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McGaughey ‘Looking Forward’ To Running Code Of Honor In Saturday’s Whitney

Two-time Grade 1-winner Code of Honor breezed a half-mile in 49.04 seconds at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track in his final work for Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by W.S. Farish and trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Noble Mission worked solo under regular exercise rider Lexi Peaden through splits of 25.1, 49 and out in 1:01.3.

“That's exactly what we wanted. I just wanted him to have a little bit of work and that's what I asked for him to go in,” said McGaughey. “I always breeze him on the Monday before he runs on Saturday. That seems to put him on his game. He's had two good works up here and he seems to be doing fine.”

McGaughey credited Peaden for her professionalism in piloting Code of Honor through his morning training.

“She does a great job on him. She doesn't miss a beat and I have confidence that he'll go out and do what we want him to do,” said McGaughey. “He's a pretty push-button horse. If I put a jock on him, he might go a little bit faster than what I want him to. This way, we'll leave a little something in there.”

Code of Honor enjoyed a tremendous sophomore season winning four of eight starts, including Grade 1 wins in the Runhappy Travers at Saratoga and the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. He launched his 4-year-old campaign with two starts at Belmont Park led by a win in the Grade 3 Westchester in June and a closing third last out in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile on July 4 when traveling one turn.

McGaughey will hand the reins to Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a four-time Whitney winner, when Code of Honor stretches back out to nine furlongs in the Whitney.

“Johnny knows him well and he's been in these spots many times. I'm looking forward to running him a mile and an eighth over this track,” said McGaughey.

Velazquez has previously notched Whitney wins with Left Bank [2002], Lawyer Ron [2007], Commentator [2008] and Cross Traffic [2013], while McGaughey's trio of Whitney victors include Personal Ensign [1988], Easy Goer [1989] and Honor Code [2015].

A probable field for the Whitney includes By My Standards (Bret Calhoun), Improbable (Bob Baffert), Mr. Buff (John Kimmel), Owendale (Brad Cox), and Tom's d'Etat (Al Stall, Jr.)

The Hall of Fame conditioner said he is hopeful the compact but talented field will provide some speed to chase.

“The short field doesn't bother me. He's had short fields, deep fields, it doesn't matter, but I'd like to get some pace,” said McGaughey.

Code of Honor will attempt to become the first horse to win the Travers and the Whitney since Medaglia d'Oro did so in 2002-03. A Kentucky homebred, Code of Honor is out of the graded stakes-winning Dixie Union broodmare Reunited.

Shortly following Code of Honor's impressive breeze, Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing's Eclipse Award-champion Older Dirt Female Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in preparation for her title defense in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign presented by NYRA Bets.

Traveling solo over the Oklahoma training track, Midnight Bisou opened up in 25.2 and was clocked a half-mile in 50.55.

The 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare has notched all 13 of her career wins in graded events. Last year, Midnight Bisou won 7-of-8 starts led by Grade 1 scores in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park, the Ogden Phipps at Belmont, and the Personal Ensign at Saratoga, which she captured in dramatic fashion by a nose over Elate.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bisou kicked off her campaign with a second in the inaugural Saudi Cup and enters Saturday's nine-furlong test off an 8 1/4-length score in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs.

The probable field for the Personal Ensign includes Abounding Joy (Rodolphe Brisset), Motion Emotion (Richard Baltas), Point of Honor (George Weaver), and Vexatious (Jack Sisterson).

Ricardo Santana, Jr. will have the call aboard Midnight Bisou on Saturday.

Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable's Bodexpress breezed five furlongs in 1:02.12 Monday on the main track under exercise rider J.J. Delgado in preparation for the $85,000 Alydar, a nine-furlong test slated for August 9.

Trained Gustavo Delgado has a three-horse stable at Saratoga, overseen by his son Gustavo Delgado, Jr., which includes Grade 1 Runhappy Travers hopeful Caracaro and maiden winner Summer Kid.

Both father and son were trackside Monday and came away impressed with the breeze by Bodexpress.

“It was a good breeze, he went the last quarter very good,” said Delgado.

The 4-year-old Bodemeister colt was a late scratch before the start of the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 18 at Monmouth Park and was nominated to both the Grade 1 Whitney and $85,000 Alydar.

“Today was a maintenance work because he was supposed to race last week,” said Delgado, Jr. “You can tell he is feeling good. He did that today all on his own and he didn't come back too tired. The Alydar makes sense especially since it's been four months since he ran.”

Bodexpress ran second in last year's Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream as a maiden and was elevated to 13th in the Kentucky Derby before becoming an internet sensation after unseating Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez at the start of the Grade 1 Preakness and completing the course of his own accord.

He then enjoyed a successful stop at Gulfstream Park West where he graduated in October and doubled up in November with a 6 3/4-length allowance score. Bodexpress has kept good company since through four starts at Gulfstream Park, finishing third in the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday; fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational; off-the-board in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile; and a prominent third last out in the Grade 3 Hal's Hope on March 28.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano is slated to ride Bodexpress in the Alydar and will also breeze Caracaro on Saturday in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers to be held August 8.

Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing's Caracaro followed up on an impressive January 11 maiden win at Gulfstream with a strong second to Country Grammer in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 at the Spa, earning 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

“He likes Saratoga,” said Delgado. “He will work on Saturday with Castellano.”

