War Like Me

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Erin Sanderson
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War Like Me

Post by Erin Sanderson »

Now that I'm never, ever going to jinx his racing career by posting one of these, I figured I'd put one up for what is literally my favorite SIM horse of all time (at least, to this point, and it's going to be very tough to supplant him).

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WAR LIKE ME
Y56 Islands Champion Three Year Old Male and Islands Horse of the Year
16.3hh b. h. Farseer - Lady So Divine, by You Are I Am
Record: 22 Starts; 17 Wins, 2 Place, 0 Show Earnings: $3,012,500

WON

Y57 Steward's Cup Marathon - G1 (2m, by 5 1/4 lengths, defeating Creator of Worlds, Risen Today, Surrender, Clark Kent, Hyperion, Priceless, Lionheart, Aloft, etc.) - 2nd fastest SC Marathon of all time!
Y58 Scott Eiland Memorial Desert Marathon - G1 (2m, by a neck, defeating Risen Today, Silence Suzuka, Nokk, Japanese Majesty, Creator of Worlds, etc.) - 2nd fastest Desert Marathon of all time!
Y58 Oceanside Classic - G1 (1 1/4m, by a neck, defeating Nokk, Crayon, Karazhan, Best Revenge, Owlpha Romeo, etc.)
Y56 Panama International - G1 (1 1/4m, by a neck, defeating The Way of Kings, Cybertruck, etc.)
Y56 Prince of Peace Stakes - G1 (1 3/16m, by 1 1/4 lengths, defeating Gone Storming, Kaiser Reinhard, Castle Bravo, etc.)
Y58 Gallant Socks Handicap - G2 (1 1/2m, by 1/2 length, defeating Springsteen, Bama Rags, etc.)
Y57 Prefamageps Stakes - G2 (2m, by a neck, defeating Creator of Worlds, Clark Kent, etc.)
Y57 Movie Marathon Stakes - G2 (1 1/2m, by a 1/2 length, defeating Johan Thorn, When You're Waking, The Good Shepherd, etc.)
Y57 Ever the Same Stakes - G2 (1 1/2m, by 2 3/4 lengths, defeating Creator of Worlds, Brexit Canada, Priceless, Deadly Nightshade, etc.)
Y56 Late Crown - G2 (1 1/2m, by a nose, defeating Robin Hood, Never Says Much, etc.)
Y55 Christmas Cup - G2 (1 1/16m, by 1 1/2 lengths, defeating Chaos in the Flesh, Stateside, etc.)
Y58 Fighting With Wit Stakes - G3 (1 1/2m, by 1 3/4 lengths, defeating Allsvinn, Aloft, Long Way, etc.)
Y58 In Excelsis Stakes - G3 (1 1/4m, by 1 1/4 lengths, defeating Blew By You, Not My Ash, Brexit Canada, etc.)
Y57 Deals With the Devil Stakes - G3 (1 1/2m, by 1 1/4 lengths, defeating Infatuate, Deadly Nightshade, Dalinar, Deal Breaker, etc.)
Y56 Sun Devil Derby - G3 (1 1/8m, by 2 lengths, defeating Chaos Peri, Thundering Noc)

SECOND

Y56 Mexican Derby - G2 (1 1/8m, to Smart and Final, defeating Ghost for Life, etc.)
Y55 Buckingham Stakes - G3 (1 1/16m, to Priceless, defeating Iron Constitution, etc.)

This guy is the best foal from my fantastic mare Lady So Divine, and another representative of the Sway family. I've never wanted a SIM horse to be real as much as I do my "Sammy". I truly believe that he is the best I've ever owned, and I've had some great ones, including Sammy's "cousin" who took home the Classic this year. I made some mistakes with his racing career. I will always wonder what could have happened if I had seen Crayon scratched from the Long Island Gold Cup and run him there instead of the Fighting With Wit prior to the Steward's Cup Classic. He still gave a very good account of himself in his final start and finished well ahead of many exceptional horses.

As a late blooming stakes, I didn't expect particularly great things from him at two and three, but he was a champion and multiple grade one winner in his sophomore season and racked up five graded stakes victories in his first two seasons on the track. At four, I discovered he was a dominant marathoner, and he capped the season with a massive victory in the Steward's Cup Marathon (the 2nd fastest ever, just a shade behind The King), made more remarkable by the fact that this horse allegedly hated the mud.

The Steward very much wanted me to retire him to stud after that win, but I have always wanted a win in the Desert Marathon. His return at five was primarily to take another shot at that. He wouldn't run another true marathon again, as I discovered his brilliance would also translate to 1 1/4 miles when he stormed to a speed figure of 99 in the In Excelsis, again in the mud. The true test came in the Oceanside Classic, where he faced a stacked field that, despite its smaller size, could have easily been a Steward's Cup race. After getting off to a rough start, he aced that test, too, defeating some incredibly good horses in the process. The field included two Steward's Cup winners (one of those also won the Dubai World Cup), a Derby/Saudi Cup winner, and two other multimillionaires.

