Highest Honors looks Travers Stakes-ready, winning Curlin
Highest Honors may join similarly named and equally owned Code of Honor in the Travers Stakes (G1) next month after winning a local prep for the Mid-Summer Derby, going from last to first to nab Friday’s $100,000 Curlin Stakes.
The W.S. Farish homebred flew through the far turn outside of fellow closer Endorsed, setting up a thrilling stretch duel in a race for 3-year-olds who haven't won a graded stakes in 2019.
In other words, this one’s for horses on the rise, and Highest Honors looked like one while skipping over a wet track to a final time of 1:52.27 for 1 1/8 miles.
"We were hoping to see that," said Lane's End Farm's Bill Farish, on hand to speak for his father, Will. "He just ran a super race to have to go four-wide and being on a sealed track like that, I think it was just a tremendous effort."
Chad Brown trains Highest Honors, a son of Tapit who may have benefited from stablemate (and even-money race favorite) Looking at Bikinis’ opening fractions of 24.23 and 49.36. The makeup of the dirt surface, not the time, likely did in the pace setter, who ran along a dead rail.
"I'll just evaluate exiting the race to see maybe how much the moisture in the track bothered him or the fact that he was on the lead," Brown said. "Maybe with a different trip or different tactics, he can redeem himself. Whether that's the Travers or not, I'm not sure."
Highest Honors scored at 4-1 under jockey Jose Ortiz with Endorsed second and Looking at Bikinis third. Any of that trio could go on to the Aug. 24 Travers, a $1.25 million race for sophomores.
Highest Honors was making just his third start on Friday. He ran second on debut April 20 at Keeneland to Winning Number, who went on to be first across the wire before disqualified in the Iowa Derby.
"I think he should be undefeated right now," Ortiz said. "He almost got dropped at Keeneland in his debut and he won his maiden easy. Today, he proved that he's a nice horse. Hopefully, he'll move forward."
Highest Honors went on to break his maiden June 1 at Belmont Park.
"He had some problems as a 2-year-old, and he got started late this year," Brown said. "We always thought he was very talented and the Travers was the dream."
Cairo Cat, off since winning Churchill Downs’ Iroquois Stakes (G3) last September, will wait a bit longer for his 3-year-old debut. The Kenny McPeek trainee flipped in the paddock before Friday’s race and scratched for precautionary reasons.