Honor Code

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis With attendance at the sales grounds down dramatically, but internet bidding brisk, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale opened with a workmanlike session Tuesday in Central Florida. "It was a solid start," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "Obviously we had some nice horses go through the ring and sell well. It was a little slow early on in the day, but I thought it leveled out. We are dealing with strange times, that's for sure,...

ELMONT, N.Y.--Linda Rice is as meticulous as they come in preparing her horses. The conditioner knows every detail about each and every horse in her care and maps out very specific plans for them. But, as organized as Rice is, she is equally as adaptable, as every horse trainer must be, and those qualities have served her well as she prepares Max Player (Honor Code) for a step up to the big leagues in an unconventional edition of the GI Belmont S. Saturday. Max Player's unique journey to the top...

Last-out GIII Withers S. scorer Max Player (Honor Code) breezed Saturday morning at Belmont, getting six furlongs in 1:12.25 under work rider Oscar Gomez. It was the sophomore's last work before the GI Belmont S., which is scheduled for June 20. Owned by George E. Hall, who won the 2011 Belmont with Ruler On Ice (Roman Ruler), Max Player is trained by Linda Rice, who last had a runner in the Belmont in 2003 with Supervisor (Skip Trial). "He went the first three-eighths in :36.3 and I instructed Oscar to...

If someone new to our business asked you to pick a single race in 2015 that might explain the passion that consumes us, you probably wouldn't pick the processional exhibitions of a first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. You'd show them the GI Whitney S. In a summer when hardly anyone will be able to renew the Saratoga pilgrimage, you may find the jolt of nostalgia too poignant to revisit the video yourself. But gosh, that was a horserace. Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song), flying just that fraction too close...

Raul Reyes of King's Equine sent out two of the four bullet furlong workers at the final day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale breeze show Saturday. "They both breezed well, no surprises," Reyes said. "They have both been training well all around." One of Reyes's bullet workers was Hip 1179, a NY-bred son of Honor Code (video). Consigned on behalf of breeder Pine Ridge Stables, the colt is out of the stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Indian Rush, who is also responsible for stakes winner's March X Press...

West Coast heavyweights Authentic (Into Mischief) and Honor A.P. (Honor Code) meet for round two in a highly anticipated renewal of Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Authentic made it a perfect three-for-three for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, posting a powerful 2 1/4-length wire-to-wire decision over Honor A.P. in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7. He previously aired by 7 3/4 lengths over stablemate Azul Coast (Super Saver), a next out winner of the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Feb. 15, in the GIII Sham S....

GIII Wither S. hero Max Player (Honor Code) breezed six furlongs in 1:13.87 (1/2) Friday morning on the Belmont training track in preparation for the June 20 GI Belmont S. "He had a nice workout today. He went six furlongs in 1:13 4/5 on the training track and did it easily," said trainer Linda Rice. "We were happy with it. We'll give him two more workouts before the Belmont." A second-out graduate at Parx in December, the George Hall homebred came running late to take the nine-furlong Withers in February...

As Honor A. P. (Honor Code) was gearing up for his career debut at Del Mar last summer, owner Lee Searing had some fun with trainer John Shirreffs while inquiring about a potential rider for his stunning $850,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling acquisition. "I asked John, it wasn't like I didn't know, and said, 'Who are you going to be putting on this big horse,'" Searing said of the veteran conditioner widely known for playing his cards close to his vest. "He said, 'Well, I don't know Lee.' As we got...

Twenty-five years is a long time to spend in a job. Especially one in the world of training Thoroughbreds, which necessitates frequent travel, untold hours of overtime, waking up before the sun and physically toiling away at the daily work of controlling and redirecting the energy of half-ton animals. But when you get to spend that quarter-century under the tutelage of a Hall of Fame trainer, the time becomes an asset. And now, with a life's worth of experience accrued working under Shug McGaughey, former assistant Robby Medina has made...

7th-TAM, $20K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 3:30 p.m. ET Lynne and Edward Hudson's pricey sophomore colt CREED (Honor Code) adds spice to the Wednesday card at Tampa Bay Downs as he makes his career debut for Shug McGaughey in this elongated sprint. A son of GSP Aspiring (Seeking the Gold), the bay hammered for $650,000 at Keeneland September and boasts a strong female family. Second dam Lassie's Legacy (Deputy Minister) is out of MGSW/GISP Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), making her a half-sister to the legendary A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) and MGISW Summer...

Lane's End Farm's Honor Code (A.P. Indy--Serena's Cat, by Storm Cat) was represented by his first Japanese winner when the U.S.-conceived Queen's V V (Jpn) graduated at second asking in Saturday's first race at Hanshin Racecourse. Sent off the narrow second choice at odds of 23-10 to improve off a courageous fourth on course-and-trip debut Dec. 15, the registered black filly landed in midfield and about 10 lengths off the pace set by Bateau du Ciel (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). The latter took the field into the lane and Queen's...

2nd-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 3-8, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.67, ft. FOUR GRANDS (f, 3, Honor Code--Taylor S {SW & GSP, $121,519}, by Medaglia d'Oro), backed down to 8-5 favoritism into the face of a pricey Todd Pletcher firster, ran to her backing Sunday for a facile debut victory at Gulfstream against a field of all fellow first timers. Off a half-step slowly from the outside six slot, the bay was pushed along by Luis Saez to chase in third outside of aforementioned Pletcher representative Maggie Fitz (Ghostzapper). She made an early...