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McGaughey: Honor Code's an 'exceptional horse'

The Met Mile could be on the agenda (Natalie Fawkes/Adam Coglianese Photography) Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey was back at work on Sunday morning, training his horses at Gulfstream Park and counting his blessings. Last March, each of his highly regarded Triple Crown prospects, Honor Code (A.P. Indy) and Top Billing (Curlin), were sidelined by injuries two weeks apart. This year, McGaughey will take his dynamic duo with him when he leaves South Florida for New York, looking forward to what he hopes is an exciting summer and fall. "When you've got people that are patient with you, then these are the kinds of things that happen," he said. "I'm excited about it, especially after what I saw yesterday." Honor Code made a dramatic and triumphant four-year-old debut on Saturday at Gulfstream, rallying from last to first to run down multiple Grade 1 winner Private Zone (Macho Uno) and capture the $300,000 Gulfstream Park H. (G2) by a half-length. It was just the second start in 12 months for Lane's End Farm and Dell Ridge Farm's Honor Code, a ridgling who won the Remsen (G2) to cap his two-year-old campaign. "He seemed good this morning," McGaughey said. "Obviously it won't be a couple days until you see the effects from it, but he seemed to come back fine. He's an exceptional horse."

Honor Code broke inwardly from his rail post in the one-mile Gulfstream Park 'Cap and dropped back 15 lengths after four furlongs but steadily gained ground under jockey Javier Castellano and came rolling down the stretch for his fourth victory in six lifetime starts.

"The one post is very difficult going a mile here. Then he broke to the inside and I was watching it on TV and the '1' wasn't up there for a long time," McGaughey said. "When he came into the screen I kind of thought I hope he gets by Wicked Strong (Hard Spun), who was third. He just kept coming. I was really impressed with what I saw.

"Javier, his superlatives were something I've really never heard out of a rider to me before. We're hoping everything continues in the right direction and we get to do what we planned on doing and participate in the big races."

McGaughey was impressed when Honor Code arrived at Gulfstream on Saturday from the trainer's string at Payson Park, where he trained for his seasonal bow and returned later Sunday morning.

"When he shipped down here yesterday and came walking in the barn, I just saw the look in his eye. I said, 'I don't know what will happen, but he'll run his race,'" he said. "You can't imagine the people that were just complimenting the horse by saying how good he looks. That's a pleasure for me, too, to be able to have a horse like that and for people to appreciate kind of what they're looking at. It means a lot."

Races such as the Met Mile (G1) and Suburban H. (G2) at Belmont Park and the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga are among the races McGaughey is targeting for Honor Code this year.

"I told the owners, 'Please don't let me run this horse back too quick now.' I'm sure this had to take a little out of him," he said. "What we want to do is be ready for the big handicap races in New York and then get into the fall and hopefully still be in the ballgame."

McGaughey said Top Billing continues to progress for his next start. The four-year-old returned from a one-year layoff to run fourth in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance February 22 at Gulfstream.

"He came back fine," he said. "He's going to breeze on Tuesday. He's doing fine and when there's the right spot, I'm going to run him."

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