Whit Beckman, formerly an assistant for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, won his first race as a trainer in the United States with claiming horse Irrepressible in late 2021 at Turfway Park and his first stakes race when Harlan Estate took the Tapit Stakes this summer at Kentucky Downs.
Now, he has added a graded win to accompany those milestones. On Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs, the Beckman-trained Honor Marie rallied from last to prevail in the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).
His two-length victory in Saturday's race for 2-year-olds earned the son of Honor Code 10 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The second through fifth finishers also garnered points on a 5-3-2-1 basis toward the May 4 classic at the Louisville, Ky., track.
"He's a very nice horse, and we were confident with his pedigree, and the way he trained, he'd enjoy longer distances," said Beckman, a graduate of Saint Xavier High School in Louisville. "It's very exciting to have a horse like this and win our first graded stakes with him."
King: Beckman Begins Training Career
Real Men Violin, in traffic along the inside for much of the race, closed up the rail to outfinish Stretch Ride by a length for second, while Risk It settled for fourth. Favored Awesome Road tired to fifth after breaking slowly and launching a second-turn advance.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano kept Ribble Farms' Honor Marie relaxed early in last as Nomos, Stretch Ride and One Red Cent took off with a contested opening quarter in:23.70 in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race. The pace then slowed with splits of :48.45 and 1:13.40, causing the field to bunch and several runners, most notably Risk It, to become aggressive. Risk It ended up being steadied sharply behind horses.
Time, Stakes History
- Meanwhile, Honor Marie and Bejarano bided their time, and angling out leaving the second turn, the colt closed past his rivals on the outside. He was timed on a fast track in 1:44.31, .70 of a second faster than Intricate's clocking in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) for 2-year-old fillies. Honor Marie returned $19.62 to win.
- Seven horses exiting the Kentucky Jockey Club have won the Kentucky Derby, with five winning both races, most recently Super Saver in 2009-10.
Beckman said Honor Marie would probably go "down to Fair Grounds after this. They have a good program for 3-year-olds."
Bred in Kentucky by Royce Pulliam, Honor Marie, a $40,000 Keeneland yearling purchase, is the first stakes winner for the graded-placed Smart Strike mare Dame Marie. He has earnings of $318,175 in three starts. Before Saturday's race, he had been second in an Oct. 29 allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs and a debut winner of a maiden race there Sept. 29.
"I was thinking the two turns would help out," Bejarano said. "After I saw there was a lot of speed in the race which would fit him. He came with a big run. In his last start, he ran OK, but that was seven furlongs. I was more confident with him going two turns today."
Honor Code, the sire of grade 1 winners Honor A. P. , Maracuja, and Max Player , stood this past year at Lane's End Farm. He was sold this summer and will stand the 2024 breeding season at Yushun Stallion Station in Japan.
