Honorable Duty Repels Competition in Lukas Classic

Honorable Duty went straight to the front, repelled challenges with a quarter-mile to run, and proved superior in the stretch to win the $200,000 Lukas Classic (G3) Sept. 30 at Churchill Downs by 4 3/4 lengths over Money Flows.

The 5-year-old Distorted Humor  gelding, owned by David Ross' DAARS Inc., covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.42. It was his first start in 15 weeks since he finished second to multiple grade 1 winner Gun Runner in the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) June 17. Jockey Corey Lanerie rode the winner for trainer Brendan Walsh. 

Breaking from the outside post 7, Honorable Duty dictated the pace when Flashy Jewel was bumped at the start. He easily made his way to rail as the field of older horses passed the finish line the first time around the one-mile oval. Honorable Duty, with Flashy Jewel just off his right hip, ran the first quarter mile in :24.29, the half in :48.96, and three-quarters in 1:13.51.

As the field neared the quarter pole on the final turn, all but a fading Albano were within a length of Honorable Duty, who cut the corner and spurted clear to widen his winning margin down the lane.

"As Brendan (Walsh) told me after the race, 'That was just a steering job,'" Lanerie said. "I can't say enough how much of a great job the team did. The toughest part today was just getting him to the gate. The plan originally was to sit off of Flashy Jewel, because he always shows speed. We caught a flier out of the gate, so we just went for it from there. He sat the entire way with his ears up and very comfortable. Even when the horses got to me around the turn, he still had his ears up and moved very easily." 

The victory increased Honorable Duty's earnings to $795,796 with a record of 15-7-4-1. The Lukas Classic was Honorable Duty's third stakes win this year. Over the winter he swept Fair Grounds' dirt series for older horses—the Tenacious Stakes, the Mineshaft Handicap (G3), and the New Orleans Handicap (G2)—before he finished second in the Alysheba Presented by Big Fish Casino (G2).

Honorable Duty is out of the A.P. Indy mare Mesmeric and was bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte Farms.

"He ran such a great race today," Walsh said. "We had a pretty tough spring campaign with him, so after the Stephen Foster we gave him some time off to focus on the fall campaign."

Live Oak Plantation homebred Awesome Slew proved to be one of the nation's top middle-distance runners when he ran down up-and-comer The Player in the final eighth to win Saturday's $100,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill.

Awesome Slew, ridden by Lanerie and trained by Mark Casse, ran one mile in 1:35.02 to prevail by a length. It was another 9 1/4 lengths back to third-place finisher Pinson.

Following his performance Saturday, it appears that Awesome Slew will head west for the $1 million Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 3 at Del Mar. 

Warrior's Club and Pinson battled for the early Ack Ack lead and directed the field of nine 3-year-olds and older through early fractions of :23.07 and :46.50 for a half-mile, as The Player tracked in third and Awesome Slew raced in sixth. Warrior's Club began to fade midway around the turn, as The Player poked his head in front. Lanerie dropped his hands and asked Awesome Slew for his best run and the 4-year-old quickly began to pick off rivals with a five-wide rally before he drew even with The Player at the eighth pole. 

"Turning for home I had a ton of horse under me," Lanerie said. 

The seasoned Awesome Slew's class was undeniable in deep stretch as he edged clear from The Player.

"The goal for this spot was to give him an easier race," said Norman Casse, assistant to his father Mark. "He's been facing some of the best sprinters in the country, so he needed to build his confidence back up. He did everything well today and the distance was perfect. There's still some discussion to be had, but right now we'll point towards the ... Dirt Mile.

The win hiked Awesome Slew's bankroll to $952,940 with a record of 16-5-4-3.

Awesome Slew is son of 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again , out of the Seeking the Gold mare Slewfoundmoney. He was bred in Florida by his owner Charlotte Weber.