Code of Honor 'All Systems Go' After Fountain of Youth

Trainer Shug McGaughey reported March 3 that William S. Farish's Code of Honor came out of his victory in Saturday's $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) in good order.

"So far, all systems are go," said McGaughey less than 16 hours after watching the 3-year-old colt win Saturday and bounce back from a disappointing performance Jan. 5 in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes, also at Gulfstream Park. "He seems to have come back fine. We shipped him back last night to Payson (Park Training Center), and he seems fine this morning."

After wrapping up his 2-year-old campaign with a second-place finish in Belmont Park's Champagne Stakes (G1) last fall, Code of Honor was the heavy favorite in the Mucho Macho Man. But the son of Noble Mission  came up empty and was never a factor, finishing fourth. Dismissed at 9-1 Saturday, Code of Honor redeemed himself in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth to become his sire's first black-type winner.

McGaughey, a Hall of Fame trainer who won the 2013 Fountain of Youth, Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1), and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) with Orb , said he needed to make some changes.

"Obviously, I thought about (the Mucho Macho Man) a lot," he said. "I thought, from what I saw, he probably needed the race and, probably, maybe, needed to change his running style just a little bit. We needed to get into him and train him a little harder and more frequent and see if he would take it. We thought, 'If he takes it, we'll go on.' But it was something that came to me pretty quick."

McGaughey said his preference is to remain at Gulfstream and follow the same route as Orb, running next in the $1 million Xpressbet Florida Derby March 30. "But we're going to have to see how he bounces out of this one," he said.

No matter where Code of Honor shows up next, McGaughey doesn't believe the longer distances of the spring classics will be a detriment for the Farish homebred.

"I don't think distance will be a problem at all," McGaughey added. "He had a brother who ran two turns in Kentucky, and Noble Mission ran as far as you wanted him to run. He was a mile-and-a-half, mile-and-five-eighths horse. (Code of Honor) is a very efficient kind of horse in the way he moves."

Trainer Mark Hennig said Sunday morning that Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable's Bourbon War was "bright and very happy" after closing to finish second behind Code of Honor in the Fountain of Youth. It was the second consecutive year Hennig saddled the runner-up in the race. Last year, Hennig's Strike Power finished behind Promises Fulfilled.

"He came out of it well," Hennig said. "There were a few things that might have made a difference. Coming off the turn, he had to swing just a little wide. But that's horse racing."

Hennig is also optimistic about his colt's ability to go longer.

"He's a horse that likes to run. I really liked his stride the last sixteenth. He just lowered his head, and he really knew what he wanted," he added. "I don't know if you always get that pace set up, but I think he's proven he doesn't need a pace set up. If they're going slower, he'll race a little closer."

Hennig said his immediate thought is to run next in the Florida Derby. "But we have to see how the horse is doing," he added. "He's also won at Aqueduct."

Trainer Ken McPeek reported that Signalman, third in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in November, came out of the Fountain of Youth well after finishing seventh. The plan is still to run next in the April 6 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. Sagamore Farm reported that Global Campaign, who finished fifth in the Fountain of Youth, grabbed himself leaving the gate and that it affected his performance.

Cash is King and D.J. Stable's multiple grade 1 winner Jaywalk, the 2018 champion juvenile filly, exited her fourth-place finish in the $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes (G2) in good order, trainer John Servis reported Sunday morning.

The one-mile Davona Dale marked the sophomore debut of Jaywalk, favored at odds of 1-5 in a field of seven 3-year-old fillies. Her four-race win streak was snapped when she beaten 5 1/2 lengths by 51-1 longshot Jeltrin.

"She's doing super, very good. She was bright-eyed this morning, looked great. She just needed the race, that's all," Servis said. "It's a steppingstone, and that's what we were using it as. I thought she could win anyway, and she didn't, but that's all right. She came out of it good, and we're going to move forward. She'll be ready in May, I can tell you that."

Servis said Jaywalk remains on course for her first major goal of 2019, the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), and expects to have one more race until then, either in the March 30 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) or the April 6 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.

"We'll look at the Ashland, which puts us a week closer to the Oaks, and the Gulfstream Oaks, which comes back quicker but gives us an extra week to get to Kentucky," Servis said. "We'll play it by ear, see how she's doing, see how the fields are shaping up, and just let her tell us."