News has filtered through over the past 24 hours that our
2008 Villiers Winner HONOR IN WAR – a proven Gr1 Winner imported to Australia from the USA, which we syndicated amongst our owners, has succumbed to serious complications from colic.
David Bay, owner of Dara Farm, the long-time Hunter Valley home of Honor In War has reported that
“HONOR IN WAR had to be humanely put down on November 18 at age 21."
The
US Gr.1 winner is remembered for his
Gr2 Villiers Stakes Win at Randwick when he went pound for pound with Champion Takeover Target finishing an inch second as they crossed the line but won the race in the protest room.
He also ran a gallant
3rd in the Listed JRA Plate at Randwick carrying 60.5kgs with the with his peers all carrying 53.0kgs.
He also finished
5th in the St George Stakes Gr2 at Caulfield.
"He was the kindest horse you could imagine and it was a pleasure to have him here," David Bay said of the horse, who won 11 of his 44 starts including the Turf Classic-Gr.1 at Churchill Downs and then the Villiers at age eight. He also ran five seconds (two Gr.1) and eight thirds.
His overall record was 47 Starts: 11:5:8 and Prizemoney: $1,993,541
A son of Gr.1 winner Lord at War (a grandson of Brigadier Gerard) and the
Diesis mare Catumbella (tracing to La Troienne), he was among the last tracing in male line to Fair Trial.
From limited books of mares, he left about 20 winners.
HONOR IN WAR was brought to Australia to have a
crack at winning the COX PLATE in 2006 but was sensationally forced to scratch the night before the race, when a precautionary pre-race blood test revealed the horse had the smallest possible blood irregularity remaining in his system to a USA based treatment which contained a prohibitive raceday substance which was just 1 microgram over that threshold.
Whilst it would be highly likely that on raceday he would be under the threshold, under the Australian Rules of Racing, connections cannot bring a horse to the races at or above the threshold.
We simply couldn’t take the risk of a rule breach, so he was scratched.
At his next preparation he
won the Villiers at his second start. That year was
2007 the year of Equine Influenza (EI) when the Villiers was pushed back from December to January and reduced in distance from 1600m to 1400m.
HONOR IN WAR - Thank You to a fine horse for the fun and memories.