WAR FRONT SON a timely purchase for Kooringal

Brothers Angus and Richard Lamont are certainly on the same page when it comes to praising their new Kooringal Stud stallion for 2015, talented sprinter The Brothers War (USA), a son of Danzig supersire War Front.  The attractive bay, who was in the first three in 10 of his 13 starts will stand at our Wagga Wagga property for $11,000 (including GST).

Angus and Richard are delighted to have secured The Brothers War whose dam is the Sadler's Wells Gr.2 winner Moon Queen and second dam is Woodbine International Gr.1 winner Infamy, a daughter of Derby winner Shirley Hieghts.  His sire War Front (Danzig - Starry Dreamer by Rubiano) is already a name known to Australian breeders as his high-profile sons Declaration of War (USA) (Coolmore) and The Factor (Newgate) covered their first southern books in 2014.

At the recent Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale at Newmarket a War Front colt topped the auction, making 850,000 guineas to a bid by Coolmore and partners, although his price could not match the 2014 sale topper, another War Front colt who made a European record 1,150,000 guineas.  The 2015 War Front sale topper was a $US400,000 Keeneland September yeasrling and is a half-brother to Gr.1 winner Mani Bhavan.  It's hardly suprprising that Coolmore signed the docket on this colt as they raced Declaration of War (dam by Rahy) to Gr.1 success in the International Stakes Gr.1 at York and the Queen Anne Stakes Gr.1 at Royal Ascot and also campaigned the Dewhurst Stakes Gr.1 winner War Command (Red Ransom).

Newgate's shuttler The Factor (Miswaki) was a multiple Gr.1 winner in the US, while War Front's other high profile runners include Jack Milton (Forty Niner), Summer Soiree (Mazel Trick), Data Link (Known Fact), Peace and War (Smart Strike), and HK Gr.1 winner Warning Flag/Sweet Orange (Unbridled's Song).  To late April, War Front had sired 182 winners (68.9% of starters) of close to $30m and his 34 stakes winners represented a high 12.9% of starters.  His runners have a winning distance of 1434m.

War Front retired to the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky in 2007 on a fee of $12,500 where his sire Danzig (Northern Dnacer - Pas de Nom by Admiral's Voyage), foaled in 1977, had stood throughout his long and illustrious career (also starting on a modest fee), retiring from active duty in 2004 (died 2006).  In fact there are parallels with another Danzig son in Danehill (USA), who retired to stud at Arrowfield in 1990 on a fee of $37,500 (his fee at Coolmore topped $150,000 at one stage) after winning four of his nine starts including the Ladbroke Sprint Cup Gr.1 and went on to become a nine times Champion Australian Sire.

War Front, whose fee at Claiborne in 2015 is $US150,000, also won four races including three of his five starts at three, most notably the Listed Princelelet Stakes (8.5f) by eight lengths.  He also won an Allowance (6f) by six lengths at Saratoga, running the six furlongs in 1:09.68 and cruising home by 11.5 lengths.  His major win came at four when he took the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Breeders' Cup Handicap Gr.2 (6f) by 2.5 lengths in 1:10.21.

War Front also registered five seconds in his seven starts at four including in the Vosburgh Gr.1 (6f, to Henny Hughes), Forego Stakes Gr.1 (7f, to Silver Wagon) and the Tom Fool Handicap Gr.2 (7f, to Silver Train, beaten a neck and recording a high Beyer Speed Figure of 114).  He retired to Claiborne, where he was brn and raised for owner Joseph Allen, after Claiborne purchased the breeding rights in the horse while he was still racing.  An immediate success at stud, his fee had jumped to $US60,000 by 2012 after he had seven stakes winners and earners of $US2.7m in 2011 including Gr.1 winners The Factor and Summer Soiree.

War Front's dam, the stakes winner and Gr.1 runner-up Starry Dreamer (six wins), is a daughter of champion sprinter Rubiano (Fappiano - Ruby Slippers by Nijinksy) and her seven foals also include the Gr.2 winner Teamate (A. P. Indy).  Rubiano won 13 of 28 starts and $US1.2m and won an Eclipse Award in 1992 as Champion Sprinter in the US.  The dashing grey won three Gr.1 events, the NYRA Mile, Carter Handicap and Vosburgh and retired to Lane's End, Kentucky in 1993.  War Front's second dam, the winner Lara's Star, is a daughter of Argentinian champion Forli and from True Reality by Round Table.  This is family 4r with close family members including Gr.1 winners Sunshine Forever (US Champion Turf Horse 1988) and Brian's Time (leading sire in Japan), both by Roberto.

