NEWS: BREEDING

War Dancer sires 1-2 in Spa maiden for first winner

Friday, September 4th, 2020

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions’ War Dancer registered his first winner in a big way Friday on the Saratoga Showcase Day card at Saratoga Race Course when New York-bred Step Dancer led home the exacta for his sire in the fourth race.

Breaking from the rail in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, Step Dancer was happy to settle near last as Bustin Bieber set the pace a few lengths in front of the field.  Step Dancer still had work to do into the stretch with all but one other runner left to pass if he had any hopes of winning. Swung to the outside by Dylan Davis, the Barclay Tagg-trained colt was piloted to the middle of the track and set to the task of chasing down the leading Pivotal Run.

Step Dancer blew past Pivotal Run, also a son of War Dancer, in the final sixteenth and kept on going to win by 3 ½ lengths. Pivotal Run held second, a length in front of Arrowheart.

Bred by Sugar Plum Farm and Richard Pressman, Step Dancer races for Haywood Pressman and Diamond M Stables.

He is the first foal out of the winning English Channel mare Just Be Steppin, whose dam is a half-sister to Group 1-placed stakes producing mare Khassah and two other stakes runners with Just Be Steppin a great-granddaughter of Grade 1 winner Castilla.

The winner of the Grade 2 Virginia Derby at three and the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap at four with another stakes win at six and a second to Twilight Eclipse in the Grade 1 Man o’ War Stakes, War Dancer is the only son of War Front standing in New York.

The stallion has proved to be popular with more than 250 mares bred in his first three books, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares bred.

 

 

Leave a Reply