The latest party to pay UK’s Will Levis for an endorsement? A Preakness winner.
.JPG "War of Will, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, won the 2019 Preakness Stakes. He stands at stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris.")
If you soon find yourself having to talk to a man about a horse, there’s a chance that man could be Will Levis.
The University of Kentucky’s starting quarterback has entered into a name, image and likeness agreement to promote War of Will, a 5-year-old Thoroughbred that won the 2019 Preakness Stakes.
War of Will, who has career earnings of $1.9 million and commands a stud fee of $25,000, is syndicate-owned and managed by Claiborne Farm in Paris. The syndicate’s partnership with Levis calls for the UK star to appear in an advertising campaign “that will center on the athleticism of both football players and racehorses” and promote the breeding seasons, according to a press release. The Preakness winner’s first foals are to be born this spring.
“Having a star quarterback help promote one of our young and promising stallions is a new way of advertising that we think provides a perfect synergy of our brands,” Claiborne Farm President Walker Hancock said in the release. “Will’s athleticism and performance displayed on the football field mirrors what we saw with War of Will on the racetrack and the reason he is such an exciting stallion prospect.”
After winning the Preakness, War of Will didn’t finish in the money in four of his next five starts (that included a ninth-place finish at the Belmont Stakes). His final win came at Keeneland in the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes in July 2020.
Levis, Kentucky’s second-year starting quarterback after transferring from Penn State, will lead the Wildcats in Saturday’s Blue-White Spring Game at Kroger Field.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
