Preakness Stakes winner War of Will is relocating to New York’s Rockridge Stud for 2026 after beginning his career at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, another major addition for the Empire State as it looks ahead to new developments.
War of Will, by War Front, was a dual-surface Grade 1 winner, taking the 2019 Preakness and the 2020 Maker’s Mark Mile. He placed in three other Grade 1 races and earned more than $1.8 million. From his first two crops of racing age, he is the sire of graded stakes winners Will Then and Final Accord.
“I am very much looking forward to supporting War of Will in the lucrative New York breeding program,” owner Gary Barber said in a release. “With the new Belmont facility coming online with three surfaces, I know War of Will can provide many opportunities for my mares and stable to become a large part of the New York program.”
Claiborne Farm will continue to be a shareholder in the stallion’s new syndicate, and Rockridge president Lere Visagie said he is “thrilled to have Claiborne dipping a toe into the New York market.”
The rebuilt Belmont Park, featuring dirt, turf, and synthetic racing surfaces, is expected to open in fall 2026. In another major development for the program in 2026, New York-bred juveniles will run for purse parity with open maiden races on the New York Racing Association circuit, with equal purses for other divisions to follow.
As a result, War of Will and other incoming stallions are arriving in a region that seems to be on the upswing. This August’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale smashed records across the board, and breeding activity in the state has been strong. After dropping from 1,036 mares bred in 2020 to 955 in 2021 – the year following the onset of the COVID pandemic, when many smaller breeders suffered – the number of mares bred in New York has generally increased, according to statistics from The Jockey Club, a trend in contrast to the national figures and many states. The figure climbed to 996 in 2022, 1,099 in 2023, and 1,185 in 2024, before checking in at 1,122 for 2025, with some reports still expected.
New York stallion Bucchero covered a strong book of 192 mares for 2025, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, breaking into the national top 20, a rarity for a non-Kentucky stallion. Bucchero was the only stallion outside of Kentucky even in the top 50. The next is Ocala Stud’s Win Win Win, who covered 137 mares.
Showing additional enthusiasm for New York stallions, Americanrevolution covered 113 mares in 2025, Honest Mischief 101, and Central Banker 94, all strong regional figures.
Joining War of Will, who moves from out of state, as newcomers in New York announced thus far are two multiple graded stakes winners retiring for 2026 – Newgrange at Sequel Stallions, and Arzak, by juggernaut Not This Time, at Amsterdam Two Farm.
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