Chip Honcho to continue on to Risen Star after tough-trip Lecomte

Chip Honcho, despite finishing fourth in the Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 17, will continue down the road to the Louisiana Derby and make his next start Feb. 14 in the Risen Star, trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Winner of the Gun Runner in December, Chip Honcho broke poorly from post 10 in the Lecomte, got caught four wide on the first turn, failed to settle after turning onto the backstretch, raced wide again on the far turn, and still lost by just 1 3/4 lengths.

“It’s next to impossible to win with that kind of wide trip at the Fair Grounds on one turn, let alone two,” Asmussen said. “There’s improvement there. I think we’re capable of considerably better.”

The 3-year-old Vekoma colt Knock It Off debuted earlier on the Jan. 17 card and was seven points faster on the Beyer Speed Figure scale, getting an 89, than Chip Honcho’s fastest race. Knock It Off showed excellent speed racing wire to wire over six furlongs.

“We won’t be in a hurry to run him back. I think the colt needs an other-than [allowance] next, whether it’s sprinting or going two turns. It’ll depend how he trains off the race,” Asmussen said.

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