Defiant Honor holds on in Riskaverse Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Jimmy Toner revealed publicly prior to Thursday’s $100,000 Riskaverse Stakes at Saratoga that Defiant Honor had undergone minor throat surgery, a myectomy, subsequent to her sixth-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes earlier in the meet.
And the procedure, which is used to help correct breathing issues, obviously did the trick as Defiant Honor bounced back from her disappointing effort in the Lake George with a half-length victory over longshot Fizzy Friday in the one-mile Riskaverse.
Defiant Honor, beaten just over five lengths by the red hot Proctor’s Ledge in the Lake George, was reunited with jockey Jose Lezcano in the Riskaverse. The pair had teamed up for a one-length allowance win in Defiant Honor’s 3-year-old debut earlier this summer at Belmont Park.
Defiant Honor showed in front shortly after the start before being reined off the pace of 8-5 favorite Cherry Lodge, who raced a bit rankly while sprinting away to a long early lead. Defiant Honor engaged Cherry Lodge on the final turn, edged well clear through midstretch, then maintained a safe advantage over Fizzy Friday. The latter raced well-placed while saving ground just behind the winner, altered to the outside inside the furlong marker, and rallied belatedly to be second-best, finishing 2 1/4 lengths in front of the 44-1 Bernadiva. Cherry Lodge faded through the stretch, finishing a tiring fifth in the field of one dozen 3-year-old fillies.
Defiant Honor, a homebred daughter of Speightstown campaigned by the Phillips Racing Partnership and Pam Gartin, paid $13 after negotiating a mile over the firm turf course in 1:35.67.
“She had a myectomy, where they cut the muscles in the throat because of the displacement of the soft palate,” said Toner. “It cuts off the wind, they can’t breathe and they panic. But today, you can see the difference. Jose rode a great race. He let her get comfortable and didn’t choke her up at all. And she was good all the way from there.”