honorable miss | Horse Racing Free Tips

Echo Zulu Returns To The Spa In Honorable Miss

The GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga is named after the highly-successful multiple stakes-winning mare from the 1970s. Owned by Edith Bancroft's sons who carried on the family tradition established by their grandfather, William Woodward Sr., the pair founded Pen-Y-Bryn Farm after their own mother's passing.

With only four entered, this year's edition is highlighted by the Saratoga return of '21 champion 2-year-old filly and MGISW Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). The Steve Asmussen trainee won her juvenile debut at the Spa when she soared to become a 'TDN Rising Star' and followed that up with a 4-length win in the GI Spinaway S.

Second last fall in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint between Eclipse champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) and stablemate MGSW &MGISP Wicked Halo (Gun Runner), who just won the Twin Bridges S. at Ellis Park on Sunday, Echo Zulu started her 4-year-old campaign by recording a 5 3/4 length victory in the GIII Winning Colors S. May 29 at Churchill Downs.

Facing her, will be MGISP Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) from Bill Mott's shedrow. The 6-year-old mare (27-12-9-3) comes back to Saratoga riding a three-race win streak, which includes two Grade III victories at Gulfstream Park. Rounding out the field are a pair of runners who were beaten last time out by Goodnight Olive. Maryquitecontrary (First Dude), who has won six of eight career races, ran second to her in the GI Madison S. in April at Keeneland for new trainer Shug McGaughey, while Dr B (Liam's Map), trained by Butch Reid, was fourth behind her in the GII Bed o' Roses S. June 17 at Belmont Park.

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Calhoun Readies By My Standards For Whitney, Mr. Wireless for West Virginia Derby

Trainer Bret Calhoun is poised for an action-packed weekend with Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards lined up to start in the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The four-time graded stakes winner has accumulated earnings in excess of $2.2 million with two Grade 1-placings on the NYRA circuit, including a runner-up effort in last year's Whitney to Improbable. He was a late-closing second to fellow Whitney contestant Silver State last out in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

By My Standards has posted all four of his graded stakes victories over two turns, capturing the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course during his 3-year-old year following a third-out maiden score. As a 4-year-old, the son of Goldencents captured the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, and the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

Prior to the Met Mile, By My Standards made a triumphant 5-year-old debut in the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklwan Park in Hot Spring, Ark., on April 10. The Whitney will be By My Standards' first start this year going nine furlongs, which Calhoun says is the horse's best distance.

“That's one of the things that impressed me about his last race, he ran so well and it wasn't his ideal distance,” Calhoun said. “A one-turn mile is a little shorter for him, but he definitely can move forward off that race. He ran a nice race in the Met Mile. He got ran over at the gate a little bit, but he bounced back and trained very well since. I like the good spacing between his races. He'll go an easy half-mile Sunday at Colonial and will arrive at Saratoga Wednesday morning. Hopefully, everything goes well between now and then.”

Gabriel Saez, who has piloted By My Standards in 14 of his 16 starts, will return to the irons.

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Calhoun could also garner prosperity in West Virginia on Saturday with Mr. Wireless in the $750,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W.Va. The Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable-owned sophomore son of Dialed On won the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 10 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind. last out over Sermononthemount and graded stakes winner Fulsome.

Calhoun also could have Tom Durant's graded stakes-winning veteran Silver Dust target the $200,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Cup. The four-time graded stakes-winning son of Tapit won the Governor's Cup in 2019 and captured the Grade 2 Ben Ali on April 10 at Keeneland two starts ago.

Calhoun said Silver Dust would prefer a cooler climate.

“It's under consideration,” Calhoun said of the nine-furlong event. “He's a lot better in the cooler weather. He just seems to thrive in cooler weather. His energy level isn't near as high in heat. We'll watch the weather and see what happens.”

Calhoun saddled Ain't No Elmers to a second placing at graded stakes level in Wednesday's Grade 2 Honorable Miss at the Spa, where she set the pace and held on gamely for third behind graded stakes-winners Bell's the One and Lake Avenue.

“I thought she ran great. She battled all the way down the lane and never gave up,” Calhoun said. “She was outrun by two very high-quality fillies, so kudos to them. Elmers bounced back good and hopefully, there's a graded stakes with her name on it in the future.”

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Bell’s The One Gives Pessin First Saratoga Winner In Wednesday’s Honorable Miss

Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One, favored at odds of 4-5, made her signature late run under jockey Corey Lanerie to win Wednesday's Grade 2 Honorable Miss Stakes. The 5-year-old daughter of Majesticperfection was trainer Neil Pessin's first starter at Saratoga, and ran six furlongs over the fast main track in 1:09.83. Though the winning margin was only a neck, Bell's the One always appeared to have the measure of her 3-1 rival Lake Avenue and had something left in reserve at the wire.

