To Honor and Serve getting ready with sharp works for the Suburban Handicap
The Hall of Fame horseman, Bill Mott, was a happy man on the night of 16 June, when he saw his last year’s champion 3-year-old filly, Royal Delta win the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs after constantly underperforming since she won the Eclipse
Award.
The happiness was doubled, when Ron the Greek from nowhere emerged in the mid stretch to engage in a gruelling rally with the heavily favoured Wise Dan to head him out to win the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap.
It was a great night at Churchill Downs for trainer Bill Mott, and his runners deserved their respective victories, but the next morning it was back to business at Belmont Park, where the trainer has his much accomplished and established 4-year-old colt,
To Honor and Serve.
Live Oak Plantation owned colt is set to run in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap on 7 July, 2012, at Belmont Park over a distance of 1 1/8 miles, where he will meet the likes of stable mate, Flat Out, Todd Pletcher trained son of Bernardini, Stay Thirsty, and
possibly Mucho Macho Man.
Even though, there is still time ahead of the Suburban Handicap, but Bill Mott had To Honor and Serve breeze half-mile in 48.33 seconds.
“I’m very happy with the way he went, and he’s a possibility for the Suburban,” Mott said of the Bernardini colt.
Bred in Kentucky by Larry A. Byer, Rancho San Miguel and Twin Creeks, To Honor and Serve is exiting a third place finish in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap (Met Mile) to winner, Shackleford at Belmont Park over a distance of 1 mile – which was topped in
1 minute and 33.32 seconds by the winner.
Meanwhile, Bill Mott has laid out a plan for Ron the Greek after earning an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic by winning the Stephen Foster Handicap.
“Right now, we’re pointing for the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders’ Cup and maybe something before, but we don’t know yet,” Mott said. “That’s the plan right now. Hopefully, if he’s healthy, three more races this year.”
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