by Ed DeRosa

Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, the dam of consecutive Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Jazil in 2006 and Rags to Riches ’07, will not breed this year so that she can have an early cover date in 2009.

John G. Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms and Mike Moreno’s Southern Equine co-own the 12-year-old Deputy Minister mare. Sikura said Better Than Honour lost her A.P. Indy foal late in term and rather than breed her in June, the team opted for an earlier breeding in 2009.

“Everything is A-OK with her diagnostically, but we felt that she wanted more time after losing her foal,” Sikura said. “We want to do right by the horse, and we’re looking forward to breeding her.”

Better Than Honour also produced Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner Casino Drive, whose connections returned the Mineshaft colt to the United States from Japan in an attempt to give his dam her third consecutive Belmont winner, but a bruised foot forced Casino Drive’s scratch the morning of the race.

“I wouldn’t allow myself such a sense of greed that winning back-to-back Belmonts wasn’t enough,” Sikura said. “It’s a stretch to even say it was disappointing [Casino Drive] didn’t run because that family doesn’t owe us anything. It was unfortunate more than anything.”

Sikura owns Better Than Honour’s first foal, the winning Storm Cat mare Teeming, and her first foal is the A.P. Indy filly Cascading. Sikura has not decided whether his Hill ‘n’ Dale will consign Cascading at one of this year’s yearling sales.

“She’s nominated to keep our options open, but I’m inclined to keep her,” Sikura said. “It’s such a selective family and so hard to get into.”

Better Than Honour’s last two foals are both by Giant’s Causeway. The two-year-old, now named Man of Iron, shipped to Ireland in 2006. The yearling, which Hill ‘n’ Dale and Southern Equine co-bred, remains in North America.

Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times