Point of Honor to take 'logical step' toward big Saratoga target

When Point of Honor arrived to trainer George Weaver, she did so reminiscent of IKEA furniture in need of a lengthy assembly.

“We didn’t know what we had yet,” Weaver said. “Early on as a 2-year-old, she was a little bit nervous. She just didn’t know how to be a racehorse."

The daughter of Curlin has come a long way.

The post time favorite for Friday's Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico Race Course scored her first graded win and second stakes score overall given a wide yet fast-closing trip.

“Well we know what we see in her know,” Weaver said. “She’s very professional.”

“She’s a really good filly,” added jockey Javier Castellano. “I know that if you put her in the right situations, she’s going to be tough to handle. She’s become a really strong racehorse.”

A score on the eve of the Preakness Stakes numbed the pain of just missing out on the Kentucky Oaks with Point of Honor, who was on the also-eligible list and in need of defections to run the first Friday in May.

Point of Honor fell short of qualifying when fourth in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) two starts back. The race lacked necessary pace for her closing kick.

“Maybe she would have won that race too,” Weaver said of the Kentucky Oaks. “We needed two scratches. It didn’t happen. It might have been a blessing in disguise."

Campaigned by Eclipse Thoroughbred and Stetson Racing, Point of Honor’s success, which includes a Suncoast Stakes win at Tampa Bay Downs and a dominating six-length maiden claiming victory at Gulfstream Park is due, in large part to her move Florida's Palm Beach Downs training center, where “she really came around in the winter,” Weaver said.

Upon missing the Oaks, the lightly raced filly faced an uncertain future. Weaver considered shifting her to the turf.

“The most important thing was that we got her going two turns (in the Back-Eyed Susan), and that this was the result,” he said.

“She went back to the performances we had at Tampa, back to where we were in the first place, wanting to go to the Kentucky Oaks and participate in some of these big races.”

With longer distances Point of Honor's apparent forte, Weaver will look to Saratoga's Aug. 17 Alabama Stakes (G1) as a target later this summer. That's a 10-furlong race.

“It’s the most logical step for us at this point,” he said.