Grandaria sidelined, Honorable Duty retired

NEW ORLEANS – The 3-year-old filly Grandaria, third, beaten six lengths as the 3-2 favorite last month at Fair Grounds in the Silverbulletday Stakes, is out of training for 60 to 90 days, according to trainer Brendan Walsh.

“It’s not a major issue at all, but she’ll need to go and have a job done,” said Walsh, who expects Grandaria to rejoin his stable in Kentucky this spring.

Grandaria won a Churchill maiden race and a Fair Grounds allowance race in successive starts late last year.

Walsh also reported that the 7-year-old gelding Honorable Duty has been retired. Honorable Duty finished a fading fifth Jan. 19 in the Louisiana Stakes here and came back with an injury that would have required a considerable amount of time to heal if he could have gotten back into racing form at all. Honorably Duty, in his previous start Nov. 2 at Churchill, was pulled up and vanned off the course.

“He’s been fantastic, owes us nothing,” said Walsh, who trained Honorably Duty for owner David Ross.

Indeed, Honorable Duty is retired with earnings of $958,296, nearly all of which came after Juddmonte Farms, his breeder, sold him and Walsh took over his training. Honorable Duty won the Mineshaft and New Orleans handicaps here in 2017 and was second to Gun Runner in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster later that year. His career ends with a record of 8-5-2 from 22 starts. Walsh said Honorable Duty still is at Fair Grounds but will probably soon be shipped to Kentucky. Walsh said he might try to train Honorable Duty to work as a stable pony.