Horses to Watch: Fighting Force, War Stopper impress for Pletcher
In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson will share promising horses from his handicapping watch list, review runners who have recently caught his eye and preview horses scheduled to run back in the near future.
New to the Watch List
The third time was the charm for Fighting Force, a Todd Pletcher-trained juvenile who delivered an eye-catching maiden victory at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.
A son of Air Force Blue out of a Smart Strike mare, Fighting Force flashed potential in his first two starts. In his debut sprinting six furlongs on turf at Belmont Park, he rallied to finish second by less than a length against next-out Futurity (G3) winner Second of July. Then in a 1 1/16-mile off-the-turf maiden event at Keeneland, Fighting Force ran evenly to finish third.
Switching back to grass for a one-mile maiden race at Gulfstream proved to be the recipe for success. Guided by Luis Saez, Fighting Force tracked solid splits of :23.46, :47.52, and 1:11.13, then turned on the afterburners to dash the final quarter-mile in about :23 2/5 and dominate by 2 1/2 lengths.
Fighting Force stopped the timer in 1:34.55 and looks like a capable young turf star in the making. Don’t be surprised if he turns up in a race like the Jan. 2 Dania Beach Stakes or the Jan. 30 Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream.
War Stopper
Granted, War Stopper’s record is not overly flashy at first glance. The 3-year-old colt has been defeated in four of his six starts, including when 10th in the Gotham (G3) last winter.
But dig a little deeper, and War Stopper’s form becomes more intriguing. A stoutly-bred son of Declaration of War out of a Curlin mare, War Stopper is bred to improve with maturity and went 0-for-3 as a juvenile, failing to show much speed while running long on both dirt and turf.
However, War Stopper took a big step forward when adding blinkers for his 3-year-old debut. Showing dramatically improved tactical speed in a one-mile maiden race Jan. 11 at Aqueduct, War Stopper carved out splits of :23.10 and :46.63 before pulling clear to win by four lengths, earning a 93 Beyer speed figure.
War Stopper faded badly after setting the pace March 7 in the Gotham, but it’s possibly something went awry, because he subsequently disappeared from the work tab and didn’t return to serious training until late September. Transferred from trainer Rudy Rodriguez to Pletcher, War Stopper fired off a series of encouraging workouts at Palm Beach Downs to prepare for a one-mile allowance race on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park.
Sent off at 5-2 in his first start off a nine-month layoff, War Stopper showed no signs of rust with jockey Irad Ortiz in the saddle. After vying for the lead through fractions of :23.37, :45.91, and 1:10.18, War Stopper kicked clear readily when called upon to win by three lengths, earning a 91 Beyer.
It remains to be seen how much War Stopper will improve over the winter, but his pedigree suggests he’ll be formidable when stretching back out around two turns. I’m optimistic we haven’t seen the best War Stopper has to offer yet, and a jump into stakes company figures to be on the horizon.
Which horses do you have your eyes on this week?