Two hours before American Pharoah’s Triple Crown bid on Saturday at Belmont
Trailing the field of 10 by as much as 14 lengths down the backside, Honor
|
In the stretch, Honor Code blew past rivals like they were standing still,
including 8-5 favorite and 2014 Belmont S. (G1) winner Tonalist (Tapit), who could not keep pace with his
contemporary. Under Javier Castellano, Honor Code zoomed past Private Zone
inside the eighth pole and went on to score by 3 3/4 lengths in a time of 1:33
for a mile on a fast track.
Dismissed at 7-1 after a poor try in last month’s Alysheba (G2), which trainer Shug McGaughey chalked up to him not liking the
Churchill Downs track,
Lane’s End and breeder Dell Ridge Farm’s four-year-old ridgling returned
$16.20.
“I was a little concerned with how far back we were, but he kicked today and
the speed came back to him,” McGaughey said. “I saw the fractions, but I was also
watching Tonalist because I knew if he kicks that (the speed) will come back to
him, too. We just kicked harder today.
“We’re tickled to death with the effort. He’s been a special horse all along.
He threw in a bad one at Churchill Downs. Javier came back and he blamed the
track. I had to blame the track. We didn’t get the scenario, either, with the
pace. He’s got an affinity for New York tracks.
“It means a lot (to win the Met Mile). It’s a race I’ve held in high esteem
for a long time. I’ve just been beat in it a couple times. This is a big thrill
for me.”
Tonalist, who kicked off his 2015 season with a sparkling win in the
Westchester (G3) last month, finished second, two lengths ahead of Private Zone.
Tamarkuz (Speightstown), Wicked Strong (Hard Spun), Kobe’s Back (Flatter), Pants
On Fire (Jump Start), Noble Moon, Bay of Plenty (Medaglia d’Oro), and Bayern
(Offlee Wild) completed the order of finish.
This was the second poor effort in as many starts this year for Breeders’ Cup
Classic (G1) winner Bayern, who stumbled leaving the gate, rated in second to
the quarter pole and backed out swiftly. Like Honor Code, he was unplaced in the
Alysheba last time.
Honor Code coming from the clouds is actually old hat. He made up 22 lengths
in the final three furlongs to take his seven-furlong debut by 4 1/2 lengths over a sloppy Saratoga
strip back in 2013, and then just missed by a neck in the Champagne (G1). He ended his
juvenile season with a gutsy photo-finish score in the nine-furlong Remsen (G2)
at Aqueduct.
A distant second against Gulfstream allowance foes in his three-year-old bow,
Honor Code was subsequently withdrawn from classic consideration with a
suspensory injury. He returned from an eight-month layoff November 22 to beat
older allowance rivals by a length at Aqueduct, and then made up 15 lengths to
beat Private Zone a half-length in the one-mile Gulfstream Park H. (G2) March 7.
In the aforementioned Alysheba, over 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs May 1,
Honor Code lagged well behind and made up a only modest amount of ground to be
fifth, six lengths behind the winner. After this rebound performance, Honor Code
has now earned $1,308,260 from a line of 8-5-2-0.
“I don’t know what I’ll do,” McGaughey said. “We’ve got the Suburban (G2) here going around one
turn. He did win the Remsen going around two turns but that was kind of a crazy
race. I’ll just have to try and figure it out.”
Bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge, Honor Code hails from stakes-winning Storm
Cat mare Serena’s Cat. That makes his a half-brother to Grade 2 hero Noble Tune
(Unbridled’s Song). Serena’s Cat is out of the stakes-winning Serena’s Tune (Mr.
Prospector), who also produced multiple Group 3 winner Vocalised (Vindication).
Honor Code’s third dam is the mighty Serena’s Song (Rahy), the champion
three-year-old filly of 1995 and earner of more than $3.2 million. Serena’s Song
is directly responsible for graded/group stakes winner Grand Reward (Storm Cat),
Harlington (Unbridled), Schramsberg (Storm Cat) and Sophisticat (Storm Cat).
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com