2/26 (GP): Fountain of Youth, Hutcheson, Davona Dale (G2's)

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Even if To Honor And Serve was fully cranked and had preps in him for this - The other speeds were herding there way out going into the first turn - and he got caught miserably wide around that first turn on what was a solid early pace being set by a very sharp horse.

When he was struggling to go with a perfectly positioned Soldat - and a good closing sprinter like Gourmet Dinner was positioned so perfectly and about to come by him on the turn- it's when horses can just hit the reset button and plain quit...even fit ones going 9fs off a layoff.

To me - that was the exact race I wanted to see if I was going to like anything about To Honor And Serve going forward.

If Soldat wasn't involved in that race - To Honor And Serve gets to control the pace rating just off that silly Maker longshot ... Dominguez's hand is forced to move early on Gourmet Dinner - he is sent along to confront a fresh To Honor And Serve on the turn - and he gets shrugged off in the stretch. To Honor And Serve wins the race and does it by putting late margins on the field...and his reputation grows.

I agree with Andy, of course What I saw in this race is that I don't think the horse can rate comfortably. I doubt he'll make a habit of being fractious in the gate, but if Mott was trying to get him to rate, it didn't work. I'm not sure how far he even wants to go. I was guilty, I think, of being seduced by how he rated against the bad field of maidens he buried.

Also, Soldat was there - and so if it's not him involved, invariably there will be another quality speed that he faces. I think back to his debut when he broke badly from the rail and rushed up to lead for most of the rest of the race. Perhaps that says that he's really a speedball miler type?