Congratulations to Honorable Duty (owned by Virginia HBPA President David Ross), who finished a solid second to Pavel in Saturday’s Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. The 6 year old Distorted Humor gelding, shown in red silks (inside) in the photo below, saw his bankroll rise to $937,396 with the runner-up finish.
Honorable Duty, second inside in the red silks of jockey Corey Lanerie, held on for second in the 2018 Stephen Foster Stakes (Gr. I). Photo by Coady Photography.
Saturday’s field included some strong contenders including Irish War Cry, Patch, Lookin At Lee, and betting choice Backyard Heaven. Honorable Duty finished a neck ahead of third place finisher Matrooh, who was just a head ahead of fourth place finishing Hawaakom. It was the second straight year Ross’s charge took second in the Foster — in 2017, he was a runner-up to Gun Runner.
Honorable Duty is shown winning at Keeneland in April, 2016. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.
A Kentucky-bred, out of the A.P. Indy mare, Mesmeric, Honorable Duty has 8 wins, 5 runner-up finishes and one third from 19 career starts. In 2017, he won a trio of stakes — the Mineshaft and New Orleans Handicaps at Fair Grounds, and the Lukas Classic Stakes at Churchill. His only start ins 2018 prior to the Foster was May 20th, when he captured an allowance optional claiming event at Churchill.