Prime Factor and Greatest Honour both have something to prove in Holy Bull Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes may not have been the first option for either Prime Factor or Greatest Honour’s 3-year-old debut, the two recent maiden winners will likely vie for favoritism in the first of two major preps leading up to the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 27 at Gulfstream Park. The Grade 3 Holy Bull also will be the last of five stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday’s 12-race program, with first post at 11:45 a.m.

The Holy Bull offers 17 points toward the Kentucky Derby to the first four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 basis.

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Prime Factor is one of two 3-year-olds trainer Todd Pletcher will send out in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull along with Amount. Pletcher’s top prospect Mutasaabeq, winner of the one-mile Mucho Macho Man here earlier this month, has been taken off the Kentucky Derby trail after suffering a minor shin issue following a recent work.

A son of Quality Road, Prime Factor was extremely impressive in his only start, winning off by 8 3/4 lengths going six furlongs here Dec. 12 while earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s been very highly regarded from Day 1,” Pletcher said. “He trained exceptionally well before his debut and won as easily and impressively as we could have hoped for. He’s trained super since then, although I would have preferred to have taken a more methodical approach and go to an allowance race for his next start. Unfortunately, that opportunity never presented itself.”

Pletcher said the added distance of the Holy Bull is not as much of a concern, but Prime Factor’s lack of experience is.

“I’ve seen nothing to indicate he won’t handle two turns,” Pletcher said. “He’s always finished his works really well and galloped out strongly. And he was geared down with his ears pricked at the wire after his first start. But he’s only had the one start, and it was a pretty facile win at that. That is my concern. From a talent perspective, I’m confident he fits.”

Amount also enters the Holy Bull off an easy debut win, a 5 3/4-length victory at seven furlongs here Dec. 26 for which he received a 73 Beyer Figure.

“It was an extremely professional debut,” Pletcher said. “He sat in the pocket, took a little dirt, and kicked for home nicely once he wheeled out. Figure-wise, the race might not been as impressive as Prime Factor’s, but it was visually impressive. But the same situation exists as far as he’s concerned. The allowance races didn’t fill, so it came down to running him in a stakes somewhere, and since he also ran well over this track the first time, it made sense to keep him here.”

Greatest Honour needed four starts to escape the maiden ranks, doing so here Dec. 26. He was bumped at the start of the 1 1/16-mile race and lost position on the clubhouse turn when he was bothered by an injured horse. He recovered to win by 1 1/2 lengths and earn a Beyer Figure of 83.

While distance could be a major question for many of his eight rivals on Saturday, it should not be an issue for Greatest Honour, whose dam, Tiffany’s Honour, is out of Better Than Honour, who produced 2006 and 2007 Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches.

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Trainer Shug McGaughey said immediately after Greatest Honour’s maiden win that he’d prefer to find an allowance race around two turns for his horse’s 3-year-old debut. But with none available, the Hall of Fame trainer, like Pletcher, went to his backup plan, which was the Holy Bull.

“He overcame a lot of trouble to win, and the light hasn’t really gone on with him yet,” McGaughey said. “He’s still got a lot to learn, and once he does, I think he’s going to be a really nice horse, especially once we get him stretched out a little further.”

Jose Ortiz, who rode Greatest Honour in his first two starts, will have the mount back on Saturday. Luis Saez was aboard Greatest Honour for the maiden win, but has taken the call for Pletcher on Amount.

The remainder of the Holy Bull field is Sittin On Go, Papetu, Awesome Gerry, Tarantino, Willy Boi, and Jirafales.

Sittin On Go won the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in his second start before not factoring in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club to conclude his 2-year-old campaign.

Papetu and Awesome Gerry finished second and third behind Mutasaabeq in the Mucho Macho Man, while Tarantino tries dirt for the first time after opening his career with two wins and a nose loss in a stakes, all on grass.