Better Than Honour: The Immortal Legend of the Belmont Stakes

Almost five years after her passing, the only broodmare to produce back-to-back winners of the New York classic continues to shape the pulse of the turf. Her influence endures on the track and in the dreams of those who chase excellence

etter Than Honour was far greater off the track than on it / NYRA

By Lynne Snierson (Belmont Stakes)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York – Better Than Honour, who once fetched a world-record $14 million as a broodmare, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2020. Yet as the 157th running of the $2-million GI Belmont Stakes approaches, her memory remains vivid, and her impact on the sport undiminished. Neither her feats in the storied New York Classic nor her legacy as a producer have faded with time.

On the contrary, the brilliance of the mare named Broodmare of the Year in the U.S. in 2007—and the only one to produce back-to-back Belmont winners—shines brighter than ever.

“There are no words that can fully express what she meant to me, to the breed, and to the entire industry. She was one of a kind. A breed unto herself. The very definition of class,” said John G. Sikura, her former owner, president of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Kentucky, and one of the most influential figures in American racing.

A Lasting Mark at Belmont

Better Than Honour made an indelible impact on the Belmont Stakes. While the race was still contested at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park, she produced Jazil (Seeking the Gold), the 2006 winner trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. Just one year later, her daughter Rags to Riches captured the 2007 edition for Coolmore and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. A daughter of A.P. Indy—himself a Belmont winner in 1992—Rags to Riches came in off a win in the GI Kentucky Oaks and edged eventual two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) by a head in one of the race’s most thrilling finishes. She became only the third filly ever to win the Belmont, and the first since Tanya in 1905.

And there was nearly more.

In 2008, Casino Drive, her Mineshaft colt and paternal grandson of A.P. Indy, emerged as one of the top contenders after taking the GII Peter Pan S., the traditional Belmont prep. But a foot bruise forced him to scratch the morning of the race.

Fifteen years later, Better Than Honour was again tied to a Belmont result, this time as great-granddam of Arcangelo(Arrogate—Modeling), who won in 2023 for trainer Jena Antonucci, the first and only woman to win a Triple Crown race. Sikura had bred both Modeling and her dam Teeming (Storm Cat), the first of Better Than Honour’s ten foals, born between 2001 and 2013.

“That’s the real passage of time,” Sikura said. “Every year, her legend grows. The historical importance of her accomplishments becomes more singular. It’s like the patina on a masterpiece—it gains richness and depth with time. That’s how her memory endures.”

A Regal Pedigree

Bred by Carl Icahn’s Foxfield, Better Than Honour was born in 1996 by Deputy Minister out of Blush With Pride(Blushing Groom), who had won the Kentucky Oaks in 1982. Her second dam, Best in Show, was the 1982 Broodmare of the Year. Blushing Groom, bred by HH Aga Khan IV, was a European champion and an elite sire.

As a yearling, she was purchased by Robert Waxman for $750,000 at the Keeneland July Sale in 1997. Trained by John Kimmel, she won the GII Demoiselle S. at two. Her three-year-old campaign was cut short after just three graded starts due to a hock injury sustained in the GI Mother Goose S.

Her race record, combined with her elite pedigree, made her irresistible to Sikura.

“It’s a long story with many turns,” he recalled. “I bought her privately from Bob Waxman. I’d followed her career and knew I had to have her once she retired. I always loved Traffic Judge (sire of Best in Show) and Blushing Groom. Deputy Minister was another of my favorites—and ended up being one of the most influential broodmare sires of all time. That pedigree was like a perfect dinner to me. It had everything I desired.

“She was majestic, elegant, beautiful inside and out, very feminine. Genetically, she represented everything I loved. And then—who could imagine she’d do what she did? You’d need a novel to dream it up,” said Sikura, who also bred 1997 Belmont winner Touch Gold (Deputy Minister).

