O’Reilly Son Wins 2YO War

O’Reilly’s precocious son War Affair has confirmed his standing as the two-year-old champion of Singapore with his latest success. The youngster claimed last night’s Gr 3 Juvenile Championship two months after he won the Gr 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe.

Probably a little on the underdone side after a lengthy break, War Affair noticeably shortened stride in the final 100 metres after coming off a cosy trail in third on the fence to hit the front at the 400m. Trainer Mark Walker breathed a huge sigh of relief after the photo finish had swung in his favour by a slender margin.

“After his last win, we have kept him fresh and he even trialled nicely two weeks ago,” he said. “He might have switched off in the last bit. The second horse was coming pretty quickly, but luckily he held on. He’s a typical New Zealand Horse who came to us from Karaka and it’s (Te Akau principal) David Ellis who bought him. He will just keep improving as a racehorse. He’s probably looking for 1400m or 1600m now.” War Affair has now posted three wins from four starts for stakes earnings in excess of $330,000 for the Warplan Racing Stable.