Honor A. P. (foaled March 13, 2017) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2020 Santa Anita Derby. He was also second in the San Felipe and Shared Belief Stakes and finished fourth in the 2020 Kentucky Derby. Background Honor A. P. is a dark bay colt with a broad white blaze, bred in Kentucky by George Krikorian. As a yearling in 2018 he was consigned to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and was bought for $850,000 by CRK Stable. He was trained by John Shirreffs. Honor A. P. is from the first crop of foals by Honor Code, a Kentucky-bred stallion whose wins included the Metropolitan Handicap, the Whitney Stakes and the Gulfstream Park Handicap. Honor Code was a late-developing horse known for his come-from-behind finishing kick. Honor A. P. was named in honor of his grandsire, the great A.P. Indy. Honor A. P.'s dam Hollywood Story was a successful racemare who won the Vanity Stakes, Hawthorne Handicap and Bayakoa Stakes. The female line traces back to the broodmare Myrtlewood, whose family includes leading sires Mr. Prospector and Seattle Slew. Career 2019: two-year-old season Honor A. P.'s first race was on August 17, 2019, at Del Mar Racetrack, where he finished second. In his second race on October 13, he scored a win at Santa Anita in a maiden special weight over one mile on the dirt track. 2020: three-year-old season Honor A. P. started his 2020 season on March 7 at Santa Anita in the San Felipe Stakes, one of the traditional prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. He rated in fourth place behind the early leaders and then closed ground to finish second behind Authentic. He earned a solid Beyer Speed Figure of 95 for the race, establishing himself as a serious contender for the Derby. However, Santa Anita was shut down shortly after the race due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the Kentucky Derby wound up being rescheduled to September. On June 6, Honor A. P. returned in the Santa Anita Derby, where he was the second betting choice at odds of 2-1 behind Authentic. He again rated behind the early pace in a tightly bunched pack, then started his move on the final turn while swinging four wide. He hit the lead in mid-stretch and continued to draw away to win by lengths. Shirreffs was happy with the effort.