Honor Code added another exciting chapter to his young racing career when he battled Cairo Prince through the length of the Aqueduct homestretch to win the $400,000 Remsen Stakes (gr. II) by a nose.
Trained by Shug McGaughey and owned by Lane's End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm, Honor Code was sent off as the 4-5 favorite off of a runner-up effort in the Champagne Stakes (gr. I) last month. With jockey Javier Castellano in the saddle, Honor Code stumbled just a bit at the start of the nine-furlong race, but quickly recovered to race in the fourth position early on as Master Lightning led the way through a slow opening quarter of :25.84 seconds. Mental Iceberg and Cairo Prince were tracking the pace in second and third, while Wicked Strong, Intense Holiday, Afleet Accompli, and Matuszak were the trailers.
In the second quarter mile of the race, Master Lightning succeeded in slowing down the pace dramatically, running the second quarter in :26.90 seconds to complete the opening half-mile in :52.74 seconds. During that time frame, Honor Code made a strong move to challenge for the lead, drawing within a half-length over Master Lightning while settling into the second position. Thereafter, the pace quickened considerably, and while Master Lightning was still in front by a head following three-quarters in 1:17.56 seconds, he had to run the third quarter in :24.82 seconds.
Approaching the homestretch, Honor Code made a move to seize command of the race, passing Master Lightning and opening up a bit of a lead. However, he was quickly confronted by Cairo Prince, and the two colts hooked up in a dramatic stretch duel that saw the early advantage go to Cairo Prince. Honor Code, running along his rival's inside, seemed to be beaten when he dropped a half-length behind, and when both colts drifted toward the rail, Honor Code dropped nearly a length behind and seemed to be in very tight quarters. However, in the final furlong, Honor Code found another gear, and battled back tenaciously to just edge Cairo Prince on the wire by a nose. Wicked Strong rallied strongly to finish third, beaten just a half-length.
The final time was 1:52.92 seconds, although that was not truly indicative of how well Honor Code and Cairo Prince ran. In part because of the slow early pace, and in part because of the talent of the top finishers, the final three-eighths of a mile were run in the spectacular time of :35.36 seconds, with a final furlong in 11:79. Intense Holiday, Master Lightning, Matuszak, Afleet Accompli, and Mental Iceberg completed the order of finish.
Honor Code is a ridgling son of A.P. Indy out of Serena's Cat, by Storm Cat. Bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm, Honor Code has now compiled a record of two wins and a second from three starts, with earnings of $388,000.
-Keelerman
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