War Painter will look to add another stakes success to her consistent career when she lines up in the $150,000 Silver Creek Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday, with the veteran mare taking on seven rivals over 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
The Kevin Attard-trained runner has already secured stakes victories at Woodbine in the Victorian Queen Stakes in 2023 and the Ashbridges Bay Stakes in 2024. Both performances underlined the qualities that have made her a dependable presence throughout her career.
War Painter Returns to Favoured Distance
War Painter has raced 24 times, recording five wins, six seconds and five thirds while earning more than $393,000 in purse money. Her consistency has remained a defining feature, including through two demanding assignments in the Ontario Matron (G3) and Canadian Stakes (G2T).
She finished third in the Ontario Matron on September 12 after placing sixth in the Canadian on August 15. The Canadian was contested over 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf, while the Ontario Matron brought her back to the main track at the same distance.
Attard believes the return to the surface and distance she prefers can bring out another strong performance.
“She’s hooked some tough ones in her last two starts,” Attard said. “I thought her last race was a good effort. What we do know is that she loves this distance and loves to run on the synthetic.”
War Painter, bred by Charles Fipke, is a 5-year-old daughter of Danish Dynaformer out of the Tale of Ekati mare Morning Tale. She will have Fraser Aebly aboard in the Silver Creek.
Attard expects the mare to be most effective if she can settle just behind the early pace before producing her finishing run.
“I think she is at her best when she can sit just off the pace and then use that nice turn of foot to come running late,” Attard said. “She definitely has that ability, and hopefully we get to see that on Saturday.”
War Painter also carries an interesting piece of racing history. She is the first stakes winner sired by Danish Dynaformer and was named in honour of Mary Hamilton, Canada’s first battlefield artist. Hamilton left her career to travel independently to the battlefields of the First World War, where she documented the destruction and human cost of the conflict through her artwork.
Jamar Bishop is the groom.
The Silver Creek is the third of four new $150,000 stakes races introduced this season for Ontario-bred fillies and mares aged four and older. The series began with the Zadracarta Stakes on August 29 as part of the Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program.
War Painter has also completed her final preparation for Saturday’s assignment. She worked four furlongs over the main track in 48.60 seconds on October 3.
“She had a nice, uncomplicated work on Saturday, just what we were looking for,” Attard said. “She’s fit and she’s doing well. Hopefully, it all adds up to a big effort this weekend.”
The Silver Creek field will see Crystal Visions start from post one with Keveh Nicholls riding for Stuart Simon. Speedy Freeze will break from post two with Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard for Ron Sadler, while Fortyfiveseventy will occupy post three with Daisuke Fukumoto riding for Barb Minshall.
Hurricane Clair will start from post four with Pietro Moran for Mike Wright Jr., followed by Ella It Is in post five with Sahin Civaci aboard for Mark Casse. War Painter will leave from post six with Aebly riding for Attard. Olivia Rose will start from post seven with Romero Ramsay Maragh aboard for Mark Casse, while Dazzling Move completes the field from post eight with Jose Campos riding for Carlos David.
With a proven record at Woodbine, a return to her preferred distance and a recent work that pleased her connections, War Painter enters the Silver Creek with plenty of reasons for optimism as she bids for a third stakes victory.
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