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| Sumita Pawar |
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Honor Marie, owned by Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, Kenneth Fishbein, and Dave Fishbein, caught everyone's attention with an impressive performance during a five-furlong drill at Churchill Downs on 25th April. The horse clocked in at an incredible :59 1/5, which marked the final workout before the highly anticipated Gr.1 Kentucky Derby on 4th May.
"He looked like he was having fun and just doing his thing," said trainer Whit Beckman.
During the workout session, Honor Marie raced alongside Agoo, a multiple stakes-placed 3YO colt, and breezed to the outside. The horse completed a quarter in :23 4/5 and covered the opening half in :47 2/5. Honor Marie then extended its stride down the lane, galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 and seven furlongs in 1:27 3/5.
"My goal was for him to have a nice, solid, fairly sharp five-furlong drill," Beckman said. "He did it willingly, he just looked effortless and galloped out fantastic."
The jockey who rode Honor Marie during the workout was Ben Curtis, and he will also be riding the horse in the upcoming Kentucky Derby.
"He felt fantastic," said Curtis. "He did everything smoothly and within himself. That should leave him absolutely spot on. After that, I'm even more excited."
During the training session, Honor Marie showcased its impressive speed as it surged ahead of its stablemate inside the sixteenth pole and continued to extend its lead through the finish and into the gallop out. Meanwhile, Agoo, who was also part of the workout, completed the five furlongs in 1:00, which was the third-fastest time among the 11 horses that participated in the drill.
"Agoo, in his own right, did not work poorly," said Beckman. "A great work. With breezes it's tough to put too much into (seeing them pull away from a workmate), but just to know how effortlessly (Honor Marie) was doing it and how well he was moving. It just looked like he was very comfortable."
As the first Saturday in May approaches, there is a lot of optimism among the connections of Honor Marie. The horse seems to have flourished in its training sessions at the Twin Spires and has an impressive record of 2 wins out of 3 races at the track, including a victory in the Gr.2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes held on 25th November.
"We know he loves this track and we've been anticipating this work," said Kyle Zorn of Legion Bloodstock, the racing managers for Ribble Farms. "I love what Whit's plan was with the horse, he's plenty fit."
Trainer Beckman is optimistic about Honor Marie's future, as the horse will turn three years old on Derby day and has a lot of potential ahead.
According to Beckman, "As the horse is turning three years old on Derby day, there's still a lot of growth, development, and maturity to happen."