Never Retreat Victorious in Honey Fox

Chris Block has won only three races with his small south Florida-based contingent this winter, but the Illinois-based trainer has certainly made the most of those victories, each of which has come in a graded stakes.

Never Retreat became the latest graded stakes winner for Team Block, parlaying an absolutely dream trip under jockey Julien Leparoux into a one-length victory over Persuading in Saturday's $100,000 Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park.

Block added the Grade 3 Honey Fox to his earlier victories this winter with Giant Oak in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap and Askbut I Won'ttell in Calder's Grade 3 My Charmer.

Never Retreat had gradually been working her way toward a graded stakes victory, having finished third in the Grade 3 Marshua's River and second behind Cherokee Queen in the Grade 3 Suwannee River earlier in the meet. In the Honey Fox, she sat much closer to the pace than usual, tracking front-runner Persuading from the outset. Never Retreat engaged the leader in early stretch before gradually edging clear through the final furlong.