By Joe Bianca
It was just four months ago that Gary Barber's War of Will (War Front), fresh off a satisfying GI Preakness S. success, appeared to be sitting firmly atop the 3-year-old male division. Two poor efforts since have mostly left the three-time graded stakes winner out of that conversation, but with the defection of Maximum Security (New Year's Day), he still has a golden opportunity to recapture his championship momentum in a six-horse renewal of Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.
Starting his sophomore season with convincing scores in the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S., the bay lost his action early before finishing ninth at odds-on in the GII Louisiana Derby and was placed seventh after being interfered with by Maximum Security in the GI Kentucky Derby. Riding the rail to victory in Baltimore, he was a non-factor ninth in the GI Belmont S. and tired to finish fifth after setting the pace in the GII Jim Dandy S. when last seen July 27 at Saratoga. Passing on a try at the GI Runhappy Travers S. after that, War of Will has been working up a storm in the past month and closed out preparations for this with a half-mile bullet in :47 2/5 (1/48) Sept. 14 at Belmont.
“He is fantastic,” Mark Casse told the Parx notes team. “He looks good. He has put on some weight. He has matured. He is sharp. He is ready. Now, it's just a matter of having some good racing luck. He has done a lot of good things and there is no question he is an extremely talented horse. His last two races have tarnished his reputation a little bit. We're anxious to regain that.”
In the absence of Maximum Security, favoritism will likely fall to Improbable (City Zip). A perfect three-for-three to start his career, including a top-level success in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity, the 'TDN Rising Star' was second in both the GII Rebel S. and GI Arkansas Derby to start his 3-year-old campaign and fourth in the Run for the Roses. Shelved after running an even sixth in the Preakness, he returned with a score in the Shared Belief S. Aug. 25 at Del Mar, earning a career-top and field-best 104 Beyer for the effort. Improbable will look to give trainer Bob Baffert his third consecutive Pennsylvania Derby triumph after West Coast (Flatter) and McKinzie (Street Sense)'s victories in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Allied Racing Stable's Mr. Money (Goldencents) steps into Grade I company for the first time since running fourth at 41-1 in last year's GI Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Off the board in his first two sophomore starts, the bay has caught fire to reel off four consecutive Grade III successes in the Pat Day Mile S., Matt Winn S., Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby, each time winning by open lengths.
“Obviously it's deeper water here,” trainer Bret Calhoun said. “We've been looking forward to it for a long time. I think developmentally, physically but obviously mentally, he's learned how to be a complete racehorse. Learning how to settle and relax, that's the big thing. Of course I've said it a hundred times: His confidence level is unbelievable right now. He's a beast.”
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