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Lane's End farm announced today that Honor A. P. will retire from racing and stand the 2021 season at their Versailles farm. The 3-year-old colt retires as a Grade 1 winner and the top earner of his leading second-crop sire Honor Code.

In his most recent start, Honor A. P. dealt with an unlucky trip to finish a quickening fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, posting a 99 Beyer and traveling an incredible 49 more feet than the winner Authentic. This in turn means that the colt ran the fastest race of the field when accounting for ground loss.

“Honor A. P. is a horse with an immense talent,” said trainer John Shirreffs. “He was so forward and precocious that he broke his maiden second time out by over five lengths going two turns. Honor A. P. showed brilliance as a 2-year-old from the first time I saw him train and replicated it as a 3-year-old defeating the future Kentucky Derby winner. He ran a super race in the Derby and we later found that he came out of the race with an injury, so all things considered, what he accomplished was something special.”

As a 2-year-old, Honor A. P. broke his maiden at Santa Anita by over five lengths posting a 91 Beyer, one of the highest of his generation. His first start as a 3-year-old was in graded stakes company when he finished second in the G2 San Felipe Stakes. In his next start, he won the G1 Santa Anita Derby posting a 102 Beyer, becoming the only horse to defeat subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Authentic while also defeating G2 Pat Day Mile Stakes winner Rushie. The G1 Santa Anita Derby has long produced breed-shaping sires with past winners including A.P. Indy, Sunday Silence, Affirmed, Pioneerof the Nile and more. In his next start, the Shared Belief Stakes, he posted another 102 Beyer making him one of four 3-year-old colts in 2020 to post multiple triple-digit Beyers beyond a mile.

“Honor A. P. was a 'wow' horse from the beginning. He was the highest priced yearling in Honor Code's first crop. He was a standout 2-year-old at April Mayberry's, and the most recognizable horse in training at Santa Anita,” said Bill Farish. “His stunning good looks paired with his obvious talent make him just the type of prospect we are looking for at Lane's End.”

Honor A. P. is out of the multiple Grade 1 winner Hollywood Story, who earned $1,171,105 in her career and he is a half-sibling to three black-type winners. Hollywood Story is by Wild Rush, making Honor A. P.'s pedigree free of Mr. Prospector on his dam's side to five generations. His sire Honor Code is one of just four second-crop sires including Liam's Map and Constitution to produce a Grade 1 winner in 2020. To date, Honor A. P. is Honor Code's highest priced yearling commanding a final bid of $850,000 from David Ingordo for Lee and Susan Searing's CRK Stable at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

“Like any owner in this game, Susan and I have long dreamt about having a leading Derby contender,” said Lee Searing. “Honor A. P. has given us the journey of a lifetime and we are excited to stay involved in his next career as a stallion where we know he'll be in great hands at Lane's End.”

Honor A. P. will be available for inspection at Lane's End farm in the coming weeks and a stud fee will be determined.

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Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. (Honor Code–Hollywood Story, by Wild Rush) will be retired to Lane's End Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced today. The 3-year-old is from the first crop by his sire, who also stands at Lane's End, and is his highest earner.

Honor A. P. has finished first or second in each of his four starts, winning the G1 Santa Anita Derby in his last outing June 6, and establishing himself as a favorite for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.

“He's a horse that we have had an eye on since David Ingordo bought him as a yearling for Lee and Susan Searing's CRK Stable,” said Bill Farish. “He was a standout at Saratoga and at $850,000 ended up being the highest priced yearling in Honor Code's first crop. April Mayberry was quietly touting him while being broken and John Shirreffs has been high on him since he arrived at Santa Anita. We are very excited to secure another prospect from the A.P. Indy line. As is the case with most of our stallions, having a strong syndicate behind them is very important to their success. We are emboldened by the quality of the syndicate that has come together to support him. His looks, pedigree and his growing resume as a top racehorse gives him a great chance to be a successful sire.”

Honor A. P. debuted Aug. 17, 2019 at Del Mar, racing greenly to be second. He won his next start at Santa Anita in October as the 2-5 favorite, drawing away to win by 5 1/4 lengths. Before he could race in 2020, he suffered a stone bruise in February which briefly sidelined him, and he was second in his comeback and 2020 debut to Authentic in the G3 San Felipe on March 7. He subsequently defeated the previously unbeaten Authentic next out in the G1 Santa Anita Derby, while posting a 102 Beyer, the highest of any three-year old colt currently on the Derby trail.

His trainer, John Shirreffs, said, “I think we started seeing something in Honor A. P. when he started to gallop, and he started to lengthen his stride. If you ever see him, he just floats over the ground. He's only just begun to show his potential.”

“We named Honor A. P. in homage to his grandsire, the breed shaping A.P. Indy” said Lee Searing. “It has always been my goal to race a horse of this caliber and to stand him at Lane's End. I plan to keep an interest in Honor A. P. and help make him a top stallion.”

Honor A. P. is out of the multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Hollywood Story, who earned $1,171,105 in her career. He is a half-sibling to three black-type or graded black-type winners. Hollywood Story has produced yearling and weanling fillies by Curlin and Tapit, respectively, in the past two breeding seasons.

His sire, Honor Code, was one of 36 foals from the last crop of A.P. Indy and is currently the second-leading second-crop sire in the country. His dam's sire Wild Rush, like Honor Code a previous winner of the G1 Met Mile, hails from the Icecapade line, was eventually exported to Japan, and has produced 28 stakes winners out of his daughters. Honor A. P. will have one more start before the Kentucky Derby September 5.

The post Honor A. P. To Stand At Lane’s End Upon Retirement appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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