William S. Farish | Horse Racing Free Tips

McGaughey Hoping Code Of Honor Back On Schedule For Big Effort In Clark

W.S. Farish's two-time Grade 1 winner Code of Honor had to alter his schedule multiple times in 2020 but his Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey III hopes Friday's Grade 1, $500,000 Clark at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., gets the colt back to the winner's circle.

“He's just been a victim of circumstances with the COVID situation,” McGaughey said. “I would've liked him to run him in the Westchester (G3) which would've been the start of the Belmont Meet in the spring. I would've spaced the races out that way. That didn't' work out so we couldn't run until June 6 in the Westchester. He won that and I really had in my mind I wasn't going to run him back until the Whitney. He's run a lot better with his races spaced.”

Following Code of Honor's half-length victory in the $100,000 Westchester, McGaughey decided to run the colt one month later in the $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

“He ran in the Derby and then didn't run again until Fourth of July weekend and then didn't run again until the Travers during the last part of Saratoga. The Metropolitan Mile is a prestigious race so we decided to run in that race. He was doing really good and he ran a really good race that day. I think if we may have missed that we could've made a better showing in the Whitney.”

Code of Honor finished fourth in the aforementioned Grade 1 Whitney behind the wire-to-wire winner Improbable. The 4-year-old Noble Mission (GB) colt will enter Friday's Clark off a runner-up effort behind Complexity in the $150,000 Kelso (G2).

Friday's Clark is the marquee race of the Churchill Downs Fall Meet. Entries for the 1 1/8-mile event will be taken Sunday. The field is also expected to include graded stakes winners By My Standards, Mr Freeze and Owendale.

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McGaughey Pointing Code Of Honor To Clark At Churchill Downs

W.S. Farish homebred Code of Honor, a last-out second to Complexity in the Grade 2 Kelso, breezed a bullet half mile solo in 47.66 Sunday on a fast main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trainer Shug McGaughey said the Noble Mission chestnut will target the Grade 1, $500,000 Clark, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up on Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs -– although the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile for 3-year-olds and up on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack remains under consideration.

“Code of Honor worked really good. I think the track pulled him along a bit but he's been doing good,” said McGaughey. “We'll see how he comes along in the next few weeks and then decide if we run here or go to the Clark, but I think the two turns and a mile and an eighth probably suits him better than the mile.”

A winner of last year's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Code of Honor is out of the graded stakes winning Dixie Union mare Reunited.

McGaughey is likely to target the Grade 1 Cigar Mile with Phipps Stable and Claiborne Farm's Performer. The 4-year-old Speightstown chestnut earned a 98 Beyer last out when capturing an optional-claiming mile on Oct. 17 at Belmont off an 11-month layoff.

“Performer is doing good. If the track is OK tomorrow he'll work here,” said McGaughey.

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McGaughey: Cigar Mile Or Clark Likely Next Start For Code Of Honor

Trainer Shug McGaughey said W.S. Farish homebred Code of Honor, a last-out second to Complexity in the Grade 2 Kelso on Oct. 3, will point to either the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile for 3-year-olds and up on December 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack or the Grade 1, $500,000 Clark, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up on November 27 at Churchill Downs. Code of Honor won't make a second try to win the Grade 1, $6-million Breeders' Cup Classic, a race in which he finished seventh behind Vino Rosso at Santa Anita in 2019.

“He's doing good. We'll point him to the Clark in Louisville or the Cigar Mile here,” said McGaughey.

Last year, the Noble Mission chestnut captured the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga en route to being elevated to victory in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in a four-win sophomore season that also included a score in the Grade 3 Dwyer on Big Sandy.

Code of Honor owns a record of 4-1-1-1 in 2020 which includes a win in the Grade 3 Westchester on a muddy Belmont track in June.

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Code Of Honor Still Possible For Breeders’ Cup Classic After Kelso Defeat

Following a runner-up performance in Saturday's Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey did not rule Code of Honor out of contention for the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

McGaughey said if Code of Honor does go to the Breeders' Cup, he would prefer the 10-furlong Classic rather than the Dirt Mile.

“We'll have to wait and see how he comes out of it, but I'd be more inclined to run him a mile and a quarter,” McGaughey said. “A mile at Keeneland they start right on the turn and if you draw an outside post you're probably done.”

McGaughey used the Kelso as a Breeders' Cup Classic prep for Honor Code in 2015, who finished third in both races en route to Champion Older Horse honors.

A William S. Farish homebred, the 4-year-old Noble Mission chestnut colt was beaten 2 ¼ lengths to post time favorite Complexity in the one-turn mile Kelso.

McGaughey said Code of Honor is more suited for the classic distance of a mile and a quarter, having won last year's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers at Saratoga and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park [via the disqualification of Vino Rosso].

“I thought he ran fine,” McGaughey said of the Kelso effort. “The first quarter wasn't that fast. I think the way the race set up with a four-horse race got us out of our game plan. I thought he ran well. They ran fast and the winner is a nice horse and he kind of had it his way. It made it a sprint to the end and we're probably not a sprinter.”

Code of Honor has not won since making his 4-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Westchester on June 6 at Belmont Park. Prior to the Kelso, he finished fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney and was a late-closing third in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile.

McGaughey said that Code of Honor could race next year as a 5-year-old.

“All things being equal, I think he will run next year,” he said.

McGaughey worked a handful of stakes contenders on the turf on Sunday morning, including Phipps Stables' Breaking the Rules, who is scheduled to make his next start in the Grade 2, $150,000 Knickerbocker on October 12.

The 5-year-old son of War Front out of the graded stakes-placed A.P. Indy mare Protesting went five furlongs in 1:00.80.

“I thought he worked really well,” McGaughey said. “He eased away from the pole and finished up really well. He'll go to the Knickerbocker.”

Breaking the Rules was a last out fourth as the beaten favorite in the Lure following back-to-back allowance victories at Belmont and Saratoga.

McGaughey said that one can expect to see a different horse show up in his upcoming engagement.

“He ran well up there [at Saratoga], but he came back fourth in the stakes,” said McGaughey, who won the Knickerbocker with Boisterous in 2011-12. “I think he'll be a different horse this time. I don't think he was real comfortable down on the inside. Johnny [Velazquez] had been riding him on the outside, but he was at the Derby and couldn't ride.”

Allen Stable's Civil Union worked five furlongs in 1:02.22 in preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, 250,000 Flower Bowl Invitational, which McGaughey won with War Flag in 2017.

“She went just fine this morning. She went 1:02 and change and did it well. She's going to go to the Flower Bowl,” McGaughey said.

McGaughey also reported that Emory Hamilton's two-time allowance winner Hungry Kitten, who worked five furlongs in 1:02.22, will target the Grade 3, $125,000 Dowager on October 18 at Keeneland going 1 ½ miles on the turf.

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