Tales from the Crib: Honor Marie

Apr 22, 2024 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Honor Marie as a six-week-old foal (Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Farm)

Families both human and equine loom large in the tale of Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Honor Marie.

The colt’s name could be viewed as merely a reference to his parents, Honor Code and Dame Marie, but it’s a tribute to co-owners Alan and Kerry Ribble’s granddaughter. And the bargain yearling has taken his wider Legion Bloodstock family, who purchased him for $40,000, on a remarkable adventure that’s branching out in new directions both here and abroad.

Yet it was Dame Marie’s own family that set the chain of events in motion. Veteran bloodstock agent Omar Trevino long had his eye on the well-bred mare from a deep European classic family, and he was eventually able to purchase her privately on behalf of Royce Pulliam.

In the postwar era, Dame Marie’s maternal line was cultivated by the brothers Eric and “Budgie” Moller at their White Lodge Stud near Newmarket. Dame Marie’s ancestress, Irish classic queen *Favoletta, and her relative Teenoso, the 1983 Epsom Derby (G1) hero, were among the headliners to emerge from White Lodge.

Dame Marie comes from a portion of the family subsequently acquired by one of the greatest figures of the global Thoroughbred industry, the late Robert Sangster. Involved in the creation of the international colossus Coolmore, Sangster was on a quest for well-bred colts that sparked the astronomical yearling prices of the 1980s.

In addition to campaigning such champions as Alleged, The Minstrel, Storm Bird, and El Gran Senor, Sangster left a legacy as a breeder. His Swettenham Stud and partners were responsible for the breed-shaping stallion Sadler’s Wells (sire of Galileo), and Swettenham is also the co-breeder of Wind in Her Hair (mother of Japanese legend Deep Impact).

Dame Marie’s maternal grandmother, Never So Fair, was brought into the Swettenham fold. She would produce two stakes winners, both by Coolmore’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) star Royal Academy – Crystal Crossing and Circle of Gold.

Crystal Crossing, Dame Marie’s mother, won a minor juvenile stakes in England in the iconic Sangster silks. Crystal Crossing’s younger sister, Circle of Gold, captured the 1998 Prestige (G3) at Goodwood. As a three-year-old the following season, Circle of Gold hinted of the family’s affinity for Churchill Downs when placing third in the Mrs. Revere (G2) on turf.

Fifteen years later, Kentucky-bred Dame Marie echoed that performance of her Irish-bred “aunt,” as she finished second in the 2014 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day. Her graded placing was a clutch resume-enhancer for her broodmare value.

Dame Marie already had appeal as a half-sister to English classic winner Rule of Law. Bred by Robert and Ben Sangster, but racing for the rival Godolphin empire, Rule of Law was runner-up in the 2004 Epsom Derby, and fourth in the Irish Derby (G1), before landing the St Leger (G1). Dame Marie was bred (by Ben) along lines similar to Rule of Law, being by the Mr. Prospector stallion Smart Strike.

Now brandishing Grade 2-placed status, Dame Marie retired and ventured to Ireland for a tryst with the prolific sire Invincible Spirit. She was offered in foal at Tattersalls in December 2015 and sold for 500,000 guineas (about $792,120 according to Brisnet.com) to bloodstock advisor Marette Farrell, as agent for Kentucky’s historic Mt. Brilliant Farm.

Thus Dame Marie was repatriated to the Bluegrass. Her first registered foal came along in 2018, the Into Mischief colt Abarta, who would finish second in the 2020 Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland.

By that point, Dame Marie was in foal to Honor Code, a champion son of Hall of Famer A.P. Indy. But she didn’t conceive until late in the breeding season. That meant her foal would have a late birthday. Since Honor Code’s progeny aren’t precocious, her foal figured to take even longer to develop – not a commercially attractive prospect.

Thus Trevino, who had been monitoring the family, finally got the opportunity to strike a deal and buy Dame Marie.

“I am a huge Sangster fan – brilliant breeder,” Trevino said. “Mr. Sangster made the whole family. His son Ben Sangster has four daughters, maybe three now, out of the family.

“I wanted her and wanted her and got her. It’s still a very active family.”

Honor Marie with mom Dame Marie

Honor Marie with mom Dame Marie (Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Farm)

Indeed, Dame Marie’s female relatives keep adding black-type performers to her page, from the United States and Europe to Australia. In 2023, the family delivered another top-level winner in Feed the Flame, who garnered the Grand Prix de Paris (G1).

Once the aforementioned Royce Pulliam became Dame Marie’s new owner, she was transferred to Taylor Made Farm, where Honor Marie was born and raised.

The May 4-born bay was smaller than the foals who’d arrived earlier in the spring, but that never dented his self-confidence.

“He is one of those horses…some horses just have that ‘It’ factor,” Trevino recalled, “as far as he had a huge walk on him, and he just thought that he was the man in the barn the whole time. He didn’t know that he was smaller than everybody else!”

Honor Marie (Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Farm)

Honor Marie was easy to miss among all the flashier boys at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, including fellow Taylor Made consignees Track Phantom (a $500,000 colt by Quality Road) and Tuscan Gold (a $600,000 son of Medaglia d’Oro). By commercially hot sires, they appeared early in the sale, and sold accordingly.

In contrast, Honor Marie was cataloged as Hip No. 3411, deep into the 10th session of the marathon 12-day sale. But the Legion Bloodstock team managed to find him. Two of Legion’s principals, Travis Durr and Kristian Villante, scouted out the Taylor Made yearlings. The colt was just the sort of solid, and affordable, prospect to fit their partnership offerings.

