McGaughey Believes Race Spacing Helped Code of Honor

After watching Code of Honor earn a placing in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), trainer Shug McGaughey made the rare decision to skip the final two legs of the Triple Crown.

The Hall of Fame trainer believes the patient approach has paid off for Code of Honor, who has put together a big summer and fall with victories in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1).

Now the William S. Farish homebred is entered in the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park, where he is the morning-line 4-1 co-second choice.

After the May 4 Derby, in which he reached the wire third and was moved to second after the disqualification of Maximum Security, Code of Honor didn't race again until the July 6 Dwyer Stakes (G3), when he rallied from last of six to post a 3 1/4-length score in the one-turn mile test at Belmont Park. He then received a short break from racing as McGaughey trained him up to his Aug. 24 Travers score.

"That little bit of time he had (after the Derby) to get him to the Dwyer and his race there—then we just trained him up to the Travers—I think it gave him a lot of time to develop mentally and physically, also," McGaughey said.

In his first start against older horses, Code of Honor finished second, a nose behind Vino Rosso , but when the latter was disqualified for interference, Code of Honor was placed first. McGaughey didn't immediately commit to the Breeders' Cup for his 3-year-old son of Lane's End stallion Noble Mission  but liked how his horse bounced out of the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup.

For Farish, Saturday will provide an opportunity to secure a second victory in the Classic. He won the 1992 edition with A.P. Indy, who was campaigned by Farish, William Kilroy, Tomonori Tsurumaki, and Harold Goodman. Farish and Kilroy bred A.P. Indy, who went on to be a multiple leading sire at Farish's Lane's End.

Code of Honor is out of the Dixie Union mare Reunited, whom Farish campaigned to a victory in the 2005 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. Reunited has also produced grade 2-placed Big League, by Speightstown .