Honor A. P. to Stand at Lane's End Upon Retirement

A third A.P. Indy sire-line male is positioned to join the Lane's End stallion roster with the June 26 announcement that Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Honor A. P. will be retired to the farm at the conclusion of his racing career.

Honor A. P., who is a ridgling, is from the first crop of Lane's End sire Honor Code  and is his sire's highest earner to date with $362,200 from four starts.

The 9-year-old Honor Code is from the last crop of Lane's End's marquee sire A.P. Indy. He is the third-leading North American second-crop sire by progeny earnings through June 25. He is the co-leader of his sire class by number of grade 1 winners this year—tied with Constitution  at one apiece—and is co-ranked with Constitution and American Pharoah  with two graded stakes winners this year.

Alongside Honor Code on the Lane's End roster is William S. Farish homebred Mineshaft , a 21-year-old son of A.P. Indy who was named Horse of the Year and champion older male in 2003. Mineshaft has sired 50 black-type winners.

"We are very excited to secure another prospect from the A.P. Indy line," Lane's End's Bill Farish said. "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 résumé as a top racehorse give him a great chance to be a successful sire."

Honor A. P. has finished first or second in each of his four starts, winning the Santa Anita Derby in his most recent outing June 6, which established his place as a favorite for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

"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 C R K Stable," Farish said. "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 (trainer) John Shirreffs has been high on him since he arrived at Santa Anita.

Honor A. P. debuted Aug. 17 at Del Mar, racing greenly to finish second. He won his next start at Santa Anita Park in October as the 2-5 favorite, drawing away by 5 1/4 lengths. Before his first start of 2020, he suffered a stone bruise in February that briefly sent him to the sideline.

He was second in his comeback March 7 to Authentic in the San Felipe Stakes (G2). He defeated the previously unbeaten Authentic next out in the Santa Anita Derby while posting a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest of any 3-year old male currently on the Kentucky Derby trail.

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

Honor A. P. will have one more start before the Kentucky Derby.

"We named Honor A. P. in homage to his grandsire, the breed-shaping A.P. Indy," Lee Searing said. "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 winner Hollywood Story, who won four graded stakes and earned $1,171,105. He is a half brother to three black-type performers: stakes winner Miss Hollywood (Malibu Moon ), multiple graded-placed winner Hollywood Star (Malibu Moon), and multiple listed stakes-placed winner Hoorayforhollywood (Storm Cat). Hollywood Story has produced yearling and weanling fillies by Curlin  and Tapit , respectively, in the past two foaling seasons.

Multiple grade 1 winner Wild Rush is Honor A. P.'s broodmare sire. Like Honor Code, Wild Rush's top-level wins include the Metropolitan Handicap (G1). Hailing from the Icecapade line, he was eventually exported to Japan and has been represented as a broodmare sire by 28 black-type winners.