To Honor and Serve: Is He Now a Favorite for the Breeder's Cup Classic?

To Honor and Serve has placed himself among the top horses in the US once again, after winning Saturday's the Pennsylvania Derby in record fashion and collecting the top of the tidy $1 million purse.

He stopped the clock at 1:47.34, just off the 37 year-old track record.

Sent off as the 8/5 favorite, he stalked the early pace set by Rush Now, then grabbed the lead midway around the far turn and went on to win easily by two-and-one-quarter lengths over fast-closing Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice.

Travers Stakes runner-up Rattlesnake Bridge finished third, three-and-a-half lengths behind Ruler On Ice for third place.

Last year as a two-year-old, To Honor and Serve won the Grade II Nashua and Remsen Stakes and established himself as one of the top three-year-old prospects earlier this year.

Then the son Bernardini disappointed while finishing third at both the Grade II Fountain of Youth and the Grade I Florida Derby, not factoring in the outcome of both races.

Shortly after the Florida Derby, his trainer, Bill Mott, said an ultrasound confirmed that had a strained a suspensory ligament in his left foreleg and would be taken out of training, thus he would be off the Derby trail.

He returned last August at the Grade II Amsterdam, where he finished sixth, but that was at a six-and-a-half furlongs distance—not a race tailored to his endurance.

His prep race for the Pennsylvania Derby was an Allowance in Saratoga, he he smoked the field, with a very respectable time of 1:48.31.

Now that To Honor and Serve seems to be back in top form, he most definitely has to be considered, at least among the best three-year-old colts and if he finally is officially pointed towards the Breeders Cup Classic, he has to be among the favorites.

Is he the favorite to win the Breeder's Cup Classic? No.

While he looked great winning and with a new Stakes record time, defeating in the process, the Belmont Stakes winner and the runner-up in the Travers to Stay Thirsty (the current division leading horse), there are just a couple of things worth noting.

Ruler On Ice (who was ridden by Garrett Gomez for the first time), gave To Honor and Serve 10 pounds. Gomez ran an excellent race, taking him back off-the-pace and finished closing fast.

The Breeder's Cup Classic is two furlongs longer and all carry equal weight. To Honor and Serve is bred for the Classic distance, but would have like to see at least one more big race for him as a prep for the Classic.

He will definitely be a factor on the race, and depending on what happens with the other contenders, from now until the BC Classic, he might as well be the top horse by then.

But right now, is just great to see the division with another top horse joining the battle for top horse of the year.

Another former top horse could also be right in the mix after next week. Last year’s two-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, went four furlongs in 46.57 (the best of the day) in preparation for the one mile Kelso.

The division just keeps getting more interesting.

- Carlos Torres