War Chant colt Chardsay produced a paralysing burst to break his maiden against older horses at Saratoga on Wednesday.  He charged home from last approaching the corner to win over 1800m on turf.

Chardsay (3c War Chant – Portlaoise by Conquistador Cielo) was impeded twice while closing at close quarters.  He shied from a right-handed whip 300m from home and again from a left-handed whip at the 200m pole.

Once balanced by Jose Lezcano, he accelerated to beat Doublespeak by a head for owner-breeders Oak Bluff Stables.

The Christophe Clement trained colt is a half-brother to minor winners by Hennessy, Mt. Livermore and Deputy Commander.  He was part of the Oak Bluff draft at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale but failed to make a $22,000 reserve.

War Chant will cover his first southern book at Yarradale Stud this year.  He is currently in quarantine in Sydney after arriving from Three Chimneys Farm and will parade at the Yarradale open day next Sunday, August 28.

Still only 14, War Chant (Danzig) has sired 220 individual winners of 623 races at an astronomical 68% strike-rate.  

War Chant’s progeny have won 49 black-type races and the total should have reached a half-century at Del Mar last Saturday.

His colt Midnight Interlude was a certainty beaten in the G2 La Jolla Hcp (1700m).  The Bob Baffert trained colt experienced traffic problems in the straight and wound up fourth.

“No room; no luck.  I had lots of horse,” jockey Rafael Bejarano lamented.  “If I get out, I win.  But I got pushed down inside and couldn’t let him run.”

Midnight Interlude won the G1 Santa Anita Derby in April and will be a short-priced favourite in the G2 Del Mar Derby on September 4.