WarriorÕs Reward fought hard to make the second start of his 4-year-old campaign a winning one when he inched out a nose victory over Musket Man in the April 3 Carter Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct.

It was the first stakes score for the son of hot sire Medaglia dÕOro. WarriorÕs Reward, who placed in three graded stakes last year, now holds a record of 4-4-1 from 12 starts, for earnings of $418,442.

Trained by Ian Wilkes, WarriorÕs Reward is owned by A. Stevens Miles Jr., who is no stranger to graded stakes success. In addition to WarriorÕs Reward, the former chairman of the Louisville-based First Kentucky National Corp., which National City Corp. acquired in 1988, campaigned grade II winners Lead Story and Westerly Breeze.

Miles bought WarriorÕs Reward for $180,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale from Burleson Farms, agent.

The bay colt was bred by the Jayeff B Stables of Richard Santulli and George Prussin, which alone or in partnership has bred other such grade/group I-winning standouts as Ciro, Johannesburg, Mutafaweq, Chief Contender, and Racey Dreamer.

Jayeff B Stables raced For All You Do (by Seeking the Gold), the dam of WarriorÕs Reward, in just one start, after which she was retired to become a broodmare for the operation. Salina Cookie (by Seattle Dancer), the dam of For All You Do, is a half sister to champion producer Leap Lively (by Nijinsky II) and stakes-winning Whata Belle (by Honest Pleasure), who is the great-granddam of Venezuelan champion Taconeo (by Water Poet).

WarriorÕs Reward is the third foal and second winner out of For All You Do, who delivered a full brother to the Carter winner Feb. 26. That foal was bred in Kentucky by SantulliÕs Colts Neck Stables. Kept at the Hancock familyÕs Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., she is in foal to Medaglia dÕOro on a March 20 cover.

Medaglia dÕOro is the sire of 17 stakes winners. Among his five stakes winners of 2010 is other grade I victor GabbyÕs Golden Gal. Medaglia dÕOro stands for $100,000 at Darley near Lexington.ÑE.M.