Santa Anita Derby a new starting point for Honor A. P.

Interruptions, one minor, then a bigger one beyond control, have been a theme through the brief, promising career of Honor A. P.

He missed a scheduled start in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita back in January owing to a foot bruise, which meant his 2020 debut in the San Felipe Stakes in March marked his first start in nearly five months. He ran strongly, finishing second to the highly regarded and unbeaten Authentic. It was seemingly an ideal prep for the Santa Anita Derby four weeks later.

Now, following suspension of racing at Santa Anita owing to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the postponement of the Santa Anita Derby until Saturday, Honor A. P. is having to rev up all over again. And instead of the Santa Anita Derby being four weeks out from the Kentucky Derby, it’s now three months out, with the Kentucky Derby having been pushed back to Sept. 5.

John Shirreffs, trainer of Honor A. P., has been the one most responsible for balancing the high-wire act of getting Honor A. P. back to the races in March, then keeping him sharp and fit for a race that ended up being postponed by two months. On Saturday, Shirreffs will get confirmation of just where Honor A. P. stands as he takes on Authentic anew in the Grade 1, $400,000 Santa Anita Derby.

When the suspension of racing at Santa Anita was first announced in March, “we didn’t really know when the Santa Anita Derby would be,” Shirreffs said.

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“Should we keep working? Should we let him down?” Shirreffs said. “Once we had a date, we could make a plan. We trained him like we did for the San Felipe, making sure the distances of the works were good with him while adding speed.”

Shirreffs gave Honor A. P. a couple of easy half-mile works in early and mid-April before bearing down for the 1 1/8-mile race. Three of his last six works have been at seven furlongs, and a five-furlong drill in 59.20 seconds on May 22 was the quickest of 28 at the distance that morning, significant in that Shirreffs doesn’t work his horses fast by design.

“I’m very happy with how he’s done,” Shirreffs said.

Honor A. P. has raced just three times. He was second sprinting in his debut last summer at Del Mar, then stretched out around two turns for his second start in October at Santa Anita and romped over maidens going one mile while recording a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. He got a 95 chasing Authentic in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, despite the interrupted preparation for that race.

Mike Smith – who teamed with Shirreffs to win the Kentucky Derby in 2005 with Giacomo – has been aboard Honor A. P. for all his races and has the call Saturday. In addition to Authentic, others expected for the Santa Anita Derby include Azul Coast, Anneau d’Or, Rushie, and Shooters Shoot.

Honor A. P., a son of Met Mile and Whitney winner Honor Code, always has been well-regarded. He was purchased as a yearling for $850,000 by Lee and Susan Searing, the couple that also owns Midcourt, who is scheduled to run Saturday in the Hollywood Gold Cup for older horses. Honor A. P.’s dam, Hollywood Story, was trained by Shirreffs to multiple stakes wins, including the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet and Vanity.

He’s a gorgeous colt, dark bay with generous splashes of white on all four legs. On his left front, the chrome extends from his hoof to above his knee. He has a big, wide blaze that starts above his eyes and goes down to his nose. He’s just as pretty when moving.

“You notice immediately how light he is on his feet,” Shirreffs said. “He doesn’t look like he’s hitting the track at all. When he’s jogging he’s got good cadence to his gait. There’s a lot of elevation when he’s jogging.

“He’s a long horse, too. He has great conformation. He has a long underline. He has a nice, long stride. He covers a lot of ground.”

That should be of importance in coming months. The Santa Anita Derby will mark his longest race to date, and the Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles.

Shirreffs said the postponement of the Kentucky Derby won’t matter to Honor A. P. In fact, he’d have been fine if the race was in May.

“Physically, he’s pretty mature,” Shirreffs said.

But that’s not the hand that’s been dealt this year. What’s in the cards for now? On Saturday, perhaps a Santa Anita Derby win.