Rutgers University S.
(T 8.5f ,)
WAR MONGER
(B h,
119
lb) $60,000
War Chant —Carnival Delight , by
Half a Year
B—Peter Vegso Racing Stable,
FL.;
O—Peter Vegso;
T—William I. Mott
Pleasant Strike
(DK B/ h,
122
lb) $19,000
Smart Strike —Colonella , by
Pleasant Colony
B—Edward P. Evans,
VA.;
O—Edward P. Evans;
T—Todd A. Pletcher
Bujagali
(B g,
119
lb) $11,000
Johannesburg —River Melody , by
Riverman
B—Henri Mastey,
KY.;
O—Jeff Singer;
T—Kiaran P. McLaughlin
Margins: 1½, neck, ½. Others: Codeword (IRE) 119($4,000) , Chaluiwitcane 119($1,000) , French Vintage 122($1,000) , Longley 122($1,000) , Phil the Power 119($1,000) , Thundering On By 119($1,000) , Pays to Dream 122($1,000) . Winning Jockey, Kent J. Desormeaux.
War Monger kicked off the abbreviated Breeders’ Cup meet at Monmouth Park Oct. 24 by winning his first stakes, the 3-year-old colt taking the Rutgers University Stakes, one of 10 added-money events complementing the two-day World Championships.
Though he has started only six times, the son of War Chant has an interesting set of past performances, winning every other race for breeder/owner Peter Vegso and trainer Bill Mott.
The 7-5 favorite in the 11¼16-mile turf race, War Monger circled the field and drew off like much the best for his initial stakes victory, pushing his earnings to $155,976 in the process.
War Monger is out of the Half a Year mare Carnival Delight, who was bred in California by John and Betty Mabee. Carnival Delight won two races and ran second twice in minor stakes in California as a 3-year-old.
Carnival Delight is also the dam of Brickell, by Deputy Minister, who won six races and bankrolled $248,359.
Carnival Delight has a 2-year-old filly by Fusaichi Pegasus named Marvelous Mixture. She delivered a dead Smart Strike foal in 2006 and did not produce a foal this year.
There aren’t many current-day pedigrees with Prince John in the second dam, but the granddam of War Monger is the Prince John mare Carnival Princess. She is the dam of French champion Salse, by Topsider, as well as graded stakes turf performer Carnival Baby, by Northern Baby.
Vegso purchased Carnival Delight at the 2000 Keeneland November breeding stock sale for $400,000. She was consigned by Fitzgerald/Keogh, agents, in foal to Deputy Minister. It was the second straight year Carnival Delight was sold at the Keeneland November sale. In 1999, she was sold by Hopewell Farm, agent, and purchased by Horse France, in foal to Boston Harbor, for $290,000.
War Monger is one of 14 stakes winners by War Chant, whose seven stakes winners of 2007 also include graded winners El Roblar and Karen’s Caper, European group winners Asperity and Norman Invader, and Sea Chanter, winner of the Oct. 26 Epitome Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Monmouth. War Chant stands at Robert Clay’s Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky. His fee this year was $30,000.—D.M.L.