Millie: You have raced Honor A. P. from the start. What do you consider to be his best attributes as a Classic candidate? Mike: He’s extremely intelligent, he’s very good from the gate, very well balanced, he’s bred to go the mile and a quarter distance. As a matter of fact, with each one of […]
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Millie Ball caught up with trainer John Shirreffs to discuss getting Honor A.P. back to speed in time for the Santa Anita Derby, slated for June 6th. Millie: Mike Smith worked Honor A.P. seven-eighths of a mile in consecutive weeks. How did the most recent work compare to the one a week prior? John: I […]
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Millie Ball: It’s been three ‘works’ and about 5 inches of rain since we last spoke with Honor A.P. waiting ‘on deck’ for his next race. How is he handling it all and what challenges are you faced with in this holding pattern? John Shirreffs: Honor A.P. is handling his workout patterns with the little […]
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Northern California trainer Blaine Wright landed on the 2019 Triple Crown Trail after Anothertwistafate won the El Camino Real Derby. He did not earn enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, but made the trip to Baltimore to compete in the second leg, the Preakness Stakes. This year Wright is hoping for another shot […]
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Millie Ball: You currently train last year’s California-bred Champion Three Year Old Turf Filly, Mucho Unusual, who appears to have come back in good form in 2020. How has she been training? Tim Yakteen: She’s very sharp right now. We’ve been really happy with her since the Buena Vista (Stakes) in February. Mucho […]
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Hollywood Story with her Two-Day old Tapit Filly is pictured above! Photo Courtesy of George Krikorian’s Starwood Farm Millie Ball: John, you know Honor A. P.’s family very well. Can you touch on his mother, Hollywood Story, whom you trained and do they share any of the same qualities? John Shirreffs: Hollywood Story, Honor […]
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Millie Ball: How much do you think Honor A. P. got out of his race physically and, or mentally? John Shirreffs: Honor A. P.’s last race was really a key race for us. He hadn’t run in over 5 months and not really knowing what level of fitness we were at with him because as […]
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Millie: John, explain why you would choose to work a horse, for example Honor A. P. in company versus working him or her alone? John Shirreffs: Its like you when you train, if you’re out jogging or running or even in the gym exercising it’s always nice to have a training partner, they just […]
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Millie Ball: John, Honor A.P. worked on Sunday what is he showing you from that breeze moving forward to the Santa Anita Derby April 4th? John Shirreffs: I thought he had a really good work. Sunday’s work was about matching strides. He worked with a big horse that’s almost 17 hands, he’s a router […]
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