A Record-Breaking Sale

Despite his attachment, Sikura is in the breeding business. He sold Better Than Honour in foal to Seeking the Goldcarrying Jazil to Skara Glen Stables, part of the Gumberg group. Coolmore acquired her in 2004 for $2 million and relocated her to their Irish broodmare band. There, she produced Man of Iron (Giant’s Causeway), winner of the GII Breeders’ Cup Marathon in 2009 for Aidan O’Brien and later a stallion in Peru.

Sikura kept Teeming, who maintained the female line. She produced seven black-type fillies in succession, including Streaming, a G1 winner in the Hollywood Starlet. Honouring, one of Teeming’s daughters, produced 2023 Canadian Champion Tyson. Today, the Hill ‘n’ Dale broodmare band includes 15 granddaughters of Better Than Honour.

“In America, there are few pedigrees like Courtly Dee (1983 Broodmare of the Year) or Better Than Honour. Juddmonte has a few of that level. But they’re extremely rare. You don’t even dare dream of them,” Sikura said. “I’ve been lucky to be close to her and to other great horses. She was as unique as Curlin is to our farm. We’ve had other top pedigrees, but hers is at the summit. You could write her résumé alongside the breed’s all-time greats.”

In partnership with Mike Moreno of Southern Equine Stables (in a 30-70 split), Sikura bought back Better Than Honour after Jazil’s Belmont win. In 2008, she was offered as part of a dispersal and fetched a staggering $14 million—$21 million in today’s dollars—when Moreno acquired full ownership. The price remains a world record for a broodmare and the second-highest auction price ever for a horse, behind The Green Monkey (Forestry), who sold for $16 million.

She was moved from Hill ‘n’ Dale to Southern Equine Farm in Midway, Kentucky, where she produced three more foals. Her last, born in 2013, never raced. She lived out her days in luxury at what is now Cypress Creek Farm.

When she began to show signs of laminitis in the fall of 2020, she was humanely euthanized to prevent suffering.

“I was with her for the last four or five years,” said farm manager Ryder Finney. “I’ve been around horses my whole life, and she was special. She breathed a different air. She knew exactly who she was. She was the queen—and she acted like it. She had an incredible presence.

“She was pampered as she should be. Loved carrots and peppermints, and always had them. She was a priority from day one. It was an honor to care for her.”

Buried Like a Legend

Better Than Honour received one of racing’s highest honors: full-body burial, a tribute typically reserved for legends. Most Thoroughbreds are buried with only their head, heart, and hooves—a symbol of intelligence, courage, and speed. She was laid to rest whole.

In all of American racing history, only nine broodmares have produced two Classic winners. The most recent is Puca, purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Racing for $2.9 million in 2023. She is a full sister to both Mage (Good Magic), 2023 Kentucky Derby winner, and Dornoch, who captured the 2024 Belmont. Now, Puca could equal Better Than Honour’s feat if her son Baeza, third in the Derby, wins Saturday’s Belmont at Saratoga.

“What that mare Puca is doing—and what Better Than Honour did—are extraordinary accomplishments,” said Sikura. “But in the minds of many, nothing compares to producing two consecutive Belmont winners, and one of them a filly like Rags to Riches, now a Hall of Fame nominee.”

The 2007 Broodmare of the Year trophy occupies a place of honor on the wall behind Sikura’s desk at Hill ‘n’ Dale. Her halter is framed and displayed alongside.

“Those are precious possessions,” he said. “I have photos of me holding Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew, and Mr. Prospector. That’s my wall. These things are personal. As a broodmare, Better Than Honour belongs in the same class as those stallions and their legacies.”

Can Lightning Strike Twice?

“Better Than Honour was the realization of a dream. Like a one-of-a-kind Ferrari or a Picasso. The very model of excellence—maybe even a divine creation. She was on another level. What she achieved is almost inconceivable. Achievements so rare, you wonder if they’re even possible. You might see them once in a lifetime,” Sikura concluded. “I’ve been fortunate—and I still hope to see that flame reignite through one of her daughters or granddaughters.”