Code of Honor, Following Sea on course for Cigar Mile

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Multiple Grade 1 winner Code of Honor and the graded stakes-winning 3-year-old Following Sea are both targeting next Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile Stakes at Aqueduct.

Aloha West, the Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner, is also under consideration, according to Aron Wellman, the head of the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners syndicate, which owns the horse.

Code of Honor, winner of the 2019 Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup, was being considered for Friday’s Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs. But trainer Shug McGaughey feels the Cigar Mile is a better spot for Code of Honor, who is scheduled to join the Lane’s End stallion roster in 2022.

“I felt like it was going to be maybe a little bit of an easier spot, but I also thought it would be a lot easier just to run him there and run him around one turn,” said McGaughey, noting the horse is stabled at Belmont and only needs to van to Aqueduct. “It’s a long run down the backside at Aqueduct and I thought he could position himself well.”

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Code of Honor ran one of the best races of his career going a one-turn mile, taking the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont by 3 1/4 lengths in the summer of his 3-year-old season.

Code of Honor, a son of Noble Mission, has run just four times in 2021 with a victory in the Grade 3 Iselin at Monmouth in August his lone win. Most recently, he finished a well-beaten second behind Independence Hall in the Grade 2 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland. Independence Hall is also expected to run in the Cigar Mile.

Following Sea, who won the Grade 2 Vosburgh and ran a very good third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is now all but confirmed for the Cigar Mile.

Pletcher and the principals of owner Spendthrift Farm were considering the Cigar Mile or the Grade 1 Malibu, restricted to 3-year-olds, on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita for Following Sea, but seemed to have settled on the Cigar pending a weekend workout at Belmont.

“The horse traveled to California once, came back here, and is doing well,” Pletcher said. “It eliminates the additional ship. It seemed like he bounced out of the race with really good energy.”

Meanwhile, Aloha West on Wednesday worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds at Fair Grounds and is now listed as a possible starter for the Cigar.

“We breezed him to put him position to go to the Cigar if he tells us he’s ready.” Wellman said Friday. “I think we need a couple more days to figure it out. The horse is doing well.”

A victory in the Cigar Mile would strengthen Aloha West’s bid for an Eclipse Award as champion sprinter.

Following Sea is one of two 3-year-olds Pletcher is pointing to the Cigar Mile. Americanrevolution, the New York-bred who won the Empire Classic by 11 3/4 lengths, is also on schedule for the Cigar Mile.

The California-based Ginobili, second to Life Is Good in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is pointing to this race for trainer Richard Baltas. Others expected to run are Ny Traffic, Olympiad, and possibly Plainsman.