Bred by Joseph Allen in Kentucky, The Brothers War is from the talented Moon Queen (Sadler's Wells) whose four wins from 2000m to 2500m included the Longchamp Prix de Royallieu Gr.2 and The Very One Handicap Gr.3 at Gulfstream.  Seven of her eight foals raced and all won, the others including US Gr.3 winner Beauty Parlour (Elusive Quality) and stakes placed Sound of Summer (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Brooklyn Boy (Gone West).  Her sire Sadler's Wells (Northern Dancer - Fairy Bridge (GB) by Bold Reason) is one of the great names in world breeding and was 14 times champion sire in GB/Ireland and has left such sire greats as Galileo, High Chaparral, Montjeu and El Prado.  He is a brother to Fairy King (sire of Encosta de Lago) and a three-quarter brother to Perugino (sire of Testa Rossa) and Nureyev.

Moon Queen's dam Infamy (Shirley Heights - Seriema by Petingo) won seven races from 2000m to 2400m including the Rothmans International Gr.1 at Woodbine and the Sun Chariot Stakes Gr.2 at Newmarket and she is by the English and Irish Derby winner Shirley Heights, a son of champion Mill Reef (Never Bend).  Her 11 winners include Gr.2 winner Innuendo (Caerleon), dam of Gr.2 winner Criticism (Machiavellian); Champion Itialian Two Year-Old Filly Barafamy (Barathea) and Listed winner Rostropovich (Sadler's Wells), also fourth in the Irish St Leger Gr.1.

This is the family (9e) of High Hawk (dam of In The Wings) and, more remotely, Dubawi.  The Brothers War's sixth dam Etoile de France (Arctic Star - Miss France by Jock), dam of the Premio Roma Gr.1 winner Irvine (Sea Hawk), is a sister to the Irish Derby winner Fidalgo and half-sister to Irish Derby winner Talgo (Krakatoa).

The Brothers War was in the money in all four starts at two in strong company, winning over 1200m at Deauville on debut.  He was beated half a length when second behind Gr.3 winner Gengis at Longchamp (1400m) before scooting along to win over 1100m at Chantilly for trainer Jean-Claude Roget, after showing very good speed.  He was then third in a 1000m Listed event at Longchamp behind Disco Dasko.

He resumed early in 2013 when beaten a neck into second over 1300m and was third in a Listed event over a similar distance at Chantilly behind the French 2000 Guineas Gr.1 winner Style Vendome before breaking through for his first stakes win over 1200m at Chantilly in the Listed Prix Sigy, before heading to the Jersey Stakes Gr.3 at the Royal Ascot meeting, finishing mid-field of 21 over 1400m and prompting Timeform to label him a "useful performer" and suggest that he "failed to stay and would prove best at 5f-6f" in giving him an annual rating of 109.

The Brothers War continued his career in the US for new trainer Richard Mettee, and in just four starts placed third and second for owners Team Valor International and the Allen Stable.  He did not appear again after an unplaced run in a Gr.2 event at Woodbine in August 2014, retiring with three wins, three seconds and four thirds in 13 starts.

The Brothers War has the speed and pedigree to make his mark at the Lamont family's very successful stud and looks particularly suited to mares from the Danehill line and those carrying the blood of Mr. Prospector and Star Kingdom.  Breeders also have a very good option of tapping into other sires from the family of Sadler's Wells (broodmare sire to The Brothers War), as inbreeding to this family (Rough Shod) has been particularly fuitful.

Kooringal has a great reputation for producing winners, and principal Stuart Lamont has certainly built on the success of his father Colin, who purchased his first three broodmares in 1953 and stood his first stallion, Kerry Piper (GB) in 1956, although Kooringal has been in the Lamont family since 1910.

There have been many good stallions at the 1214ha property since Kerry Piper, including the George Ryder Stakes Gr.1 winner Bureaucracy, and Stuart and Penny Lamont's sons Angus (stud manager) and Richie (assistant manager) are continuing the family tradition.  With The Brothers War joining the roster of Shrapnel, Alert (ARG), Krupt and Zariz, many more winners are sure to follow.  The Brothers War is at $11,000 and a limited number of lifetime nominations are available.