Code of Honor wraps up Gold Cup prep

ELMONT, N.Y. – After Math Wizard upset Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at odds of 31-1, trainer Shug McGaughey admitted to having a fleeting moment of regret about not running Travers winner Code of Honor in that race.

By Monday, though, McGaughey was quite content with his decision to point Code of Honor to Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, a track where Code of Honor has run well and trained superbly over most of his career.

“I had maybe a second thought but I thought the extra week would help – the mile and a quarter, we don’t have to ship down there,” McGaughey said.

On Monday, Code of Honor completed his serious preparations for the Jockey Club with a half-mile workout in 50.58 seconds. After going a slow opening eighth in 13.87 seconds, Code of Honor got his final three furlongs in 36.71 seconds. He then proceeded to gallop out five furlongs in 1:03.13, and six furlongs in 1:15.56.

“It was a little slower than I wanted,” McGaughey said. “He finished up good.”

Since the Kentucky Derby, where he was moved up to second from third with the disqualification of Maximum Security, Code of Honor won the Grade 3 Dwyer here by 3 1/4 lengths and the Grade 1 Travers by three lengths at Saratoga. Earlier this year, Code of Honor won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream.

While McGaughey has not ruled out the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 for Code of Honor, he seems just as intrigued by the Cigar Mile, which, like the Dwyer, is a one-turn mile. The Cigar will most likely be run on Nov. 30 at Aqueduct.

“I’d like to run him in the Cigar Mile, too,” McGaughey said. “I thought his race in the Dwyer was a great race.”

Entries for the Jockey Club Gold Cup were to be finalized on Wednesday. As of Monday, the field was to include Grade 1-winning older horses Preservationist and Vino Rosso, Travers runner-up Tacitus, and Pimlico Special winner Tenfold.