Four-year-old Hero’s Honour posted a 1,20-length win over fellow Gr1 winner Return Flight in an Assessment Plate over 1600m at Turffontein last Saturday.

The 2018 Gr1 SA Derby winner is being aimed at the 2019 Vodacom Durban July. He’s a horse that’s been racing below the radar with the racing nation’s attention focused elsewhere in recent months, but his impressive progress has seen his ‘July’ odds cut this week from 33-1 to 20-1.

Hero’s Honour has only raced twice since his Derby win, purposefully sparingly handled but winning both times and assistant trainer Dean Alexander said: “He’s actually still learning, still growing, but he’s a special horse and we remain committed to the July as his long-term mission.”

Alexander added: “We want to keep his merit rating in check for obvious reasons, so we will be very choosy in earmarking his next few runs. Weight-for-age races are not an option, because he will be have to face horses that are much higher rated at level weights. We haven’t decided where he will race next, we’re keeping our options open, but he pulled up sound and well and we look forward to the rest of his career.”

Hero’s Honour, by Summerhill’s sadly deceased stallion Await The Dawn, was a R300,000 purchase from the 2016 CTS Ready To Run Sale in Johannesburg. He is owned by partners Bruce and Jo Gardner, Laurence Wernars and Greg Sadie.

Text and Image CTS, JC Photos