Three in a row for War Eternal
Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm completed a feature Queensland Winter Carnival treble for War Eternal (NZ) (Pierro), who is racing in the form of his life as a rising eight-year-old.
Previously a multiple Group placegetter and fourth in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old, the New Zealand-bred son of Pierro broke through for his first stakes success in the Listed Bernborough Handicap (1600m) at Doomben on May 16. He followed that up with the Listed Spear Chief Handicap (1500m) at Eagle Farm last weekend, where he looked beaten by Sun God in the straight but got up off the canvas to win in a head-bobbing finish.
Seven days on from that success, War Eternal stepped out on to Eagle Farm again on Saturday and delivered a replica of that performance.
Again he was in front soon after the home turn, and again he looked beaten in the straight – this time by the $2.60 favourite Yellow Jersey (Dubawi), who finished powerfully down his outside and clearly headed him with 200m to run. But again War Eternal looked his rival in the eye and summoned another big effort for jockey Rachel King, clawing his way back to win by a neck.
“He’s tough, isn’t he? I think he likes it,” King said. “He gives them a little bit of a false sense of security in that he lets them get past him and he just comes back.
“He’s very tough. On the backup, I knew I was on a fit horse and he was comfortable on the track today.”
War Eternal is trained by Bjorn Baker, who was represented at Eagle Farm on Saturday by Jim Clarke.
“He’s been one of the finds of the carnival,” Clarke said. “Three stakes wins in a row, at a ripe old age. And he’s amazing that, for a horse of his age, he has that much in him to the line.
“Like the other day, he got headed and fought back. He’s tough, tenacious and he’s got a lot of heart.”
Bred by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay, War Eternal was purchased by Baker out their 2020 Karaka Book 1 draft for $160,000. He has now had 40 starts for eight wins, eight placings and A$1.12 million in stakes.
Out of the Fastnet Rock mare Aleria, he comes from an extended family that includes multiple stakes winner Impressive Eagle (Rubiton) and the 2016 Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Eagle Way (More Than Ready) who went on to success in Hong Kong where his victories included the Gr.2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m).
