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Heart of Honor’s Road to the 2025 Preakness Stakes: Race Progression and Key Wins
- Updated: May 14, 2025
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Race Progression Analysis for Heart of Honor
We analyze Heart of Honor’s race progression towards the 2025 Preakness Stakes, and comparing him to other contenders.
Race Progression Breakdown
Heart of Honor, trained by Jamie Osborne, has a record of 2-4-0 in 6 starts, with no prime power rating provided but a standout 109 speed figure in the UAE Derby. He enters the Preakness as a 12-1 contender from post 4, bringing international experience from England and Dubai.
Debut (October 21, 2024)
Heart of Honor debuted on October 21, 2024, at Southwell, England, in a 7-furlong allowance race on a standard all-weather track, finishing 2nd in 1:28.07 with a 73 speed figure. In an 11-horse field, he rallied late to take second behind End of Romance, ahead of Tremolo. His debut aligns with Journalism’s third (1:10.50, 83 speed figure) and Gosger’s second (1:11.75, 80) on dirt, showing early promise but inexperience, though his all-weather surface differs from the dirt form of Goal Oriented (1:10.07, 98).
First Win: Arabian Radio Network Allowance (December 6, 2024)
On December 6, 2024, Heart of Honor raced at Meydan, UAE, in a 1-mile allowance race on a fast dirt track, winning by ¾ length in 1:37.91 with a 90 speed figure. In a 9-horse field, he took the lead 2 furlongs out, beating Estmrar and Golden Vekoma. His time is slower than Journalism’s maiden win (1:36.08, 105) but comparable to Gosger’s (1:37.88, 94), marking his transition to dirt and ability to lead late.
Second Win: Dubai Maritime City Allowance (January 10, 2025)
On January 10, 2025, Heart of Honor won another allowance race at Meydan over 1 mile on a fast dirt track, winning by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:37.88 with a 95 speed figure. In an 11-horse field, he led in the final yards, outpacing Royal Favour and Undefeated. His time is nearly identical to his prior win, showing consistency, and his speed figure surpasses Pay Billy’s maiden win (1:12.87, 88) but trails River Thames’s allowance win (1:36.16, 91).
UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) (January 24, 2025)
On January 24, 2025, Heart of Honor competed in the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan over 1 mile on a fast dirt track, finishing 2nd in 1:37.07 with a 101 speed figure. In a 15-horse field, he pressed the pace and couldn’t reach Golden Vekoma, finishing ahead of Royal Favour. His time is faster than American Promise’s maiden win (1:44.67, 102) and competitive with Journalism’s maiden (1:36.08, 105), showing graded stakes competitiveness.
Al Bastakiya Stakes (February 21, 2025)
On February 21, 2025, Heart of Honor raced in the Al Bastakiya Stakes at Meydan over 1 3/16 miles on a fast dirt track, finishing 2nd in 1:59.11 with a 101 speed figure. In a 15-horse field, he pressed early and just failed to catch Galactic Star, ahead of Honest Moon. His time is faster than American Promise’s Kentucky Derby (2:02.16, 52) and close to Journalism’s Derby second (2:02.16, 101), proving his stamina at the Preakness distance.
UAE Derby (G2) (April 5, 2025)
Heart of Honor’s final prep was the UAE Derby (G2) on April 5, 2025, at Meydan over 1 3/16 miles on a fast dirt track, finishing 2nd in 1:59.61 with a 109 speed figure. In a 9-horse field, he rallied from fourth to just miss Admire Daytona, ahead of Don in the Mood. His performance matches Journalism’s Santa Anita Derby win (1:49.25, 108) in quality and surpasses River Thames’s Blue Grass third (1:51.11, 103), highlighting his readiness for the Preakness.
Analysis of Progression
Heart of Honor’s progression shows remarkable consistency, with a 2-4-0 record in 6 starts, never finishing worse than second. His debut (1:28.07, 73 speed figure) on all-weather showed promise, while his two allowance wins (1:37.91, 90; 1:37.88, 95) established his dirt ability. His stakes placings (101–109 speed figures) at 1 mile and 1 3/16 miles demonstrate growth, with his UAE Derby second (1:59.61, 109) as his peak, matching Journalism’s 110 and surpassing Goal Oriented (104) and Pay Billy (93). His closing style, evident in his UAE Derby and Al Bastakiya rallies, contrasts with Goal Oriented and Pay Billy’s front-running but aligns with Journalism and Gosger.
His pedigree, with Honor A.P. (2020 Santa Anita Derby) and Scat Daddy (sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify), supports his stamina for 1 3/16 miles, as does his UAE Derby performance. His international experience (England and UAE) and ability to handle large fields (15 in Al Bastakiya and UAE 2000 Guineas) give him an edge over Goal Oriented (10-horse max) and Gosger (7-horse max). However, he’s untested on wet dirt, unlike American Promise and Journalism.
Comparison to Other Contenders
Heart of Honor’s closing style aligns with Journalism and Gosger (Journalism’s Derby second, 2:02.16, 101; Gosger’s Lexington, 1:44.67, 96), who also rally late. His 6-for-6 in-the-money record matches Journalism’s consistency but surpasses Gosger’s 2-for-3 and American Promise’s 2-for-10. Goal Oriented and Pay Billy, as front-runners (Goal Oriented’s allowance, 1:42.79, 104; Pay Billy’s Federico Tesio, 1:52.57, 93), could set a pace favoring Heart of Honor’s late kick, similar to how Sovereignty benefited in the Derby. River Thames’s Blue Grass third (1:51.11, 103) is strong but less consistent than Heart of Honor’s three stakes placings. Clever Again’s front-running Hot Springs win (1:36.12) lacks the distance experience of Heart of Honor’s 1 3/16-mile efforts. His 109 speed figure in the UAE Derby is second only to Journalism’s 110, giving him a slight edge over River Thames (103).
Looking Ahead to the Preakness Stakes
Heart of Honor enters the 2025 Preakness Stakes as a 12-1 contender from post 4, a favorable draw for his closing style. His pedigree, with Honor A.P. (2020 Kentucky Derby second) and Scat Daddy (sire of Mendelssohn, 2018 UAE Derby), supports his ability to handle 1 3/16 miles, as does his UAE Derby second (1:59.61). His lack of wet-track experience is a concern, unlike Journalism and American Promise, who handled sloppy conditions in the Derby. No recent workouts are provided, but his consistent stakes performances suggest readiness.
The 8-horse Preakness field is smaller than his UAE races (up to 15), easing navigation compared to American Promise’s Derby struggles (19 horses). His closing style could capitalize on early speed from Goal Oriented, Pay Billy, or Clever Again, as seen in our Preakness Stakes analysis. His 12-1 odds make him a value play for exotic bets, especially paired with closers like Journalism (8-5) or Gosger (20-1), but his lack of a recent win compared to Journalism or Goal Oriented (6-1) makes him a riskier win bet.
