Honor A. P. has solid work with Smith aboard

DEL MAR, Calif. – Not since prior to the Santa Anita Derby had Mike Smith been able to get on Honor A. P. for a workout, something both he and trainer John Shirreffs believe is paramount to Honor A. P.’s development and progress.

The interruption was caused first by Smith’s travel in late June and early July to major races out of town, and once the Southern California circuit moved to Del Mar, jockeys were not allowed to work horses in the morning, a change of policy from Santa Anita, where horses were brought to the paddock pre-work when a jockey was employed.

On Saturday, having received permission from Del Mar to work Honor A. P. about 75 minutes before the day’s first race, Smith was able to finally get back on Honor A. P. for a work. Reunited, they looked so good.

Honor A. P., working alone, polished off five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on track clocker Toby Turrell’s watch. He then proceeded to gallop-out an extra furlong in 12 flat for a six-furlong gallop-out time of 1:11.40.

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“Really happy. Extremely happy,” Smith said after he dismounted from Honor A. P. and gave a quick debriefing to Shirreffs. “That’s the thing about him. He just keeps clicking off (furlongs in) 11s, 12s, 11s, 12s. Just keeps doing it.”

Honor A. P. was coming off a narrow loss here in the Shared Belief Stakes, his only start between the Santa Anita Derby, which he won on June 6, and the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. He had one easy work last week, but with three works remaining until the Derby, Shirreffs and Smith wanted to make sure they gave the horse, and themselves, the best chance they could to be successful at Churchill Downs. It’s not their first rodeo. They teamed to win the Derby in 2005 with Giacomo.

Honor A. P. came to the paddock prior to the work, and Smith – wearing the silks of owners Lee and Susan Searing – climbed aboard. Accompanied by a pony, Honor A. P. jogged until the 5 1/2-furlong pole, then was turned loose, so he was going along at a full clip when he reached the five-furlong pole. He was credited with fractions of :12, :23.80, :36.20, and :47.40.

“A mile and a quarter should suit him,” Smith said. “They’ll have to have their running shoes on. I know if he brings his best he’s capable of beating the best. There are several good ones in there, especially Tiz the Law.

“That was the kind of work we had coming up to the Santa Anita Derby,” Smith said.

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Smith said Honor A. P. is a tricky horse to ride, so familiarity helps in the morning. He said he can leave the pole too quickly, or not quickly enough, if the proper technique is not applied. That’s one reason he and Shirreffs were so eager to get Smith back aboard for a morning drill. They had to go through plenty of hoops, “but it’s worth it when they work like that,” Shirreffs said.

Shirreffs said Honor A. P. would do all his serious training at Del Mar. He will have two more works here, then is scheduled to fly to Kentucky on Aug. 31, five days before the Derby.