Honor Marie made a sweeping move at the top of the at Churchill Downs stretch and drew clear late to win Saturday's 97th running of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) for 2-year-olds by two lengths over Real Men Violin on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” card.
Honor Marie, owned by Alan Ribble's Ribble Farms LLC and trained by Whit Beckman, ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:44.31, earned $240,455 and collected 10 points as part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, which offered points on a scale of 10-5-3-2-1 to the top five finishers as a “Prep Season” race.
For Beckman, a graduate of Louisville's Saint Xavier High School and a former assistant to trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, it was his first graded stakes win since starting his own stable in 2021.
“He's a very nice horse and we were confident with his pedigree, and the way he trained, he'd enjoy longer distances,” Beckman said of the Honor Code colt, who was guided by Rafael Bejarano. “It's very exciting to have a horse like this and win our first graded stakes with him.”
Nomos, making his first start on dirt, along with first-level allowance winner Stretch Ride and 71-1 longshot One Red Cent vied for the early lead through a first quarter mile in :23.70 and the half in :48.45 as Honor Marie raced relaxed at the rear of the field of eight. Honor Marie began to move into contention along the inside around the turn, and then tipped out six-wide at the top of the stretch after six furlongs in 1:13.40.
Racing in the clear down the stretch, Honor Marie collared Stretch Ride at the three-sixteenths pole. Maiden winner Real Men Violin punched his way through along the rail but Honor Marie drew away for the two-turn triumph.
“I was thinking the two turns would help out after I saw there was a lot of speed in the race which would fit him,” Bejarano said. “He came with a big run. In his last start he ran OK, but that was seven furlongs. I was more confident with him going two turns today.”
Honor Marie paid $19.62 for the win as the 8-1 sixth betting choice. Real Men Violin outfinished Stretch Ride by one length for second.
It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to fourth-place finisher Risk It in fourth, the Street Sense (G3) winner who was forced to check repeatedly nearing the half-mile pole. He was followed by 8-5 favorite Awesome Road, Champagne (G1) third Dancing Groom, One Red Cent, and Nomos to complete the order of finish.
Overall, Honor Marie has won two of his three starts and earned of $318,175. Previously, he finished second to Otto the Conqueror in a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs on Oct. 29, his lone defeat.
“We'll probably take him down to Fair Grounds after this,” Beckman said. “They have a good program for 3-year-olds.”
Honor Marie, who was produced by the Smart Strike mare Dame Marie, was bred in Kentucky by Royce Pulliam. He was a $40,000 purchase by In the Trees at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was presented by Taylor Made Sales Agency.
The Kentucky Jockey Club is named in honor of the holding company that operated Churchill Downs at the time of the race's inaugural running in 1920. In recent years, the Kentucky Jockey Club produced Kentucky Derby (G1) winners in WinStar Farm's Super Saver, who won both races for trainer Todd Pletcher in 2009 and '10, and Mike Pegram's Real Quiet, the runner-up in the 1997 Kentucky Jockey Club who returned to win the Derby the following spring.
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