Honor Code, Private Zone could meet again in Met Mile

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Honor Code and Private Zone put on a pretty good show in Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap, and if all goes well over the next several months, they could meet again at Belmont Park in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap.

Honor Code was back at his winter quarters at Payson Park on Monday morning and doing well according to trainer Shug McGaughey following his thrilling last-to-first victory over Private Zone in the one-mile Gulfstream Park Handicap.

“We kept him here Sunday morning to put him in the cold water spa that Carlo [Vaccarezza] has over in the next barn,” McGaughey said. “It’s 34 degrees saltwater and goes up all the way to their shoulders. The cold water really helps their legs, takes down some of the inflammation that might have built up after a race.”

McGaughey said he worried about Honor Code having to break from the rail in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, and was impressed by the way he overcame an unlucky start as well as the track bias in what he called “without a doubt” the best race of his career thus far.

“I knew the 1 post was a death trap, and then he ducked in leaving the gate and lost that position and fell so far back,” McGaughey said. “I really wasn’t sure he could make up that type of ground over this track against that caliber of horses. He’d never run against anything like that before. To see him be able to do what he did against Private Zone, Wicked Strong, and Valid was incredible.”

McGaughey said he’s in no rush to bring Honor Code back off the race.

“I don’t want to run this horse back too quick,” McGaughey said. “He’s a big, strong horse, but this race is going to take a little sting out of him. We want to be around for the two-turn handicap races in New York during the second half of the year. But the Met Mile is a big goal. It’s a great race and worth a lot of money. I heard Private Zone and maybe even Shared Belief might be going there, too, but that won’t scare us away. If he’s ready, he’ll be there.”

Trainer Jorge Navarro said Private Zone also came out of the Gulfstream Park Handicap “in great shape” and confirmed the Met Mile has always been a major goal for his horse.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the way he ran even though he got beat,” Navarro said. “We had him here only 45 days right out of the paddock and rushed him a little bit to make this race. He’ll be a lot tighter next time. I don’t think he really saw Honor Code way out in the middle of the track like that. I believe if he had seen him, he might have beaten him. If you watched, after the race, he went by the winner again on the gallop out.”

Navarro said the Grade 1 Carter would likely be next for Private Zone after which he’d “look forward to a rematch” with Honor Code in the Met Mile while not ruling out stretching him out around two turns later in the year.