To Honor and Serve easily wins PA Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Bensalem, PA (Sports Network) - To Honor and Serve, ridden by Jose Lezcano, easily handled eight other three-year-olds Saturday in winning the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in suburban Philadelphia. The colt covered the 1 1/8-miles in 1:47.34 on a fast track.

Sent off as the 8-5 favorite. To Honor and Serve sat just off the pacesetter Rush Now through the early going. On the turn for home the favorite moved on the outside to take over the lead and opened a clear advantage coming into the stretch.

Trained by Bill Mott, To Honor and Serve drew away from his rivals down the stretch to register a 2 1/4-length win over Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice. Finishing third was Rattlesnake Bridge who was the runner-up in the Travers at Saratoga.

Rallying to finish fourth was Arthur's Tale followed by J W Blue, Norman Asbjornson, Rush Now, Pender Harbour and Isn't He Perfect.

The final time for the race established a new stakes record.

To Honor and Serve, owned by Live Oak Plantation, earned $556,000 with the victory. The colt has career earnings of $996,340 with five wins in nine starts. It gives Bill Mott his second win in the PA Derby, having won in 1998 with Rock and Roll.

Earlier this year To Honor and Serve was on the Kentucky Derby trail. Before being given time off he was third in both the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby. As a two-year-old he won the Nashua and Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.

To Honor And Serve returned $5.20, $3.60 and $2.40. Ruler On Ice paid $5.40 and $3.00, and Rattlesnake Bridge paid $2.60 to show.