All eyes on Saratoga! The third jewel of the Triple Crown approaches, and fans can’t wait to see how the final stretch of the horse racing season culminates this year. While all the attention will be gobbled up by names like Journalism and Gosger, Heart of Honor will have its own fan base nonetheless. The 3-year-old thoroughbred didn’t have a finish to go bananas over at the Preakness Stakes, but jockey Saffie Osborne believes the June 7 race could be where redemption comes.

Narrowly missing out on winning the UAE Derby in April, Heart of Honor qualified for the coveted Kentucky Derby. However, his trainer, Jaime Osborne, chose to withdraw him from the race to focus instead on the Preakness Stakes slated for two weeks after. But that didn’t end up being good race for the colt, who came in fifth at Pimlico. Now, Saffie Osborne is focused on making things right before the duo leaves American soil for the foreseeable future.

Dubai Racing Club shared on X on May 19 that Heart of Honor is extending its stay in the U.S. to run in the June 7 race. In a post on the same platform by At The Races from Monday, Saffie Osborne noted how the horse always faces an uphill battle against its American comrades when competing. As the reporter mentions how the American horses are always half a stride or three parts of a stride quicker, Osborne agreed.

“Yeah, especially in the stride, they’re just so well tuned up from the gates, and it’s probably something that he’s just at the minute lacking a little bit,” the jockey said on how Heart of Honor is always the underdog in American bearing in mind that the horse was the equine star that traveled the most before the Preakness Stakes, she also mentioned that there’s plenty of room to improve.

“Obviously, it’s been a tricky preparation for him coming, shipping back from Dubai, having been there for five months and then being in England and climatising back to that and then shipping out to America last week,” Osborne talked about how the logistics have been the biggest challenge for Heart of Honor at last Saturday’s race. And yet, she couldn’t help but feel optimistic for the upcoming rumble. “…hopefully, plenty of sort of homework and work on that in the next three weeks will help him…So you’d like to think with sort of three weeks training on back on dirt on the track would just help him bring him forward a bit,” she said.

Heart of Honor made its debut in England in October 2024, in a 7-furlong allowance race on a standard all-weather track, finishing 2nd in 1:28.07 in an 11-horse field. In December, the colt ran in Meydan, UAE, in a 1-mile allowance race to post its first win, and secured its second win at the same place in January 2025. Naturally, with all those accolades under its belt, including the second-place finish at the UAE Derby, one would think that Osborne and her four-legged equine buddy have high chances of making something of the Belmont Stakes.

Moreover, the ongoing whirlpool surrounding many top-tier competitors also makes Triple Crown’s last race for Heart of Honor to etch its name among horse racing’s greats.

Heart of Honor’s best bet to seize the day

The Belmont Stakes would be scintillating, if we had to predict. The 2025 Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, with Junior Alvarado aboard, has high chances of returning to the thick of things at Saratoga. After opting to sit out the Preakness due to focusing on the horse’s health, trainer Bill Mott would definitely try to wrap up the Triple Crown season in style.

However, its rematch against Journalism, the 2025 Santa Anita Derby winner, the second-place finisher at the Derby, and the Preakness winner, once again looks like a distant dream. While trainer Michael McCarthy isn’t one to shy away from a challenge, he also didn’t confirm Journalism’s chances of running at Saratoga three weeks later. But good news for the horse racing fans: the colt has already arrived at the iconic race course and seems to be settling in just fine.

So, would you think the Osborne should pounce at the chance to get Heart of Honor to its best possible position, with all things considered? Who is your favorite pick for the Belmont? Let us know in a comment!