Injury Sidelines To Honor and Serve

To Honor and Serve , who finished third in the Florida Derby (gr. I) and Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) earlier this year, has strained the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg, the Daily Racing Form reported April 8.

Owned by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, the 3-year-old son of Bernardini and Triple Crown nominee won the Remsen (gr. II) and Nashua (gr. II) stakes last year.

To Honor and Serve’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott, said the colt probably would miss four to six weeks of training. Mott noticed there was a problem with how To Honor and Serve was moving when he returned to the track at Payson Park following his Florida Derby effort April 3. An ultrasound examination identified the exact nature of the injury.

“We don’t think it’s serious, (but) we didn’t want to go on and have it be something serious down the road,” Mott told the Form. “I’ve had dozens of them (runners with similar injuries) and we’ve had horses that have come back and won major stakes afterward. It’s a setback. Generally, if you stop in time and take care of it, they can be managed and they’ll be fine.”

Mott also told the Form that To Honor and Serve would be hand-walked for three weeks before being re-evaluated.

To Honor and Serve has captured three of his six career races and has earned $404,640. Bred in Kentucky by Twin Creeks Farm, Larry Byer, and Rancho San Miguel, he is out of the Deputy Minister mare Pilfer.

To Honor and Serve was the finalist for the 2010 Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old male, which was won by Uncle Mo.