Code of Honor, Tacitus Face Older Horses in JC Gold Cup

If there's a 3-year-old male whose season has been a microcosm of the division, it would most likely be Tacitus.

Juddmonte Farms' homebred son of Tapit  has managed to mix flashes of brilliance with an aggravating series of misadventures as a beaten favorite into his six starts at 3. Take a step back, and it's reflective of what happened among the Triple Crown class of 2019 that has produced a first-of-its kind disqualified winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), as well as the tease of three spring classic winners who have yet to triumph in another race and a head-shaking $16,000 maiden claiming race at 2 that has produced not one but two horses who have won $1 million grade 1 stakes at 3.

In the case of Tacitus, it was a year that started with the bright promise of wins in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2), followed by being moved up to third in the Kentucky Derby. Then came a string of runner-up finishes as the betting choice in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1).

"It's been frustrating that he's gotten so close and had some unlucky trips in quite a few races this summer. Yet if you had to give an award to the most consistent 3-year-old out there at the top end, you'd have to give it to him," said Juddmonte Farms manager Garrett O'Rourke. "One of the nice things about the horse is that he keeps progressing."

For Tacitus and fellow 3-year-old and Travers winner Code of Honor, the next step on the road to the Breeders' Cup and an Eclipse Award as the top 3-year-old male comes Sept. 28 when they face older horses for the first time in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

A small field of only five turned up for the prestigious stakes that provides the winner with a free spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, but with two older graded stakes winners at Saturday's 1 1/4-mile distance in the field—Preservationist and Vino Rosso—the race has the potential to provide a huge boost to one of the 3-year-olds' Eclipse Award hopes.

For Tacitus, the Gold Cup can help erase memories of a wide trip in the Belmont Stakes, a costly stumbling start in the Jim Dandy, and his most recent runner-up finish in the Travers, when he wore blinkers for the first time and displayed an unusual amount of early speed.

"I think he's in the running for an Eclipse Award. He has to finish out the year with wins, but people seem to forget that he won the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood and then he went on a streak of really game races in grade 1 stakes. The horse has put up a tremendous body of work," O'Rourke said. "Now he needs to show that he can close the year with a big win. I think a lot of other 3-year-olds had one big race, but then they went to the sidelines. It should be taken into account that he's facing older horses Saturday. With wins in the Jockey Club and the Breeders' Cup Classic, he's a lock, but even one win gives him a good chance. There's a lot to play for."

Trainer Bill Mott equipped Tacitus with blinkers for the Travers, hoping to get more speed out of the late-running colt. The plan worked, though Tacitus might have been overly eager as he was on the lead after an opening quarter-mile in :23.11 under jockey Jose Ortiz before settling in second for much of the trip.

In the stretch, he collared frontrunning Mucho Gusto but could not fend off a late surge from William S. Farish's Code of Honor, who sailed past him to a decisive three-length win for trainer Shug McGaughey's fourth score in the Midsummer Derby.

With only five starters in the Gold Cup, the early pace figures to find Tacitus and Centennial Farms' Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner Preservationist, a speedy winner of the 1 1/4-mile Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July, as the most likely runners on the front end.

"The blinkers changed his running style, and he might have reacted too well. The horse may have surprised Jose and was too strong early in the race. He got him under control, but he did go fast in the early stages. Considering how fast he went, it was impressive that he held on as well as he did to finish second," O'Rourke said. "Hopefully, they can have a similar effort, only with him not going so fast in the first quarter-mile and he'll come home stronger. Where he was got him in trouble in his previous starts, and the benefit of the blinkers may be that they keep him out of those spots."

The pro tem leaders in the race for the 3-year-old male championship shape up as Code of Honor and Maximum Security, who owns two grade 1 wins despite being disqualified from first in the Kentucky Derby. But with Maximum Security's status uncertain after a colon ailment knocked him out of last weekend's Pennsylvania Derby (G1), a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup would put Code of Honor in a commanding position heading into the Breeders' Cup.

"I would have to think he would wrap up (the Eclipse Award) with a victory," McGaughey said. "It's been so confusing. You don't know what's going on with Maximum Security, and ever since the Kentucky Derby, there's been question mark after question mark among the 3-year-olds. If we beat Tacitus again, that's three times we beat him, so I can't think of what else can get in the way."

While Code of Honor has a track record against Tacitus, facing older rivals is a new challenge, which McGaughey handled in 1989 when he won both the Travers and the Gold Cup with Easy Goer.

"Obviously, it's a new look. Vino Rosso and Preservationist are two nice, accomplished horses, but it's the logical place to go, and he should be fine," said McGaughey, who has won the race three times. "He came out of the Travers good. He's had three breezes since then, and they've all been fine. He's doing very well, and we're looking forward to running."

Code of Honor, a homebred son of Noble Mission , owns three wins in six starts at 3, taking the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Dwyer Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park along with the Travers. He was also elevated to second in the Kentucky Derby, with his only disappointing performances coming when he was a well-beaten third behind Maximum Security in the Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) and fourth in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, both at Gulfstream Park.

Preservationist, a 6-year-old son of Arch trained by Jimmy Jerkens, made his stakes debut July 6 when he beat 2018 Travers winner Catholic Boy in the Suburban but then finished fourth in the Whitney Stakes (G1) before rebounding with a half-length triumph in the Woodward Stakes.

Vino Rosso, a 4-year-old son of Curlin , has won only five of 13 starts for trainer Todd Pletcher and was third in the Whitney, but he has added incentive to win the race and collect a free spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Two starts ago, the St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable colt won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1), which gives him a win over the track at the same 10-furlong distance as the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.

The field also includes Jeffrey Lambert and Ron Paolucci Racing's Olympic Village, a 3-year-old Congrats  gelding who was claimed for $75,000 in his previous start, a seven-furlong claimer Aug. 16 at Saratoga Race Course. Olympic Village is cross entered in the Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

The 101st edition of the race tops an 11-race Jockey Club Gold Cup Racing Festival card with four graded stakes, including the Vosburgh Stakes (G1), Beldame Stakes (G1), and Pilgrim Stakes (G3T). Post time for the Jockey Club Gold Cup is 5:49 p.m. ET.

Television coverage will be presented on Fox Sports 2 from 2:30-6:30 p.m., with MSG Networks providing regional coverage from 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Entries: Jockey Club Gold Cup S. (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, September 28, 2019, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:49 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tacitus (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	William I. Mott	5/2
2	2Code of Honor (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Claude R. McGaughey III	8/5
3	3Vino Rosso (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2
4	4Preservationist (KY)	Junior Alvarado	126	James A. Jerkens	9/5
5	5Olympic Village (FL)	Javier Castellano	122	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1