Louisville native Weaver runs down Derby, Oaks prep options

As trainer George Weaver ponders a multitude of final prep options for 2019 Kentucky Derby prospect Vekoma coming out of a third-place finish in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth (G2), he has an upcoming decision to make for his Kentucky Oaks hopeful, too.

Point of Honor, who won an off-the-turf maiden special weight event in her Dec. 16 debut, kept her record in tact while picking up 10 qualifying points toward the Oaks in the Feb. 9 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

“She progressed nicely to the next race, so we’re looking forward to seeing her come along as well,” said Weaver, a native of Louisville, Ky., looking to run his horses on Churchill Downs’ biggest days. “We’ll either be in the Fair Grounds Oaks or the Gulfstream Park Oaks, the March 23 or March 30 spots, for her next start.”

The Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) both offer points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers.

Point of Honor went 1 1/16 miles first out over Gulfstream’s main track. She won by six lengths, and though Weaver admits some turf horses may not run the same on the dirt, the Curlin filly earned the chance to move up.

“She had handled both surfaces in the morning and I wasn’t that unhappy when they took it off the turf,” he said. “She won that race with authority, and it was just a matter of how she was going to do when you ran her against better horses.

“The first step that we took in the Tampa Bay race, she obviously handled that step and hopefully she can keep getting better and better.”

Point of Honor rallied from last and traveled three wide in the Suncoast. She pulled away by 2 ¾ lengths in the 1-mile, 40-yard race.

Expectations for Point of Honor were high from the early stages. Her Bernardini mare Zayanna produced stakes winner Velvet Mood and stakes placed Admiral Jimmy. Zayanna is also a half-sister to Grade 3 winners Mr Freeze, Dilemma and Heavenly Ransom.

Bred by Siena Farms LLC, she RNA’d for $825,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale. Stetson Racing, LLC campaigned Point of Honor in her first race and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought in following her maiden victory.

Not long after Point of Honor’s next race, Weaver will have the 4-year-old filly Daddy Is a Legend rejoining his stable at Keeneland in April. The multiple Grade 3 turf winner had her first breeze this year on Feb. 22 at Margaux Farm in Midway, Ky., where she worked three furlongs in 36.60.

Margaux Farm is owned by Jim and Susan Hill, who campaign Daddy Is a Legend.

Dermot Littlefield has been in charge of Daddy Is a Legend’s training during her time and Margaux Farm. Weaver said he is happy with the updates he’s been receiving.

The daughter of Scat Daddy hit the board in four of seven races last season and finished fourth two other times. She won Saratoga’s Lake George Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles last summer and capped off 2018 with a runner-up effort in Del Mar’s one-mile Matriarch Stakes (G1). Daddy Is a Legend was beat only half a length by Uni.

The strong effort followed Keeneland’s Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (G3) in October, in which Daddy Is a Legend took down a portion of the Mawsafe safety rail when dueling to the inside of Cool Beans in the home stretch.

Jockey Manny Franco, aboard safely pulled up Daddy Is a Legend on the other side of the rail. Weaver reported after the race that Daddy Is a Legend came away with only a few scratches and nothing major.

While no specific races are picked out yet, Weaver knows the type of races he would like to see her run in.

“I personally liked her at the mile distance,” he said. “Now, it’s kind of hard to stay at a mile every single race, but we’ll be trying to build on her resume for sure, and hopefully we’ll be able to hit some Grade 1 spots this year and maybe by the end of the year she could be a Grade 1 winner, if we get lucky.

“She closed out the year with a big race. We’re looking forward to seeing her 4-year-old campaign.”

Weaver also said Breaking Lucky, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Eric Young and R. A. Hill Stable, is fine following an eighth-place run in Gulfstream’s recent Hal’s Hope Stakes (G3). The Grade 3 winner finished second in the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) on the Pegasus World Cup undercard a month earlier, and that performance followed an 8 ¼-length allowance optional claiming victory on Dec. 7.

“Luis (Saez) just said he wasn’t handling the ground and wasn’t happy with his trip and it just wasn’t his day,” Weaver said. “I’ve looked back over his PPs — maybe coming back in four weeks for him is not his best gig. He’s 7 years old now. Maybe a little more time in between races.”

Weaver said he has no particular race in mind, but will look for a spot where Breaking Lucky will be competitive.

“He was doing well going into the race and it didn’t make any sense to not run him,” Weaver added, “but in hindsight, we’re going to give him a little more time between that race and the next one, look for something in the six to eight week range.”