Honor Code (A.P. Indy), who stormed to a dominating victory in the June 6 GI Metropolitan H. last time out, added the GI Whitney H. to his resume with a dramatic late-gasp win over pacesetting Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song) Saturday at Saratoga.
“It was a spectacular race,” said trainer Shug McGaughey, who was winning his first Whitney since Easy Goer captured the historic race in 1989. “A spectacular horse. He's an amazing horse. He has been, really, from the start, from his maiden race here in the slop when it looked like he was hopelessly beaten, and he won. He's really grown into himself. We're very excited and very happy about today. To be able to win a race like the Whitney is a big feather in our cap.”
Honor Code, still facing lingering doubts about his distance limitations, gave fans further room to wonder when he refused to breeze over the Oklahoma training track last Sunday and was rerouted to work over the main track. But McGaughey's faith in the handsome dark bay never waivered.
“People have always held him in high regard, but wondered if he could run around two turns,” the trainer said. “He's got some quirks about him, could he overcome them? I guess he answered all that today. I'm glad it's over with and I'm glad we won, so I don't have to worry about that part of it.”
Liam's Map sprinted out to the early lead and blitzed through fractions of :22.79 and :46.00. Honor Code, meanwhile, was racing with the tailing group some 15 lengths off the pacesetter. Liam's Map shrugged off the challenge of defending Whitney winner Moreno (Ghostzapper) and set sail for home after three-quarters in 1:09.72. Honor Code, still 12 lengths off the pacesetter turning for home and five lengths back with a furlong to run, surged past the tiring field while racing along the rail and produced a determined late rally to reel in the tiring pacesetter in the final jump.
“I don't have anything to do on my horse; that's his style,” commented winning jockey Javier Castellano. “At the three-eighths, I felt like he was going to go to the leader and at the quarter pole, he didn't kick off. When he got to the eighth pole, he switched leads, on the right lead in the right place at the right time. He ran unbelievable, like he always does.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher was far from discouraged by the performance of lightly raced Liam's Map.
“I could see Honor Code was coming, so I knew it would be really close until the finish,” Pletcher said. “He ran unbelievably well, setting those fractions to start and being there to the end. He just couldn't hold off a really good horse.”
Favored Tonalist (Tapit), who was racing with Honor Code through much of the contest, closed for third.
“We tried our best today, and that's it,” said trainer Christophe Clement. “He ran a very good race, and we live to fight another day.” John Velazquez, aboard the beaten favorite, added, “We got in the position we wanted to be in, and tried to make a run. It took a long time to get him going and the other horse passed him. He finally started running at the quarter pole and then he kept running.”
Honor Code, tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' off a debut victory at Saratoga in 2013, ran himself into Triple Crown consideration with a narrowly beaten runner-up effort in that year's GI Champagne S. and a win in the GII Remsen S. His sophomore campaign got off to a rocky start with a runner-up effort in a Gulfstream allowance and he was sidelined until taking a November optional claimer at Aqueduct. He opened 2015 with a win in the Mar. 7 GII Gulfstream Park H. and was fifth in the May 1 Alysheba S. before his tour de force performance in the Met Mile.
Saturday, Saratoga Race Course
WHITNEY S.-GI, $1,250,000, SAR, 8-8, 3yo/up,
1 1/8m, 1:47.82, ft.
1–HONOR CODE, 124, r, 4, by A.P. Indy
1st Dam: Serena's Cat (SW, $131,391), by Storm Cat
2nd Dam: Serena's Tune, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Serena's Song, by Rahy
O-Lane's End Racing & Dell Ridge Farm LLC; B-Dell
Ridge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III;
J-Javier Castellano. $670,000. Lifetime Record:
9-6-2-0, $1,978,260. *1/2 to Noble Tune
(Unbridled's Song), MGSW & GISP, $492,222. Werk
Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Liam's Map, 117, c, 4, Unbridled's Song–Miss Macy
Sue, by Trippi. ($800,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP). O-Teresa
Viola Racing Stables; B-Albaugh Family Stable, LLC
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $230,000.
3–Tonalist, 124, c, 4, Tapit–Settling Mist, by Pleasant
Colony. ($195,000 RNA Ylg '12 FTSAUG). O-Robert
S. Evans; B-Woodslane Farm (KY); T-Christophe
Clement. $125,000.
Margins: NK, 1HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 3.75, 5.10, 3.65.
Also Ran: Wicked Strong, V. E. Day, Lea, Normandy Invasion, Moreno, Noble Bird. Scratched: Coach Inge.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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