War Pass (April 17, 2005 – December 24, 2010) was an American

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and winner of the 2007

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...

. Owned by Robert V. LaPenta and bred by Cherry Valley Farm, he was out of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Vue, a daughter of the influential Champion sire Mr. Prospector. He was sired by the 1994

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

winner,

Cherokee Run Cherokee Run (March 15, 1990 – July 2, 2016) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background He was bred by George Onett of Stone Gate Farm. Founder of Ocala Breeder Sales Company and first chairman of the board. sired by 1982 ...

, a descendant of the very important sire

Nearco Nearco (January 24, 1935 – June 27, 1957) was an Italian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by ''Thoroughbred Heritage'' as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He ...

Race career

- 2007 season-

Trained by

Nick Zito Nicholas Philip Zito (born February 6, 1948, in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. His first top ...

, War Pass both broke his maiden and won a first level

allowance race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargo ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

in August and September. On October 3, 2007, he won the G1 Champagne Stakes at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

, which as a part of the

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Y ...

earned him an automatic berth in the

. On October 27, 2007, War Pass was the post time favorite and won the G1

by 4¾ lengths over a sloppy track at

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

. Undefeated in 2007, he was made a winterbook favorite for the 2008

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

- 2008 season-

Wintered at

Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center is an American stable and training facility for Thoroughbred racehorses located near Boynton Beach, Florida, just north of the Gulfstream Park racetrack. It is owned by Stronach Group Stronach Group, doi ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, War Pass started his three-year-old campaign in an allowance race. With no real competition in the race, the betting public made him the 1-20 favorite. War Pass broke to the lead and pulled away from the field with little effort under Cornelio Velasquez. His next start in the G3

Tampa Bay Derby The Tampa Bay Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three years old horses over the distance of miles on the dirt scheduled annually in March at Tampa Bay Downs racetrack in Oldsmar, Florida. The event currently carries a purse ...

started out in similar fashion, as he was again the overwhelming 1 to 20 favorite. However, he was bumped at the start and never got into the lead. Although he eventually made it up to third in the field of seven, he stopped badly and finished last, beaten 23 lengths. He apparently had a fever earlier in the week, and trainer

said that he also sustained some cuts due to the bumping he took at the beginning of the race. When he was shipped to New York's

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

for the April 5, 2008

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

, War Pass had a difficult trip and suffered a cut lip that required stitches. In the race, he took the lead early but tired in the homestretch and finished second after being caught in the final six strides by

Tale of Ekati Tale of Ekati (foaled March 31, 2005) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse. Background The brown colt's sire is Tale of the Cat by leading sire Storm Cat. His dam, Silence Beauty (half sister to the champion mare Sky Beauty out of Maplejinksy) ...

. Following the Wood Memorial, it was discovered he had a minor fracture in his left foreleg, and was officially out of the Kentucky Derby. Although he made a full recovery, vets concluded that it would be too dangerous to run him again. War Pass was retired to stud in September 2008.

Offspring

On November 16, 2007, it was announced that upon retirement the horse will stand at Lane's End Farm in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. The first reported foal for War Pass was a filly out of Throbbin' Heart (by Smoke Glacken) born on January 19, 2010, at Calumet Farm in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. She was later named Terri's Pass, and ran 40 times. Notable among his offspring are Java's War, who won the Grade I Toyota Bluegrass Stakes in 2013 http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Horse&refno=8880650®istry=T , Revolutionary, winner of the Louisiana Derby and two other graded stakes races, Galaxy Pegasus, Never Can Tell, Confrontation, and Bondeiger. War Pass's two best sons in North America, Revolutionary and Java's War, now stand stud duties at WinStar Farm and Colebrook Farm, respectively.

Race Record

Death

War Pass died on Christmas Eve in 2010 at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Kentucky. The five-year-old stallion had just arrived the evening before in good order from standing his second Southern Hemisphere season at Widden Stud in Australia. The morning of his death War Pass showed no signs of illness or injury. He was turned out in his paddock and died several hours later. Preliminary necropsy results are inconclusive.

References

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race ...

Past Performances {{reflist
January 21, 2008 NTRA article titled ''War Pass wins Eclipse for 2-Year-Old Male''
2005 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners Eclipse Award winners 2010 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 9-f