As Memorial Day weekend is upon us I am reflecting, being thankful and respectful of the people who died while serving our country, America. I owe a lot to those who have honored and served our great country. When I think of the sire, To Honor and Serve, I often think of our country’s heroes. The name intrigues me as does the stallion.
To Honor and Serve was foaled 3/18/2008. He is a KY bred stallion, born to Bernardini and Pilfer. His breeders were Twin Creeks Farm, Larry Byer and Rancho San Miguel. To Honor and Serve had 17 career starts and 8 wins that led to over $1.7 million in earnings and multiple graded stakes wins. Trained by William I. Mott and owned by Live Oak Plantation, he was the winner of the G2 Nashua Stakes and the G2 Remsen Stakes at 2 years-old. At 3, he won the G2 Pennsylvania Stakes and the G1 Cigar Mile Handicap. In his 4th year, he won the G3 Winchester Stakes and the G1 Woodward Stakes before retiring to stud. He stood at Gainesway Farm in KY until early this year.
While at Gainesway he sired 4 crops. Those crops yielded 291 foals. 3 of his crops are foals of racing age. While he has sired a champion and some black type winners in North America, South Korea became very interested in him with the success of his son, purchased as a yearling from Keeneland, Cheongdam Dokki. To Honor and Serve is now a stallion in South Korea. Today, Cheongdam Dokki won the prestigious YTN Cup securing the current title of Seoul’s best race horse.
It isn’t the first success To Honor and Serve has had with offspring in other countries. His son State of Honor was Ontario bred and had nice earnings and success in 14 starts.
I am so happy I got to see To Honor and Serve while he was at Gainesway and I hope he makes it back to KY when he retires from stud but I’m pleased if that takes several years yet. I think it is great that he represents KY so well in South Korea but I think he left before we saw his full North American potential.
To Honor and Serve is the sire of Eskimo Kisses. She hit the board in the G1 Kentucky Oaks this month and she looks strong to develop into a champion. Eskimo Kisses is a Gainesway homebred. Having won 2 of 6 starts she has finished 2nd in both the G1 Ashland Stakes and the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks. Eskimo Kisses is being directed to race in the Coaching Club Oaks and the Alabama Stakes per her trainer Kenny McPeek. I look for her to be a top 3 year-old filly.
Tomorrow, on Memorial Day, another colt, sired by To Honor and Serve, will race at Pimlico. At 2 years-old, Fix Me a Sandwich is looking to break his maiden in his third start. Cheer him on in the first race, posting at 1:10 P.M. EDT.
When you aren’t watching the races, do something meaningful to honor our fallen soldiers. I took a moment on a Florida boat tour yesterday to admire our Nation’s flag and remember those who protected us. I have posted some pictures of my visits to Camp Nelson cemetery in KY and the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. There are many great resting places and memorials to be seen all over the United States. I urge you to admire them on your own from time to time.
Thanks to our veterans who gave all on their special holiday weekend. I hope you like this story on this well named horse. Check back for several new posts leading into the Belmont stakes.
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