Early Bird Watch: Honor Code
Image courtesy of Woodford Racing
It’s August, so it’s time to start perusing *legitimate* Derby candidates for next year! It’s hard not to like an A.P. Indy. It’s even harder not to like an A.P. Indy with cool markings like the big, distorted blaze owned by one of Indy’s last sons, Honor Code.
While he has yet to make his first career start, he looks to be well on his way to making a name for himself should he stick to the quiet hype he has generated on the backside of Saratoga. Trained by none other than Shug McGaughey, Honor Code should be near the top of anyone’s list after the royally-bred Orb took home the roses this year. He has some pretty neat family in his tree that suggest a Derby run next year.
A.P. Indy needs little introduction to the racing world as a Belmont winner and prolific sire of classic dirt runners, and Honor Code’s maternal family needs little explanation as well. Like Bodemeister and other elite runners, he is out of a Storm Cat daughter in stakes winner Serena’s Cat whose first foal was graded winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Noble Tune. Serena’s Cat is a daughter of Serena’s Tune, who won half of her 14 starts, but more importantly is a daughter of super-sire Mr. Prospector and the unforgettable Serena’s Song, a multi-G1 winner and earner of more than $3 million.
Honor Code looks to be getting close to that first start with a recent workout posted in :59 at Saratoga. Let’s see that face we’re all bound to become deranged fans of…
I know OP is long gone but daaamn did you call it. Honor Code was such a stunning looking horse too. I was definitely a deranged fan of his, even if his few races at Churchill were a bit iffy-I was baffled by his race in the Alysheba in ‘15. I’m glad I had a chance to see him at Lane’s End before he was shipped off to…… wherever he is these days. If not for American Pharoah winning the triple crown I think he’d have been named Horse of the Year in 2015.
