Code of Honor, Performer breeze four furlongs on Belmont main track

ELMONT, N.Y. - More than 500 horses made the work tabs over the main, training, and turf courses in just over a 24-hour period this weekend at Belmont Park. Among the most prominent was the star-studded pairing of Code of Honor and Performer, who breezed four furlongs in company over the main track Sunday morning.

Working at dawn, Code of Honor and Performer cruised through an opening quarter in 26.31 before picking up the pace to complete the easy half-mile in 51.28. Both continued with excellent energy down the home straight and into the turn, getting five-eighths in 1:03.84 before pulling up six panels in 1:16.52, with Code of Honor holding a slight edge at the end.

The work was the third for Code of Honor, and first beyond three furlongs, since his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 1. Likewise, it was only the third time Performer has breezed since returning from an ankle injury that forced him to scratch from the Grade 1 Carter, further delaying his much-anticipated 2020 debut. Performer has not started since ending his 3-year-old campaign on a four-race win streak with a victory in the Grade 3 Discovery in November.

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“They went off a little slow, but I told them I didn’t want anything fancy and they continually picked it up and galloped-out good,” trainer Shug McGaughey said.

Performer rejoined McGaughey’s barn at the opening of the Saratoga meet in mid-July.

“I’m just going to let him tell me when he’s ready,” McGaughey said. “There’s a race on October 9th. Whether I make it or not, I don’t know. It is still a long ways off. It was frustrating to stop on him like we did earlier this year. He just had some little fragments in there (ankle) that had to be flushed out. I’m just glad we got it all cleaned up.”

McGaughey said he’s pointing Code of Honor to the Grade 2 Kelso here October 3.

“The Whitney was disappointing,” McGaughey admitted. “I think it was just a combination of everything just sort of being screwed up and he wound up running three races pretty quick. After the Whitney, I just said let's go for a restart. And that’s what I’m doing. If he runs well, we can still think about the Breeders’ Cup.”

The turf course attracted most of the star power Sunday. Among those taking the opportunity to work on the grass during the designated session between 9 and 9:45 a.m. were the Christophe Clement-trained pair of top 3-year-old turf specialists Gufo and Decorated Invader, the latter breaking a couple of lengths behind his mate and finishing on even terms with both under strong holds to finish.

Trainer Chad Brown sent out four teams to breeze on the grass, beginning with the familiar pairing of Rushing Fall and Uni, who went five-eighths around the wide dogs in 1:02.50, both finishing with plenty left, with Rushing Fall nearest the rail holding a slight edge at the wire. Sistercharlie was teamed a short while later with Noor Sahara, both going a super-easy half-mile in 50.08 per Daily Racing Form, the former holding a short advantage at the end.