Honorable Duty Nails Breaking Lucky at Wire to Win G2 New Orleans Handicap

NEW ORLEANS, LA – In his third consecutive stakes event this season, DARRS, Inc.’s Brendan Walsh-trained Honorable Duty proved superior to his fellow handicap division members, winning the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap by a neck in a very determined effort.

Somehow sent away by the wagering public at 8-1 despite winning the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap last out and the Tenacious Stakes one race prior, the son of Distorted Humor ran down Gunpowder Farms and West Point Thoroughbreds’ Breaking Lucky in the final strides under a textbook, all-grit-no-quit drive by 2014-15 meet champion jockey James Graham.

After the Reade Baker-trained Breaking Lucky set a swift pace under Luis Contreras of 23.50, 46.63, 1:10.35, and 1:35.22, the final time was 1:48.35.  It was another five lengths back to Stonestreet Stables and Regis Racing’s Iron Fist in third for trainer Steve Asmussen, ahead of Eagle and Hawaakom, Noble Bird, Mo Tom, International Star, and Aglimpseofgabby.

Honorable Duty won for the sixth time in 12 starts and increased his career bankroll to $501,276 with the $240,000 first-place prize.

“He’s getting better and better with every start,” Graham said.  “His work last week was unbelievable, and that’s the way he ran today, just came home real strong.  When I picked him up and asked him to go, he ran hard all the way to the wire.”

“(Gelding him before the Tenacious) really helped,” Walsh said.  “He got to the point where his mind was getting the better of him and he wasn’t going to advance without doing that, and so we did it and he’s done nothing wrong since.”

“I was watching the races from earlier, and it’s been all speed,” Contreras said.  “(Breaking Lucky) broke good, so I gave him a chance to run, and once I was on the lead, he relaxed for me the whole way.  Even with (Iron Fist) on the outside, he was relaxed.  I waited, because of the long stretch, until past the 1/4 pole to ask him, and he went again.  It was in the last sixteenth that (Honorable Duty) was really coming and got me in the last jump.”

“I was content with the trip,” jockey David Flores said of Iron Fist.  “He broke and I just stayed out of his way.  I just wanted to let him be comfortable, and he was, we just ran out of horse the last quarter-mile.”

“Sometimes he can get rank, but I had a lovely trip,” jockey Florent Geroux said of Noble Bird, the 9-5 favorite.  “I tipped him out at the half-mile pole to give him a chance and he didn’t go on.”

Honorable Duty returned 18.80, $8, and $4.60.  Breaking Lucky brought back $5.60 and $4.60, while Iron Fish paid $6.60 to show.

Fair Grounds Race Course