Searching for his breakthrough moment at the graded level, War Court meets four foes in Saturday’s $175,000 Durham Cup (G3), a 1 1/16-mile main track test for 3-year-olds and up.
Trained by Ron Sadler, War Court and his honest, no-quit nature made an immediate impression on the veteran conditioner after joining forces more than a year ago.
“He’s a very genuine horse. He’s a marvelous animal. We really like him,” said Sadler, who captured the Bold Venture (G3) with Souped Up on Aug. 15 at Woodbine. “He pretends he’s grumpy, but he’s not. He’s a very nice horse. He tries every jump of the way. He’s not a speed demon, but he will certainly finish and run very well every time he’s given a chance.”
An eight-year-old son of Declaration of War out of the Bernardini mare Kindersley, War Court last appeared in the Seagram Cup Stakes (G3) on Aug. 1 at Woodbine, delivering a fifth-place effort.
The homebred of Chiefswood Stables, who won 2025 Sovereign Awards as Canada’s Outstanding Breeder and Outstanding Owner, made his season debut on June 20, also at Woodbine, finishing seventh in a 7 ½-furlong allowance test on the inner turf.
It’s been a gauntlet of graded stakes winners for War Court, who has lined up against Paramount Prince, Runaway Again and Ice Chocolat (BRZ), among several other talented rivals, across his two starts this year.
“We’ve been facing bears, and it’s been very difficult, but he does try,” said Sadler. “The problem I’ve had is not being able to have much of a prep race for these. It’s very difficult finding a race for a horse like this, and then when you do find the race, it’s very tough. So, we’ve been fighting that.”
The chestnut came firing out of the gate last season, picking up a pair of wins and a third through three starts after not competing in 2024.
For Sadler, who first sent War Court out on July 6, 2025, the fast start to their tenure was a proud sight.
“It was absolutely wonderful,” he said. “Things fell into place last year, race-wise. We gave him a 7/8ths [seven furlongs] first off just because he’d been off a year, year and a half. We gave him a 7/8ths knowing it would be too short for him, and he delivered a dynamite race to finish third. And then he came back at his proper distance and condition and did very, very well for us.
“Now, his conditions are a little tougher, and so is the company. But he’s doing very well.”
War Court’s pair of 2025 victories came at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, the same distance and surface as the Durham Cup, which he contested once before, posting a fifth in the 2023 running.
Over 16 starts, War Court has finished inside the top three nine times, crafting a 5-1-3 mark, to go along with $188,989 in purse earnings.
As the seasoned gelding returns for another shot at the Durham Cup, so too does Sadler, who came up a head short of Dresden Row with Ron’s Gizmo in the 2024 installment.
“We’d like to see a very strong performance from him,” said Sadler of War Court. “Obviously, we’d like to win, so we’ll see if he’ll cooperate.”
Keveh Nicholls gets the call. Teon Walker is the groom.
Recent works: War Court breezed five furlongs in 1:01.00 over the main track on September 4. One week later, he covered five furlongs in 1:00.20 over the same surface.
“We generally don’t ask for fast works, but we let him work a little bit better this time, 1:01 and a minute just to have him a little more ready for these races,” said Sadler. “He gallops out as well as he works, so we’re very happy with that.”
Fast facts: Inferno won the inaugural running in 1906 and also took the 1908 edition. Basqueian won the race on three occasions, from 1994-96. Dual Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield has won the race a record six times.
Wagering menu for the Durham Cup: Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / .20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11) / $1 Swinger.
Field for the Durham Cup (G3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – William T (S) – Fraser Aebly – Don MacRae
2 – Friendly Ghost (S) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Evette Chartrand-Hoek
3 – Maycocks Bay – Pietro Moran – Michael Stidham
4 – Sedburys Ghost – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Barb Minshall
5 – War Court – Keveh Nicholls – Ron Sadler
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