Congressional Honor proves victorious in Bay
Meadows Derby
Rancho San Miguel, Jerry Hollendorfer et al’s CONGRESSIONAL
HONOR (Forestry) left from the outside gate and traveled near the
middle of the pack until the stretch run, where he put on a burst
of speed to take Saturday’s $100,000 Bay Meadows Derby
(G3).
Jockey Russell Baze was content to sit off the pace for the
majority of the one-mile race as Talaris (Thunder Gulch) set
splits of :23 1/5, :47 1/5, 1:11 4/5 and 1:38 on the yielding
turf. As the pack entered the turn for home, the Jerry
Hollendorfer-conditioned gray went four-wide and with a nice turn
of foot took control of the race while horses bottled up behind
him, finishing out the contest driving away in 1:48 4/5.
Congressional Honor left the gate at 9-1 and returned $20.40,
$8.60 and $4.40 with his victory. Talaris came 2 1/4 lengths
back, managing to hang on to second by a nose, and brought $19.80
and $11.20 at 20-1 while rounding out the $85.70 exacta ($1). The
6-5 favorite, Hendrix (Sultry Song), finished another three
lengths back, but was disqualified to last place after crossing
over the course for bumping. That gave third to On the Acorn (GB)
(Inchinor [GB]), who paid $4.20 at 7-2 and capped the $452.90
trifecta ($1). Rules of War (Cromwell) ended the 8-7-1-5
superfecta ticket, which paid $4,781.40.
New Course (Corslew), Kingdome Come (Ire) (Foxhound), Big
Squeeze (Petionville) and Hendrix brought up the rest of the
field.
This victory increases Congressional Honor’s bankroll to $94,388
and improves his record to 8-2-2-2. He was purchased at the
Keeneland September yearling sale two years ago for $67,000.
Congressional Honor was bred in Kentucky by Edward Evans and
is out of the stakes-winning mare Quiet Dance (Quiet American).
He’s a half-brother to Woodward S. (G1) and New Orleans H. (G2)
runner-up Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), the unraced two-year-old
colt named Dance Quiet (Saint Ballado) and a yearling colt by
Honour and Glory.