When Honor Marie makes his 3-year-old debut within the Feb. 17 Risen Star Stakes at Honest Grounds Race Course and Slots, it received’t be coach Whit Beckman’s first involvement with getting ready a horse for the Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve.
As a former assistant to Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher, Beckman has loads of expertise working with Derby-bound horses. Amongst them was the Pletcher-trained Tremendous Saver, the winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby. He additionally labored for Pletcher in 2013 when the coach for a second time saddled a record-tying 5 Derby horses, which included third-place finisher Revolutionary. Whereas with Brown, Beckman was a part of the group behind champion Good Magic, the 2018 Kentucky Derby runner-up.
For apparent causes, issues hit in another way with Honor Marie, Beckman’s first graded stakes winner since forming his personal secure in the US within the fall of 2021, which adopted two seasons as a head coach in Saudi Arabia.
“I noticed such all kinds of administration kinds, and noticed simply what it takes to get a horse prepared for these explicit days,” Beckman, 42, stated of his time spent as an assistant coach. “It’s a type of issues that you just don’t consciously register it on the time, however if you begin to return in your expertise, questions are answered simpler.
“It’s a pleasure [to train Honor Marie],” he added. “I’m grateful. You recognize a number of this coaching … essentially, all of us do the identical factor, and simply hope for a great horse to finish up in our barn and put our course of to it — visualize and see the place issues are going to go and, hopefully, execute. If we’ve to regulate, we regulate. However, yeah, I’m simply lucky to be in the appropriate place on the proper time.”
A son of Honor Code, who beforehand stood at Lane’s Finish Farm earlier than being bought final summer season to face in Japan, Honor Marie has been almost good in three profession begins. He clinched his Sept. 29 debut by coming off the tempo in a dash to put up a gritty head victory at 13-1 at Churchill Downs. 4 weeks later, the Kentucky-bred completed a well-beaten second in a seven-furlong allowance-optional claimer to Otto the Conqueror, who then captured the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes in his subsequent begin.
Honor Marie took a significant leap ahead in his most up-to-date race, his first strive navigating two turns, by successful the Nov. 25 Kentucky Jockey Membership Stakes by two lengths with a robust off-the-pace transfer at Churchill. With that effort, he collected 10 factors on the Street to the Kentucky Derby.
After that, Beckman introduced Honor Marie, who’s owned in a partnership of Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, and Kenneth and Daniel Fishbein, to New Orleans to organize for the Risen Star. He has been in a weekly exercise sample at Honest Grounds since Dec. 31, together with a few breezes underneath Rafael Bejarano, who has been aboard for every of Honor Marie’s begins and retains the mount within the $400,000 Risen Star, which drew a discipline of 12 when entries have been taken Feb. 10.
The 1 1/8-mile distance of the Risen Star, which carries Derby factors of 50-20-15-10-5 for its high 5 finishers, will very probably be in Honor Marie’s wheelhouse following his eye-catching efficiency within the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Membership Stakes.
“We knew the 2 turns was going to be his factor. I feel the additional the space, the higher he’ll get, based mostly off pedigree and the best way he trains,” Beckman remarked. “His Jockey Membership win was spectacular, however his gallop out was equally spectacular. We’re simply hoping that he finds his greatest stride late within the [Risen Star] and he doesn’t give himself an excessive amount of to do.”
Alan and Kerry Ribble personal nearly all of Honor Marie with Eiserman, Silver, and the Fishbeins shopping for in for a share after he received his stakes debut. The Ribbles have been homeowners for about 10 years, and Honor Marie is their first graded winner. They initially dabbled within the claiming sport after which grew their secure underneath the steerage of coach David R. Vance, who retired in 2023 after a 58-year profession.
A few years in the past, the Ribbles have been launched to Kyle Zorn, a co-founder of Legion Bloodstock alongside together with his companions, Evan Ciannello, Travis Durr, and Kristian Villante. Durr is the proprietor and operator of Travis Durr Coaching Middle in South Carolina, the place Honor Marie obtained his early coaching earlier than becoming a member of Beckman’s barn.
Zorn, who now serves because the Ribbles’ bloodstock and racing supervisor, stated they informed him they wished “a Saturday afternoon-type horse.” He instructed they develop into concerned with Legion, which had simply began their racing teams the place the mannequin is often to purchase 4 horses and package deal them collectively whereas forming small partnerships underneath the banner of Legion Racing. Bred by Royce Pulliam, Honor Marie, who’s out of the Good Strike mare Dame Marie, was recognized by Legion Bloodstock as a horse to buy on the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, the place he was consigned by Taylor Made Gross sales Company and purchased for $40,000. The Ribbles joined Legion Racing as companions within the racing group that included Honor Marie.
“Honor Code wasn’t as sizzling of a ticket merchandise on the time, and it’s in all probability why we bought somewhat extra worth on [Honor Marie], however we nonetheless believed in Honor Code as a sire,” Zorn stated. “He had a giant stroll and his pedigree was there as effectively. We mainly fell in love together with his bodily, at the start.”
After Honor Marie broke his maiden on debut, the Ribbles purchased out the remainder of their Legion companions, and he ran of their Ribble Farms’ racing silks for his subsequent two begins. Zorn stated there have been main gives on the desk to wholly buy the colt after the Kentucky Jockey Membership Stakes win, however they have been turned down by the Ribbles as a result of their largest concern was {that a} sale may probably outcome within the horse being transferred out of Beckman’s care into the barn of one other coach.
“Kerry and Alan are the folks you wish to root for on this enterprise,” Zorn stated. “They put the time in and are actually good folks. The loyalty they’ve, you don’t see that as a lot on this sport anymore. That’s one of many causes you’ve bought to root for them.”
