War of Will, the winner of the 2019 Preakness Stakes three weeks ago, will become the only horse to run in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year when he competes in the Grade I, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes this Saturday at Belmont Park (6:30 p.m., NBC). MetroBet profiles the form, pedigree and connections behind War of Will below.
War of Will was able to bounce back off a highly-troubled journey behind an errant Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby. Unfazed by the traffic problems he encountered on the far turn at Churchill two weeks before, jockey Tyler Gaffalione confidently guided WAR OF WILL to a rail-skimming victory in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown on May 18. War of Will burst onto the scene when he took the LeComte and Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds earlier this year. He faltered in the Louisiana Derby in his final prep for the “Run for the Roses,” but he would reward his connections’ confidence just two starts later.
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War of Will is more of a turf horse based on pedigree, but he’s proven he can be effective on dirt. He gets distance influence from both sides being by War Front out of a Sadler’s Wells mare.
Gaffalione, 24, notched just his third career Grade I victory in the Preakness. However, he’s placed in the top 10 nationwide in wins in the last two years. Trainer Mark Casse, who is based in Canada, has mostly been noted for his work with turf horses like Breeders’ Cup Mile winners World Approval and Tepin. Classic Empire was second for Casse in the 2017 Preakness, but War of Will was able to earn him his first Triple Crown victory. Casse was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2016 and is a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame finalist for 2019.
