To Honor and Serve not done – Aims to launch the 2012 campaign after some time off
After his devastating finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile against a solid lineup, the 3-year-old colt To Honor and Serve will be pointed toward the major races in 2012, but for now Live Oak Plantation owned colt will spend time till January at owner Charlotte
Weber’s Live Oak Stud in Ocala.
By the time To Honor and Serve gets done with his well deserved vacation, he will join Bill Mott’s string at Payson Park sometime in January.
The Kentucky bred Bill Mott trained To Honor and Serve raced heavily in 2011, with seven races starting from February to November. He managed to land 3 out of those seven races with two third place finishes. To Honor and Serve misfired twice this season
with seventh and a sixth place finish.
In 2012, To Honor and Serve will probably kick off his season in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on 10 March, 2012, at Gulfstream Park over at mile on dirt.
Then there is the all important Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap (Met Mile) that To Honor and Serve’s connections are eyeing. The race will be held at Belmont Park on 28 May, 2012, over a distance of a mile on dirt.
"That would be a possibility," Mott said, “It’s a little sooner than maybe we’d be looking at, we’ll see. We gave him a break last year and we were a little bit rushed to have him ready by that time."
The son of Bernardini, out of mare Pilfer by Deputy Minister, To Honor and Serve has had his troubles at Gulfstream Park this season.
With a third place finish in his season opener, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at about 1 1/8 miles, and then repeating the third place finish in her next start there in the Grade 1 Florida Derby to winner Dialed In on 3 April, 2011.
"We hope he continues to keep improving and be as strong next year as he finished up this year," Mott said. "If we can manage that, we’ll be in good order."
To Honor and Serve finished the season on a high, and Bill Mott would be looking to go into the 2012 season with a win in the Gulfstream Park Handicap.
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