I wanted his next start to be a light one, not facing any other monsters. And that was where I fell flat on my face. The only option not at 2 miles that didn't attract at least one other fantastic horse was the Fighting With Wit at 1 1/2 miles. I wanted the Long Island Gold Cup, but at the time, Crayon was entered and I didn't want to tangle with him two weeks before the Steward's Cup. I would have felt all right pitting him against the rest of the field. Ultimately, that horse was a late scratch from the race and I didn't see it until it was too late. C'est la vie, right?

Now that he's a stallion, the nicks rolling in from all kinds of mares are off the charts. He's been in lockstep with Dave Matthews Band with most (not quite all) of my mares and I truly can't wait until Festivus is here to see what his first crop of foals is like. Maybe one day I'll have a foal that can take his revenge on the Steward's Cup Classic for me and bring home a third Classic win for this family.
First Faith Thoroughbreds

Home of stallions War Like Me, Can't Take the Sky, Browncoat, Forte, Prodigal Son, and more!
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Erin Sanderson
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Re: War Like Me

Post by Erin Sanderson »

Five freaks and 13 stakes in his first crop (with tons of late bloomers). The sky's the limit for this guy as a stallion. This beauty is one that I have been dreaming of since both of her parents were two year olds. I might have cried if she wasn't, but she is a late blooming freak.
First Faith Thoroughbreds

Home of stallions War Like Me, Can't Take the Sky, Browncoat, Forte, Prodigal Son, and more!
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Carole Hanson
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Re: War Like Me

Post by Carole Hanson »

He is uber impressive! So rare to see a stallion with more freaks than claimers!

I think his fee deserves to be higher 👀
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The Steward
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Re: War Like Me

Post by The Steward »

Carole Hanson wrote: 2 years ago He is uber impressive! So rare to see a stallion with more freaks than claimers!

I think his fee deserves to be higher 👀
That's what *I* keep saying!
"There's no secret to training a good horse. It's a matter of being fortunate enough to get one."
"Funny how you often regret the stuff you didn't do more than the stuff you did do" - GG
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Erin Sanderson
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Re: War Like Me

Post by Erin Sanderson »

Oh, it will very likely happen next year. But I like to set a fee at the beginning of the year and stick to it, rather than have it bouncing around. More fair that way ;)
First Faith Thoroughbreds

Home of stallions War Like Me, Can't Take the Sky, Browncoat, Forte, Prodigal Son, and more!
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Carole Hanson
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Re: War Like Me

Post by Carole Hanson »

Erin Sanderson wrote: 2 years ago Oh, it will very likely happen next year. But I like to set a fee at the beginning of the year and stick to it, rather than have it bouncing around. More fair that way ;)
I definitely agree with that philosophy and I like to stick with it too!
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Erin Sanderson
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Re: War Like Me

Post by Erin Sanderson »

Sammy's kids are going to be competing for "favorite SIM horse ever" title, I think. I dreamed of Steal the Sun from the time her parents were just two year olds (ask Ms. Steward, I was talking about this breeding FOREVER). Now two of the most consistent and talented horses I've ever had, both from multiple generations of my own horses, have a teeny little freak filly that I am over the moon about. She'll probably get her own thread here one day. Click through her female family and you will find she is a SIXTH generation homebred, and from someone with a fairly young dirt router string (at least, those with any kind of consistency), that is saying something.

Atlas Falls is bred VERY similarly. Hey, I found a thing that worked and kept rolling with it with this female family. He is from the same dam line, but one generation closer to its foundation mare. Four of the very best horses I've ever had show up prominently in both pedigrees.

Both of these super special babies go back to my very first SC winner, Tempest, through her best daughter by my second SC winner Through the Ghost. There was a time not too long ago, just before Day Will Break came along, that I was afraid that this female family was going to die entirely. And it is suddenly flourishing, the newest generation headed by these two yearlings sired by a representative of my OTHER big female family. Yes, I'm gushing over them. No, I'm not sorry.

I have two more exceptional fillies from his first crop that I'm thoroughly convinced will mature to freak level, and they're also significant in terms of their pedigree history. The first is a half sister to Castles Crumble. I was certain that she would be Sassenach's last foal. As it is, she has one more half sibling this year and will have at least another next season! The second is a half sister to Can't Take the Sky. Both are late blooming stakes babies with bright futures. Both are out of granddaughters of my very first DR grade one winner.
First Faith Thoroughbreds

Home of stallions War Like Me, Can't Take the Sky, Browncoat, Forte, Prodigal Son, and more!
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