To Honor and Serve - The Nashua (G2)

Heavily favored To Honor and Serve cruised to a front-running, four-length victory over Mucho Macho Man in the 35th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Nashua, one of a trio of graded stakes Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano, the 2-year-old bay son of Bernardini quickly took command and ran easily through uncontested early fractions of 24.01, 48.27 and 1:12.10. Shaking off bids from the runner-up and Quality Council at the top of the stretch, To Honor and Serve spurted clear of his rivals approaching the eighth pole and then loped home in 1:35.86 for the mile.

"He just galloped into the lead, and when I asked him, he just, like, galloped," said Lezcano. "I don't know how to explain it. He won so easily."

It was the second straight victory for To Honor and Serve, an 8 ¾-length winner of an off-the-turf maiden race at Belmont Park on October 2. A $575,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland yearling sales in 2009, To Honor and Serve earned $90,000 for his owner, Live Oak Plantation. Second in his first start at Saratoga Race Course, the colt has now won $144,640.

Sent off at 1-4, To Honor and Serve returned $2.70 for a $2 win bet.

"He's still a baby, so we'll take it step-by-step," said Rodolphe Brisset, assistant to winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. "He's a quick learner, that's for sure."

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[GBeret83]

Can't wait to see To Honor and Serve and Soldat take each other on in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Both are extremely classy colt's, IMO. Although Soldat's win and place efforts in stakes have all been on turf. He's also run 2nd twice on conventional dirt in maiden special weight races at Belmont and Saratoga. Plus that runner-up finish to Pluck in the B.C. Juvenile Turf. Soldat races well on both surfaces. But I'd have to say To Honor and Serve will be race favorite. JMO.

[creaturelover]

"Jose Lezcano gives him his cue, he's gone. Good. Bye."