War of Will wins Preakness Stakes

May 18 (UPI) -- War of Will, the victim in the Kentucky Derby, was the hero of Saturday's Preakness Stakes, winning the second jewel of the Triple Crown with a rail-skimming move in the stretch run.

Long shot Everfast was along for second in the $1.5 million, Grade I event at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and Owendale was third. War of Will, with Tyler Gaffalione riding, finished the 1 3/16 miles on a fast track in 1:54.34.

War of Will, a War Front colt, was making a similar move in the Kentucky Derby when Maximum Security shifted out, directly in front of him. Gaffalione was forced to check sharply and finished eighth. He was promoted to seventh when Maximum Security was disqualified for the infraction.

In the Preakness, War of Will raced in fourth position until the field was leaving the stretch turn. With the rail open, Gaffalione urged his colt through and he ran on to a comfortable 1 1/4-length victory.

"I didn't want to look back and see if anyone was coming," Gaffalione said.

Winning trainer Mark Casse said running War of Will back in the Preakness "wasn't about revenge. It was just about showing how good he is ... We felt he didn't get a fair shot (in the Derby). That's all we wanted -- a fair shot."

The hard-luck story of the Preakness was Bodexpress, another who was bothered by Maximum Security's violation at Churchill Downs. In the Preakness, Bodexpress reared at the start and tossed jockey John Velazquez to the track.

Velazquez was not injured, but Bodexpress took two turns around the track before outriders were able to track him down.

Asked if War of Will might go on to the third jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, in three weeks' time, Casse said, "We'll see. I would think so." His owner, Gary Barber, was in France and did not attend the race.

If War of Will does contest the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, he could face off again with Maximum Security. That colt's owners, while suing to overturn the Derby disqualification, decided not to run in the Preakness but have not ruled out the Belmont.

War of Will started his career on the turn and only switched to the dirt after finishing fifth in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs. He promptly reeled off three straight wins before finishing ninth in the Louisiana Derby.

The turf experience was prompted by the colt's breeding. His dam, Visions of Clarity, was bred in Ireland and is by the noted European sire Sadler's Wells.