Bell's the One broke well from the outside post, but was quickly left at the rear of the field as the frontrunners raced up the Saratoga backstretch. Ain't No Elmers grabbed the early lead over Honey I'm Good, setting fractions of :23.80 and :45.85, while Lanerie patiently allowed Bell's the One to find her stride.

Lake Avenue was behind a wall of horses turning for home so jockey Junior Alvarado angled her out to the center of the course. Lanerie tracked that move and went wider still, drafting Bell's the One off Lake Avenue's hip as they geared up for the final three-sixteenths of a mile.

When the two sprinters matched strides at the eighth pole, Lanerie gave Bell's the One her cue to hit her next gear. The mare responded willingly, pulling ahead by a neck at the finish while appearing to have something left in the tank after the finish. Lake Avenue had to settle for second after a game effort, and it was several lengths back to pacesetter Ain't No Elmers. Truth Hurts filled out the superfecta.

“I just let her run her race and when she got on her left lead on the turn, she said 'it's time to go' and started making up ground so easy,” said Lanerie. “The four-horse [runner-up Lake Avenue] actually put in more of a fight than I expected. I thought when I got to her, I was going to run away. But she wouldn't go away for a while; we were running home. This was a good race.

“She ran her own race today and I let her do it. It can get kind of scary at times, especially here at Saratoga. It's hard to win here.”

“They didn't go very fast,” said Pessin. “They went 22 and four for the first quarter but she just took herself back and Corey didn't rush her, so I said we'll see what happens from there and she made her run like she usually does. It's been a hard track to close on today. I think she's the only one that deep-closed any at all, but I thought she was also the best horse in the race coming in, and I feel that way coming out.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Bell's the One is out of the winning Street Cry mare Street Mate, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed, Grade 2 winner Tap Day (Pleasant Tap). As a yearling, Bell's the One commanded $155,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale. She won her first four starts, and got her first top-level win in the 2020 edition of the G1 Derby City Distaff before running third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“She's about as high-class a filly as you want,” said Pessin. “She gives it her all every time she runs. Hopefully, now she'll get the accolades she deserves and people won't put her on the back burner when they talk about the sprint fillies.

“I don't get real high or low,” Pessin added. “I was very happy that she won, but I was happier for her than for me just because people never really give her the credit she deserves. It's nice to win a race like this at Saratoga and maybe people will start to put her up in the top echelon now.

Pessin said the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland Oct. 9 – a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race for the Filly & Mare Sprint division – will most likely be Bell's the One's next start. “It's a 'Win and You're In' and then we'll go to the Breeders' Cup from there,” he said.

The Honorable Miss is the second win in a row for Bell's the One, and improves her overall record to nine wins from 19 starts for earnings of $1.13 million.

“She's the best horse I've ever had, and I've been training for almost 40 years,” said Pessin. “She's about as special as they come to me. I've got one other filly that I had in her category, Eden Prairie, that didn't do the races that this mare's won but she was all heart and tried every time. They're the two favorite horses I've ever had.”

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Bell’s the One to Beat

Lothenbach Stables Inc.'s Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) takes on six rivals in Wednesday's GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga. The Neil Pessin pupil annexed last September's GI Derby City Distaff by a nose before finishing third behind Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint in November. Second in Keeneland's GI Madison S. Apr. 3, she was fourth in defense of her Derby City title May 1–again behind the nearly unbeatable Gamine and two other next-out graded scorers. The 5-year-old was last seen taking a tougher-than-average renewal of Churchill's Roxelana S. June 19, and prepped for this with a sharp :47 flat bullet breeze over the Arlington all-weather last Tuesday.

“I'm really not scared of any sprint filly in the country right now, to be honest,” Pessin said. “It's just a question of if she runs her race. If she does, she's going to be tough to beat no matter who shows up. I respect them all, but I don't fear any of them. I'm very confident in my filly's abilities.”

While Bell's the One is a perfect four-for-four and a graded winner at this six-furlong trip, she's likely slightly better going longer and as a late runner is somewhat vulnerable to pace dynamics. Among those who figure to show speed are rail-drawn 'TDN Rising Star' Ain't No Elmers (Goldencents), who found her best foam in a Churchill optional claimer June 17; and Honey I'm Good (Shackleford), a neck winner on Monmouth's Regret S. July 3 over a sloppy track.

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