Northern Afleet’s War Story became racing’s newest millionaire on Saturday at Belmont Park with a determined victory in the $400,000 Brooklyn H. (G2).

The 2 1/2-length score was the first graded stakes win for the 5-year-old, whose earnings now stand at $1,154,305.

War Story is Northern Afleet’s 76th lifetime graded stakes winner and his fourth graded winner of 2017.

As expected, the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn evolved with little pace, with War Story in second behind odds-on favorite Tu Brutus (CHI) after six furlongs in 1:15.85. War Story began to creep closer to the lead at that point, but then was passed on the outside by Sunny Ridge and began to drop back on the final turn.

Outside the quarter pole, Javier Castellano switched War Story to the outside, and he dug in to wear down the dueling front runners, coming under the wire a clear winner in 2:31.02.

“It was beautiful,” Castellano said. “There wasn’t much speed; there was only one target and I didn’t want to wait because this is a mile and a half and they’re not used to these type of races. I put him in the game, but at the same time, I took up a little and gave him a break all the way down the backside. At the top of the stretch, when I asked him again, he took off.”

War Story is owned by Loooch Racing Stables, Glenn Ellis, and Imaginary Stables. He was bred in Kentucky by Jack Swain III.  The chestnut is out of Belle Watling and is a half-brother to 2016 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) winner Land Over Sea.