Honor Marie adds blinkers as live longshot in G1 DraftKings Travers
At 9h47, on August 24, 2024 • By Saratoga Race Course
Trainer Whit Beckman will saddle Honor Marie in search of his first Grade 1 win in Saturday’s $1.25 million DraftKings Travers, a 10-furlong test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
Owned by Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, Kenneth Fishbein and Dave Fishbein, the Honor Code colt will add blinkers and a new jockey in Tyler Gaffalione as he looks to improve upon a deep-closing fourth-place finish last out in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 8 here.
“Tyler has worked him the last four works. The horse breezes well for him and Tyler has a good feel for him now,” Beckman said. “We know that Tyler is pretty adept at carving out the kind of trip that this horse is going to need.”
The $40,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase was bumped hard early in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May and trailed 15 lengths behind the field while last of 20, but still showed grit and determination to pick up the pieces and finish eighth.
Last out, with Florent Geroux up in the Belmont, Honor Marie was again bumped early and last-of-10 through the first two points of call while 13 lengths off the pace before closing to finish fourth – 5 1/2-lengths back of victorious returning rival Dornoch.