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Key Takeaways from an Action-Packed Weekend of Racing

Tom Pedulla presents five takeaways from an active weekend of racing, which featured the triumphant return of Maximum Security from an extended layoff in the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar and other key developments:

Mr Ritz Repeats As Betting Favorite In Seagram Cup At Woodbine

Defending champion Mr Ritz was the star of the show once again in the $125,000 Seagram Cup (Grade 3) on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll conditions the winner, who turned in a gate-to-wire effort with Patrick Husbands aboard. Husbands, who also partnered with Carroll to win the 2011 edition of the Seagram Cup with James Street, earned his fifth victory in the 1 1/16-mile stakes event for older horses.

Explode applied early pressure to the front-runner through splits of :24.28 and :47.95, with recent Eclipse Stakes winner Skywire looming at the rail and Cooler Mike three-wide before offering up a challenge past three-quarters in 1:11:87. However, 6-5 favorite Mr Ritz turned back all challengers down the stretch to prevail by two lengths in 1:43.28.

Second prize went to Skywire, who finished a half-length in front of Cooler Mike. Avie's Flatter, also trained by Carroll, closed four-wide on the turn to claim fourth-place. Jungle Fighter, Tiz a Slam, Perfect Tapatino and Explode completed the field.

“When he made the lead, I was a little worried with that horse [Explode] pressuring him, but he was so relaxed,” said Carroll in a post-race interview. “You could tell he was very relaxed and then we he got a :24 [quarter], I said, 'You know what, they're not going to catch him today.'”

Mr Ritz returned $4.60 to win.

Earle Mack owns and bred the British-bred son of Oasis Dream who opened his 5-year-old campaign finishing third behind stablemate Avie's Flatter and Skywire in the Eclipse on July 4.

“I was a little bit disappointed [in his season's debut], but he definitely got a little tired. He needed that race, he had all winter off and it showed a little bit,” said Carroll. “We thought he was very, very tight – he had been excelling in his works – but there's nothing like a race to really tighten him up, especially at this level of competition.”

Mr Ritz now sports a career record reading 6-3-2 from 13 starts with earnings approaching the half-million-dollar mark.

“He's won stakes on both surfaces. I think he's just a good older horse that's coming into himself,” said Carroll.

The conditioner also watched Woodbine Oaks eligible filly Avie's Samurai ($8.60) win a 6 1/2 furlong allowance race later on the card. Ivan Dalos' homebred stakes-placed filly got up late to prevail by a neck over the favored Sav in 1:16.39 in rein to Luis Contreras.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Thursday, with the 30^th day of the meet featuring eight races, beginning at 3:20 p.m. Racing Night Live returns at 6 p.m. on TSN with the two-hour broadcast covering action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park.

PHOTOS: Mr. Ritz and jockey Patrick Husbands winning the $125,000 Seagram Cup (Grade 3) on Sunday, July 26 at Woodbine Racetrack. (Michael Burns Photo)

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Mandella May Try Pacific Classic Next After United’s Eddie Read Score

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella fired one of his big guns Sunday at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., and the boom shook the grounds and might reverberate forward to the shore track's biggest race of the season.

The veteran trainer gave Flavien Prat a leg up on his turf ace United for the $200,000 Eddie Read Stakes at nine furlongs on grass and watched him walk his beat for an impressive half-length tally.

Then he shook up a couple of turf writers afterwards when he said he's seriously considering Del Mar's signature race – the $500,000, Grade 1 TVG Pacific Classic – as a next start for his ace even though the big chestnut son of Giant's Causeway has never run on the dirt.

“…this horse is training so well on the dirt, month after month, that I'm going to consider running him in the Pacific Classic,” Mandella said immediately following the victory. “I've been thinking all summer about it.”

That surprise set up a potential showdown between possibly the best grass horse on the grounds with possibly the best dirt horse in Maximum Security, who won his TVG Pacific Classic prep yesterday in a photo-finish thriller in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

United ran the Grade 2 Read distance in 1:46.71 and, as the 7/5 favorite, paid $4.80, $3.40 and $2.60 across the board. The $120,000 share of the winner's purse pushed his bankroll to $1,453,549 for owner Larry, Nanci and Jaime Ross, who race under the name LNJ Foxwoods.

Finishing second in the Read was Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Sharp Samurai and third was CYBT, Gevertz, Gitomer, et al's Neptune's Storm.

United, a 5-year-old gelding, is racing in some of the best form of his life. He's now three-for-three on the year after winning a pair of Grade 2 turf tests at Santa Anita earlier in the year.

Mandella, it is recalled, surprised folks at Del Mar previously in 2015 when he unexpectedly entered his filly Beholder in the TVG Pacific Classic against the boys and she proceeded to towrope them by more than eight lengths in a stunning performance.

The trainer has four wins in the Pacific Classic already.

FLAVIEN PRAT (United, winner) – “The race came up perfect. He broke real well and we got a great spot. We went along fine and when I asked him, he just went on with it. When you ride a really good horse like this, it makes things easier. Good horses do good things; they put you in good spots. It's all easier with his kind.”

RICHARD MANDELLA (United, winner) – “We ran him short (less distance) just to pick his head up. Sometimes you run them long too many times they get stale. But this horse is training so well on the dirt, month after month, I'm going to consider running him in the Pacific Classic. (United has run 12 times on turf and twice on synthetics in his career). I've been thinking all summer about it. We'll think about the Del Mar Handicap on turf, too, but if he keeps training on dirt as well as he has been…”

FRACTIONS: :23.88 :47.84 1:11.68 1:35.27 1:46.71

The victory in the Eddie Read was the third stakes win of the session so far for rider Prat and his third in the race itself. He now has 47 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The victory in the Eddie Read was the first stakes score of the meet for trainer Mandella, but his third in the Read. He now has 65 stakes wins at Del Mar, sixth most among all trainers.

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