty at the end of 2009 and War Pass was perfectly primed to fill his shoes. The handsome dark bay colt was a pretty picture at stud, and as his foals began to drop, excitement for War Pass rose again. He stood stud seasons in both Kentucky and Australia. War Pass was well on his way to becoming a nice young sire when, the day before Christmas of 2010, he died. His death was as sudden as they come, having just returned from Australia in good health. The Thoroughbred world was shocked at the loss of a young, exciting stallion prospect who had only just lit up the track a few years before. War Pass was just five years old at his death.
His life was like a shooting star; if you blinked, you might have missed it. Like all shooting stars, however, he left a trace - two full crops of foals. His first crop has done a commendable job at honoring his memory. At the top of the ranks are Revolutionary and Java's War, both of which won prep races going into this year's Kentucky Derby. Revolutionary, a gritty colt who bears a striking resemblance to his late sire, even managed to finish third in the Run for the Roses. His second - and last - crop already has yielded some nice-looking winners, including the Grade 1-placed Lunarwarfare. War Pass may not be with us now, but his blood remains here, and will remain here for a very long time.
For a short period of time, War Pass gave us nothing but brilliance. Despite his tired performances as a three year-old, most people prefer to remember him at his best. His memory lies not with the staggering colt, twenty lengths behind in last, but in the shining Breeders' Cup champion, much cleaner than his mud-spattered rivals, his regal dark head held high in the confident knowledge of victory.
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