Saratoga: Beckman is confident with Honor Marie in Travers

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

There are times when horses signal to their trainers that they need a break from the racetrack’s same old, same old daily routine. Whit Beckman got those vibes from Honor Marie after the seemingly star-crossed colt ran fourth in the June 8 Belmont Stakes following a brutal trip and eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Beckman, a former assistant to such luminaries as Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and future Hall of Famer Chad Brown, did what they almost surely would have done. He listened to his horse.

“He hadn’t missed a beat, so we opted to give him a couple of weeks out of his stall, a different environment, just letting him chill out,” Beckman said.

There is every sign it was a refreshing pause for the son of Honor Code. Yet it came at a price. Honor Marie cannot miss a beat if he is to make the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 24, and he will not have a prep race for the demanding mile-and-a-quarter mid-summer derby at Saratoga.

“He looks great, he benefitted from it for sure, but we did miss a little time,” Beckman acknowledged. “That’s the tradeoff.”

Honor Marie has worked twice in preparation for the Travers. He was not asked for much when he returned to the work tab with a four-furlong move in 50.40 seconds July 6 at Churchill Downs. He was shipped to Saratoga soon after and responded when more was asked of him there. He drilled four furlongs in 48.77 seconds Saturday, ranking eighth of 64 workers at the distance that morning.

Beckman feels certain that Honor Marie is considerably better than his results suggest. The 3-year-old proved beyond a doubt that he relishes distance, placing second to Catching Freedom in the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby (G2).

He fell victim to jarring starts and never was able to make a clear run in the Kentucky Derby or the Belmont. Both were run at a 1 1/4 miles because the Belmont, typically carded at a mile and a half, was contested at Saratoga for the first time due to Belmont Park’s reconstruction.

“If you look at it, he’s beaten all three of the classic winners at some point in their careers,” the trainer said. “He’s right on the same level with those horses.”

Preakness winner Seize the Grey and Kentucky Derby victor Mystik Dan faltered in seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Belmont. Dornoch, who captured the Belmont, endured more than his share of woes in the Derby, finishing two positions behind Honor Marie in 10th.

Beckman insisted he has not lost any faith in his late-running sophomore. “I know he fits with that caliber of horses,” he said. “He’s one of the better 3-year-olds in the country, so we’ll keep him in those spots.”

The 3-year-old division is far from settled. Mystik Dan, second in the Preakness after his Derby triumph, is recovering on the farm from the rigors of racing. He is unlikely to add to his resume anytime soon.

“You’ve got a lot of parity right now with the 3-year-olds. A lot of them are jumping up and winning. Nobody has established himself as the division leader. Everybody is kind of passing the torch around,” Beckman said. “I’d like to take a turn.”

The Louisville native has made steady progress since striking out on his own in September 2021. As of July 15 he had a lifetime record of 230: 30-30-13 and earnings of $2,853,422, according to Equibase.

He has almost 40 horses in his care, with 13 of them at Saratoga. No one needs to remind him of how salty the 40-day Saratoga meet can be.

“You come up here and you think you have something and then you look at the past performances and you are humbled quickly,” he said. “This is Saratoga, and this is the best of the best.”

His goal for Saratoga?

“We’d be happy to win one,” he said. “That’s all we want. One race.”

And if that one should come with Honor Marie in the Travers? Well, life would not get much sweeter than that.