“We kind of missed him the first go-round, but we went back up,” Legion’s Kyle Zorn said. “He just had that kind of presence…He was what we were looking for. He looked racy.”

Zorn was previously an assistant to trainer Pat Byrne, who’s best known for conditioning Horse of the Year Favorite Trick, champion Countess Diana, and Canadian Hall of Famer Awesome Again, winner of the ultra-deep 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Byrne also trained 2012 Florida Derby (G1) victor Take Charge Indy for Maribeth Sandford and her late husband, Chuck.

When the Legion team was able to snap up the colt for $40,000, the Ribbles were among their partners on the scene at Keeneland to celebrate the new acquisition. The Arkansans had modest runners of their own for several years, mainly in claiming races. They wanted to get involved in better horses, and the Legion Bloodstock partnerships provided a great way to enjoy the sport at a higher level. Little could the Ribbles have guessed that Honor Marie would take them all the way to the Kentucky Derby.

Honor Marie was sent to Durr’s South Carolina academy to learn the ropes. Durr has also tutored 2019 Derby winner Country House; $2.2 million-earner Zandon, the third-placer in the 2022 Derby; millionaire Irish War Cry, second in the 2017 Belmont (G1); and $4.2 million-earner Art Collector.

Once ready to advance to the racetrack, Honor Marie took up residence with the up-and-coming Whit Beckman. His trainer might not be a household name yet, but Beckman worked for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and four-time Eclipse Award-winning horseman Chad Brown before setting up shop on his own.

Honor Marie’s career debut at Churchill was expected to be more of an educational run, as a six-furlong maiden was surely too short for a horse of his profile. Or was it? Honor Marie defied his 13-1 odds with a furious late charge to get up on the wire.

The Ribbles promptly decided to buy out the other Legion Bloodstock partners, and in his next two starts at Churchill, Honor Marie ran solely for Ribble Farms. After a strong second behind a front-running winner going seven furlongs in the slop, Honor Marie thrived on the stretch-out to two turns in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).

His last-to-first triumph, reminiscent of sire Honor Code, put him on the Derby trail. Even better, Honor Marie acted as though he already wanted to run 1 1/4 miles. Drawing ever further ahead of the field on the gallop-out, he kept motoring with good energy well down the backstretch before finally consenting to ease up.

“We were excited when he won the Jockey Club,” Zorn said, “but the gallop-out was the most exciting. He must have been 20 lengths in front!”

That performance was the impetus for more bloodstock moves by Trevino, who was able to secure a part-interest in Honor Marie for other clients. Ribble Farms picked up new partners in Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, Kenneth Fishbein, and Dave Fishbein.

Dame Marie herself was slated to sell at Keeneland in January. She had turned out to be a good investment for Trevino and Pulliam, as her ensuing foal, a filly by Medaglia d’Oro, sold for $385,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s boutique Saratoga Yearling Sale last August.

But with the rise of Honor Marie, Trevino made a deal to sell Dame Marie privately to the Ribbles. Maribeth Sandford also came in with the Ribbles for a share in the mare, who is soon due to deliver a foal by 2021 Derby winner Mandaloun. Dame Marie will then be bred back to unbeaten phenom Flightline.

Zorn, who had been the Sandfords’ racing manager, was delighted that Maribeth could be a part of the Honor Marie story through Dame Marie.

“You’ve got to root for people like this,” Zorn said. “Maribeth and the Ribbles are 1 and 1A, the greatest people.”

Legion Bloodstock likewise made a recent purchase in the family, in an incredible case of serendipity. Zorn had a spare minute at last week’s OBS Spring Sale in Ocala, checked his X/Twitter feed, and saw video of a two-year-old filly breezing ahead of the Tattersalls Craven Sale at Newmarket. Honor Marie was mentioned in the tweet because the filly is a “cousin” of his, out of a half-sister to Dame Marie.

The filly was about to go through the ring, and Zorn started scrambling to find a way to get her. In the brief time of working out logistics across the Atlantic, the gavel came down, and she was led away. But the top bid in the Tattersalls pavilion turned out to be below her reserve price – she was still available! Zorn went into another flurry of activity, and ultimately bought the filly directly from her consignor for 160,000 guineas.

From the first crop of European champion juvenile Pinatubo, touted as possibly the leading freshman sire this season, the filly will stay on that side of the pond. She has settled into Irish trainer Johnny Murtagh’s yard on the ancient Curragh of Kildare.

She could get a massive pedigree update on the first Saturday in May. Derby 150 takes place on Honor Marie’s actual third birthday, and he’s developed into a fine specimen.

“He’s grown into his body; he’s a picture of his mother,” Trevino noted.

“The blood is there. He has the pedigree, stamina, speed, all these things that factor with a 10-furlong race.”

Given his maternal line’s heritage, embracing both sides of the Irish Sea, it’s fitting that Honor Marie has an expat jockey in Ben Curtis. The native of Ireland was plying his trade in Great Britain before wintering at Fair Grounds. His successful stint in New Orleans prompted him to remain stateside, and Curtis’s riding style suits Honor Marie well.

Honor Marie also has the horse-for-the-course angle in his favor. Beckman used his two races at Fair Grounds this season as building blocks toward his main goal, the Derby. Honor Marie moved forward from a closing fifth in the Risen Star (G2) to second in the Louisiana Derby (G2), where he beat pricey Taylor Made grads Tuscan Gold (third) and Track Phantom (fourth). Now he’s primed for his best effort, in his third start of the year, over his favorite track.

“We’ve watched horses over the years that have an affinity for Churchill,” Zorn said. “They look different at that track, and he’s one of those.”

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