'We haven’t seen the last of his name in the record books' - Top-level winner and sire War Chant dies aged 27

War Chant, a longstanding resident at Yarradale Stud, died on Thursday. He was 27. 

The son of Danzig, who called the Gidgegannup nursery home for more than a decade, began stud duties at Robert Clay’s Three Chimney’s Farm in Kentucky in 2001 and his shuttling career took him to Chile and Western Australia.

In 2011, after prolonged negotiations, the late Ron Sayers managed to secure the southern-hemisphere breeding rights for War Chant for the next three years and, in 2014, War Chant relocated permanently to Western Australia. 

He is the sire of 46 individual stakes winners, with 12 of them coming in Australia, including 2017 William Reid Stakes winner Silent Sedition – one of the stallion’s three global top-flight winners. 

In his later years War Chant had been used to educate young staff in the breeding barn. His professional manner when covering mares meant that he was the perfect teacher for the younger generation who were keen to perfect their handling skills. 

“He had the three Ps – performance, pedigree and physique,” said Yarradale stud manager Davy Hanratty. 

“His movie star good looks hit you first. He was a quirky devil at times but taught me to be a better horseman. We are very lucky he has built a terrific reputation as a broodmare sire, and, rest assured, we haven’t seen the last of his name in the record books.”

In his career on the track, War Chant’s five victories from seven starts were headed by his triumph in the thrilling 2000 edition of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs, which he won by a neck and two noses from North East Bound, Dansili and Affirmed Success.

Out of multiple Grade 1-winning mare Hollywood Wildcat, War Chant was a three-quarters brother to Group 2 winner Ivan Denisovich, while he counted stakes winners Ministers Wild Cat and Double Cat among his half-siblings.  

Subscribe to make sure you never miss updates from Australia, New Zealand and beyond and to have ANZ Bloodstock delivered to your inbox every day