Gainesway freshman sire To Honor and Serve was represented by his ninth winner Nov. 6 at Tokyo Racecourse when 2-year-old colt Old Bailey won a 6½-furlong maiden race over dirt in his debut.
Trained by Mitsumasa Nakauchida, the dark bay colt broke from the outside post in the field of 16 juveniles and moved up quickly under jockey Christophe Lemaire to press the pace before taking control midway through the backstretch. The second-choice opened up a lead in the stretch and, when pressed in the final stages by rival Earth of Fame, he determinedly held that rival at bay to post a neck victory in a final time of 1:19.60.
Owned by Sheikh Mohammed, Old Bailey was bred in Kentucky by Elm Tree Farm and offered at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, where John Ferguson snapped him up for $220,000.
Old Bailey is the third starter and third winner for his dam, the winning Distorted Humor mare Passion Du Coeur, a full-sister to Distorted Passion, who won three stakes at Aqueduct before producing Grade 2 winner Mrs McDougal, who most recently won the Nobel Damsel Stakes (G3) at Belmont.
To Honor and Serve’s initial crop already includes three stakes horses: Honor Thy Father, also out of a Distorted Humor mare, who placed in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes; State of Honor, who placed in the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine in Canada; and stakes winner Steps to Heaven, winner of a Group 3 in Panama.
Old Bailey carries a cross of Fappiano as do other To Honor and Serve winners For Honor, Honorable Service, and Salute With Honor.