Code of Honor, Midnight Bisou Work for Saratoga Targets

Two-time grade 1 winner Code of Honor breezed a half-mile in :49.04 at 5:30 a.m. ET July 27 over the Oklahoma training track in his final work for the Aug. 1 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by W.S. Farish and trained by Shug McGaughey, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Noble Mission  worked solo under regular exercise rider Lexi Peaden through splits of :25 1/5 and :49 and galloped out in 1:01 3/5.

"That's exactly what we wanted. I just wanted him to have a little bit of work and that's what I asked for him to go in," said McGaughey. "I always breeze him on the Monday before he runs on Saturday. That seems to put him on his game. He's had two good works up here and he seems to be doing fine."

McGaughey credited Peaden for her professionalism in piloting Code of Honor through his morning training.

"She does a great job on him. She doesn't miss a beat and I have confidence that he'll go out and do what we want him to do," said McGaughey. "He's a pretty push-button horse. If I put a jock on him, he might go a little bit faster than what I want him to. This way, we'll leave a little something in there."

Code of Honor's sophomore season was topped by wins in the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). He launched his 4-year-old campaign with two starts at Belmont Park, winning the Westchester Stakes (G3) June 6 and finishing a closing third in the Runhappy Metroplitan Handicap (G1) July 4.

McGaughey will hand the reins to Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a four-time Whitney winner, when Code of Honor stretches back out to nine furlongs in the Whitney.

"Johnny knows him well and he's been in these spots many times. I'm looking forward to running him a mile and an eighth over this track," said McGaughey.

Velazquez has previously notched Whitney wins with Left Bank (2002), Lawyer Ron (2007), Commentator (2008), and Cross Traffic  (2013), while McGaughey's trio of Whitney victors have been Personal Ensign (1988), Easy Goer (1989), and Honor Code  (2015).

A probable field for the Whitney includes By My Standards (Bret Calhoun), Improbable (Bob Baffert), Mr. Buff (John Kimmel), Owendale (Brad Cox), and Tom's d'Etat (Al Stall Jr.).

The Hall of Fame conditioner said he is hopeful the compact but talented field will provide some speed to chase.

"The short field doesn't bother me. He's had short fields, deep fields, it doesn't matter, but I'd like to get some pace," said McGaughey.

Code of Honor will attempt to become the first horse to win the Travers and the Whitney since Medaglia d'Oro  did so in 2002-03.

Shortly following Code of Honor's breeze Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables, and Allen Racing's champion older dirt female Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in preparation for her title defense in Saturday's Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Traveling solo over the Oklahoma training track, Midnight Bisou opened up in :25 1/5 and was clocked a half-mile in :50.55.

The 5-year-old Midnight Lute  mare has notched all 13 of her career wins in graded events. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bisou kicked off her campaign with a second in the inaugural Saudi Cup and enters Saturday's nine-furlong test off an 8 1/4-length score in the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) June 27 at Churchill Downs.

The probable field for the Personal Ensign includes Abounding Joy (Rodolphe Brisset), Motion Emotion (Richard Baltas), Point of Honor (George Weaver), and Vexatious (Jack Sisterson). 

Ricardo Santana Jr. will have the call aboard Midnight Bisou Saturday. Saratoga is not allowing out-of-town jockeys to come in for the meet to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and her regular rider, Mike Smith, is based in Southern California.

The Whitney and Personal Ensign are part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, with the Whitney offering an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the Personal Ensign into the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). Both the Classic and Distaff will take place Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Also working Monday was Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred, and GDS Racing Stable's Bodexpress, who breezed five furlongs in 1:02.12 on the main track under exercise rider J.J. Delgado in preparation for the nine-furlong Alydar Stakes Aug. 9.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado has a three-horse stable at Saratoga, overseen by his son Gustavo Delgado Jr., which includes Peter Pan Stakes (G3) runner-up and Travers hopeful Caracaro and maiden winner Summer Kid.

Both father and son were trackside Monday and came away impressed with the breeze by Bodexpress.

"It was a good breeze, he went the last quarter very good," said Delgado.

The 4-year-old Bodemeister  colt was a late scratch before the start of the Monmouth Cup (G3) July 18 at Monmouth Park and was nominated to both the Whitney and Alydar.

"Today was a maintenance work because he was supposed to race last week," said Delgado Jr. "You can tell he is feeling good. He did that today all on his own and he didn't come back too tired. The Alydar makes sense especially since it's been four months since he ran."

Bodexpress ran second in last year's Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) as a maiden and became an internet sensation after unseating Velazquez at the start of the Preakness Stakes (G1) and completing the course of his own accord. He was third in his last start, the Hal's Hope Stakes (G3), at Gulfstream Park March 28.

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano is slated to ride Bodexpress in the Alydar and will breeze Caracaro Saturday in preparation for the Aug. 8 Travers.

"He likes Saratoga," said Delgado. "He will work on Saturday with Castellano."