|
|
POST PARADE SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 Serve to Thirsty: Not so fast by Vance Hanson Travers S. (G1) winner STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini) lost a worthy opponent with the recent defection of TIZWAY (Tiznow) from Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) due to illness. While that 1 1/4-mile test, his first against older horses, has gotten easier, Stay Thirsty had best keep an eye on who's creeping up behind him in the divisional race. Following his Travers victory a month ago, Stay Thirsty's path to a three-year-old title appeared relatively clear. With the winners of the spring classics either on the sidelines or fallen on hard times, Stay Thirsty's consistent summertime form had catapulted him to the top of the heap. All that remained was to perform respectably against older rivals in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Unless something unforeseen occurs, Stay Thirsty probably doesn't have to worry much about holding his own in a depleted Gold Cup. The Breeders' Cup Classic, however, is a race where simply hitting the board potentially might not be good enough. TO HONOR AND SERVE (Bernardini), who many considered a prime classics prospect at the start of the year, proved to be no such thing after a highly ineffective prep campaign at Gulfstream. His distant third-place effort in the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) was far from an inspiring piece of work, and when he finished similarly in the Florida Derby (G1), it was apparent this was not the To Honor and Serve we recognized from his juvenile form at Aqueduct. At least there was an explanation forthcoming about the Florida Derby disappointment. Trainer Bill Mott revealed that To Honor and Serve had sustained a sprain to the suspensory ligament in his left front leg, which would keep him out of the classics and out of action until later in the year. To Honor and Serve was ready to suit up again when Saratoga rolled around, but the spot chosen for his return, the 6 1/2-furlong Amsterdam S. (G2), seemed a bit odd by today's standards. In an era when most high-profile horsemen are unwilling to sacrifice their star horses' reputations by putting them in races where they might possibly lose, it took an old-school Hall of Famer like Mott to show that it's still okay to prep your router in a sprint. And the Amsterdam definitely proved to be a means to an end. To Honor and Serve was fresh to an extreme leaving the starting gate, dueled for the lead for more than five furlongs, then ran out of gas and wound up sixth against rivals that had largely kept busy over the summer. Going straight to the Travers off that one race was a non-starter (remember how well that worked out for Quality Road?). Instead, To Honor and Serve dipped back into the allowance pool on Travers eve and blasted older foes by 8 1/4 lengths going nine furlongs. In the race for best performance by a three-year-old at Saratoga on Travers weekend, it was neck and neck. The moment To Honor and Serve's fan club had waited 10 months for finally occurred in last Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby (G2). Against a field that included the Travers superfecta minus Stay Thirsty, To Honor and Serve won with complete authority and appeared to leave plenty in the tank in advance of his $5 million engagement at Churchill Downs on November 5. The three-year-old title is still Stay Thirsty's to lose, especially if he were to pad his record with a victory in the Gold Cup. But let's face it, it would be hard to mark the ballot with his name should To Honor and Serve come back and win the Breeders' Cup Classic. Note the verb "win." To Honor and Serve does actually need to have his picture taken in the winner's circle at the conclusion of the Classic to be considered three-year-old champion. Finishing ahead of Stay Thirsty for a second time this season, while also losing again, isn't going to cut it. A three-year-old champion with a mere two stakes wins? It's been done before, albeit by dual classic winners. But in the strangest year of three-year-old male competition in memory, we have to accept the realities.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
