Code of Honor reboots in Iselin Stakes
It was almost exactly two years ago that Code of Honor won the Travers Stakes by three lengths, seemingly a breakthrough performance followed by another in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, where Code of Honor narrowly was beaten by Vino Rosso and was placed first via disqualification. The colt appeared to have become one of the top dirt horses in North America. That appearance so far has proved deceiving.
It’s not too late for Code of Honor to scramble back toward the top of the older dirt-route division, and his latest comeback begins Saturday at Monmouth Park, where Code of Honor starts in the $250,000 Iselin Stakes over 1 1/16 miles.
Paco Lopez, who has been in top, top form during this whip-less Monmouth meeting, picks up the mount for trainer Shug McGaughey, who has readied Code of Honor at Saratoga for his first start since January. Code of Honor, a 5-year-old Noble Mission homebred owned by William Farish, last saw racing action when he finished fifth, beaten 10 lengths by victorious Knicks Go, in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
In fact, Code of Honor has won just once in seven starts since being put up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He has shown flashes of the horse he had become that summer without stringing together top performances, though his better showings – a third in the 2020 Metropolitan, a second last fall in the Grade 1 Clark – fit snugly into a race like the Grade 3 Iselin. Online videos of two Saratoga workouts, July 28 and Aug. 16, lend hope to Code of Honor supporters. The horse relaxed nicely in both drills, changed leads smoothly, came through the homestretch with strong acceleration, and proceeded to turn in excellent gallops-out. Code of Honor races on Lasix and gets five pounds from his sternest rival, Phat Man.
Phat Man, 7, won the 2017 Long Branch at Monmouth and a minor 2019 stakes over the surface. He comes into Saturday’s start following a sharp score in a minor stakes race at Delaware Park.
“He’s going into this one as good as he went into the last race,” trainer Kent Sweezey said. “He loves it at Monmouth, and running out of his stall will be a huge advantage. Lasix should also help; his numbers are drastically better with Lasix. I’m excited. [Code of Honor] obviously is the class of the field, but we get him coming off a layoff and us coming off one of our better races and at home.”
West Will Power, drawn on the rail with Nik Juarez, was a close fourth June 12 at Monmouth in the Salvator Mile and ran into a sharp Forza di Oro when second last out in a Saratoga allowance.
“He’s a consistent horse just looking for his breakthrough race,” trainer Kelly Breen said. “He has all the characteristics of a nice horse, just needs to put it all together. The horse is doing good, looks good, so we’re going to give him a shot.”
I’m a G Six and Brice look like the speed of the seven-horse Iselin.
The race is carded as the ninth on a 14-race card and has a scheduled post time of 4:03 p.m. Eastern.