Horses with turf backgrounds tend to find the main track to their liking at Churchill Downs – and that is good news for the Kentucky Derby favorite, Arkansas Derby winner Omaha Beach, and for multiple graded stakes winner War of Will. Both colts are by popular international sire War Front, whose offspring excel on the turf, and both began their careers on the grass before switching to the dirt.

In recent history, Barbaro won the Laurel Futurity and Tropical Park Derby on the turf before moving to the dirt, winning the 2006 Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby. The same two races were annexed two years later by Big Brown, who had started his career on turf the prior summer and was a stakes winner on turf later in 2008. Animal Kingdom, by champion turf horse Leroidesanimaux, won the Spiral Stakes on synthetic before winning the 2011 Kentucky Derby, and was later Grade 1-placed on the turf. In the meantime, Paddy O'Prado, a Grade 1 winner on turf, finished third in the 2010 Kentucky Derby - and don't forget the likes of turf Grade 1 winner Daddys Lil Darling, who finished second in the 2017 Kentucky Oaks.

Mark Casse, who trains War of Will, said that turf horses successfully cross over at Churchill because of a combination of their style of stride, and the firmness of the track here.

"[On other dirt tracks], they'll get in deep into the racetrack. Turf, they barely penetrate the surface,” Casse said. “Derby Day, Oaks Day, when you walk down there, they'll go into the track maybe an inch. They get more traction. A turf horse is a turf horse because they lose their footing in dirt and they scramble with it. On turf, it's a little firmer, and that's what happens here."

Along with Omaha Beach and War of Will, Plus Que Parfait, by multiple turf Grade 1 winner Point of Entry, made his debut on turf, finishing third.

Master Fencer finished second on debut at 1 ¼ miles on turf last September. Country House was ninth in his lone turf try.