2013 Blue Grass Stakes Winner
May 4 - Java's War
I hope you had a good Kentucky Derby day but the festivities should not be the cause to miss this boy's birthday. Java's War winning the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland.
Ok, back to the easel; kind of busy getting ready for Old Friends tomorrow with a painting of the photo-finish of Mystik Dan et. All. I come out, have some fun, and see some of the old, retired heroes from the track.
Java's War was a deep closing colt who delivered one of the most exciting finishes of the 2013 Kentucky Derby trail. He was foaled in 2010 and trained by Kenny McPeek for owner Charles Fipke. His sire was War Pass, the unbeaten 2007 champion two year old colt who had a tragically short stallion career, and his dam was Java, a British bred daughter of the great European champion Rainbow Quest. Java's War carried a fashionable pedigree built for class and stamina.
Java's War had a quiet start to his racing career, but he came alive in the spring of 2013 when his connections pointed him at the Triple Crown trail. The signature win came in the 2013 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. With jockey Julien Leparoux in the saddle, Java's War dropped far back early, then unleashed a wide sweeping move down the stretch. He charged past Palace Malice in the final yards and won the Grade 1 race by a neck. The win made him the first Grade 1 winner sired by War Pass, a fitting legacy for the lost stallion.
He went into the 2013 Kentucky Derby as a serious contender after that big closing kick at Keeneland. The race was won by Orb in the slop at Churchill Downs, with Java's War running fourth in a respectable effort. He came back to try the Belmont Stakes at the mile and a half distance and finished sixth behind Palace Malice, who turned the tables in that one.
After his three year old season, Java's War was moved to trainer Barclay Tagg's barn for the rest of his career. He never quite recaptured the magic of his Blue Grass charge, but he stayed competitive in stakes company. He retired and went to stud at Colebrook Farm in Canada, standing as a regional sire. Java's War is remembered as the gritty closer who came from far back to win one of the great Blue Grass Stakes of the modern era.
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