Injury Knocks Honor Code Off Derby Trail
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Remsen Stakes (gr. II) winner Honor Code will miss the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) after a slight tear in his right hind upper suspensory was detected morning the morning of March 23.
Honor Code had breezed a half-mile in :48.12 a day earlier at Gulfstream Park. He was being prepared for the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"It will heal," Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. "We discovered it this morning. We'll give it 60 days and then re-evaluate it."
The son of A.P. Indy was second in his 3-year-old debut March 12 at Gulfstream Park.
Owned by Lane's End Racing and breeder Dell Ridge Farm, Honor Code came from last to first to break his maiden Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course, and then finished second to Havana in the Foxwoods Champagne Stakes (gr. I) Oct. 5 at Belmont Park. He subsequently defeated early Kentucky Derby favorite Cairo Prince by a nose in the Remsen Nov. 30 at Aqueduct.
In his sophomore debut four months later at Gulfstream, he finished 10 lengths behind Social Inclusion, who set a track record of 1:40.97 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race March 12 at Gulfstream.