Surging Honorable Duty Back at Churchill for Alysheba
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Photo: Hodges Photography/Ann Switalski
Honorable Duty turns for home in the New Orleans Handicap
After registering three straight stakes wins during the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet, DARRS Inc.'s Honorable Duty will try to continue that winning form in Kentucky when he starts in the $400,000 Alysheba Stakes Presented by Big Fish Casino (G2) May 5 at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Brendan Walsh, Honorable Duty enters Friday's 1 1/16-mile test off a narrow victory over Breaking Lucky—who also is entered Friday—in the 1 1/8-mile New Orleans Handicap (G2) April 1 at Fair Grounds. That victory followed scores at the New Orleans track in the 1 1/16-mile Mineshaft Handicap (G3) in February, which marked the first graded stakes win for the 5-year-old Distorted Humor gelding, and the Tenacious Stakes in December.
In Friday's expected field of 11 for the Alysheba, Honorable Duty, who will see rider James Graham return in the irons, will be making his first Churchill start since finishing fifth there in last season's Lukas Classic Stakes in October. That race was won by Noble Bird, who also is entered Friday.
John Oxley's Noble Bird followed that Lukas Classic win with a 5 3/4-length score in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, but in three starts since then has failed to hit the board. The 6-year-old son of Birdstone finished sixth in the New Orleans Handicap.
Breaking Lucky closed out last season with a runner-up finish in the Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill. After opening this season with an off-the-board finish in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), the 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky finished a neck behind Honorable Duty in the New Orleans Handicap.
Friday's race also marks the 4-year-old season debut of Gary and Mary West's grade 3 winner American Freedom, who will be making his first start since closing out 2016 with runner-up finishes in the Betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and the Travers Stakes (G1). Since April 7 the son of Pulpit has worked four times for trainer Bob Baffert, earning the bullet in three of those moves.
The Alysheba is the second of six graded stakes on Friday's Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) card.
Alysheba S. Presented by Big Fish Casino (G2)
Churchill Downs, Friday, May 05, 2017, Race 6
- 1 1/16m
- Dirt
- $400,000
- 4 yo's & up
- 1:17 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Bird Song (KY) | Julien R. Leparoux | 118 | Ian R. Wilkes | 9/2 |
| 2 | 2Breaking Lucky (ON) |
Javier Castellano | 118 | Reade Baker | 4/1 |
| 3 | 3El Huerfano (CA) | Paco Lopez | 118 | Peter Miller | 15/1 |
| 4 | 4Honorable Duty (KY) |
James Graham | 120 | Brendan P. Walsh | 5/1 |
| 5 | 5December Seven (KY) |
Corey J. Lanerie | 118 | Paul J. McGee | 20/1 |
| 6 | 6International Star (NY) | Jose L. Ortiz | 118 | Michael J. Maker | 12/1 |
| 7 | 7Flashy Jewel (KY) |
Joe Bravo | 118 | Eddie Kenneally | 20/1 |
| 8 | 8Noble Bird (KY) | Joel Rosario | 118 | Mark E. Casse | 4/1 |
| 9 | 9American Freedom (KY) |
Rafael Bejarano | 118 | Bob Baffert | 3/1 |
| 10 | 10Behesht (FR) | Joseph Rocco, Jr. | 118 | George R. Arnold, II | 30/1 |
| 11 | 11Fish Trappe Road (NY) | Luis Saez | 118 | W. Bret Calhoun | 20/1 |