Shug McGaughey

The 3-1 third choice in a field of seven, Joseph Allen's progressive Civil Union (War Front) built on her last-out success in the GII Glens Falls S. at Saratoga with a breakthrough top-level tally in Saturday's GI Flower Bowl S. at Belmont Park, securing a berth in the gate for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in the process. Allowed to settle last but one beneath Joel Rosario, with only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr})'s half-sister, French and American Group...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-BRED TRIO DEBUT AT BELMONT 3rd-BEL, $63K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 7fT, 1:26p.m. Michael Tabor's THE GIRL HERSELF (American Pharoah) is one of three blue-blooded fillies making their career bow in this test. Out of Grade I winner Circle of Life (Belong to Me), the bay is a half to Grade I-winning sire Circular Quay (Thunder Gulch) and MGSP The Roundhouse (Fusaichi Pegasus). Juddmonte homebred Nubian (Pioneerof the Nile) also looks to open her account here. The bay is a daughter of European champion Special Duty...

W.S. Farish's multiple Grade I winner Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) will meet surging 'TDN Rising Star' Complexity (Maclean's Music) for the first time since their juvenile season over a flat mile in the GII Kelso S. Saturday at Belmont. Second to Complexity at 14-1 in the GI Champagne S. here two falls ago, Code of Honor captured the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. two starts later and was runner-up via disqualification in the GI Kentucky Derby two starts after that. Dominating the GIII Dwyer S. over track...

Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) will not be back to defend his title in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and will instead make his next start going a mile in the GII Kelso H. at Belmont Oct. 3. "I said all along after the Whitney that I was going to start all over again," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "I thought the Kelso was a good spot to start over again, running him at a mile instead of a mile-and-a-quarter in the Gold Cup after he's been away for...

SATURDAY'S RACING INSIGHTS: By Christie DeBernardis Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-BRED CURLIN COLT DEBUTS IN NY 6th-BEL, $63K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:36 p.m. St. Elias Stable homebred KNOWN AGENDA (Curlin) makes his career bow in this spot for Todd Pletcher. The chestnut is out of GISW Byrama (GB) (Byron {GB}), who is a half-sister to GSW Klammer (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). He enters off a pair of bullet works, most recently covering a half-mile in a best-of-29 :48 2/5 on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track Sept. 14. His entry-mate...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-Saratoga, $72k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 12:33 p.m. Bill Mott saddles Godolphin's debuting SERENE (Tapit), an $800,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase last year. The chestnut filly is a daughter of multiple Grade I-placed Fascinating (Smart Strike). Out of graded stakes winner Untouched Talent (Storm Cat), Fascinating is a half-sister to Grade I winner Bodemeister (Empire Maker). Also debuting is Peter Brant's Editor at Large (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The Chad Brown trainee was a 260,000gns purchase at last year's Tattersalls October sale. Todd...

Allen Stable's Enola Gay (Uncle Mo) will look to make it two in a row when she goes postward as the morning-line favorite in the Saratoga Oaks at Saratoga Sunday. The Joe Allen homebred opened her career with an impressive debut win at Kentucky Downs, but went to the sidelines following a fourth-place effort over the Aqueduct lawn in the six-furlong Stewart Manor S. last November. Stretched to a mile while making her return in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland last time out, the bay filly closed stoutly to...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Following the draw for the GI Whitney S. Wednesday morning, trainer Shug McGaughey answered more questions about his previous Whitney winners than this year's runner, Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). McGaughey, a member of racing's Hall of Fame since 2004, will try for his fourth victory in Saratoga's premier dirt race for older horses Saturday with William Farish's 4-year-old homebred colt. The chestnut drew in the middle of the strong five-horse field, that features Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike), who has won four straight stakes, and...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- George Weaver feels it. So do Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher and Shug McGaughey. Among the many new issues that Thoroughbred trainers across the country must contend with during the 2020 pandemic is a shortage of skilled staff. In recent years, it has become more difficult for horsemen to secure all the H-2B visas that they desire to legally bring foreign nationals into the country as guest workers. The arrival of COVID-19 in late winter closed U.S. consulates, compounding the problems, preventing visa holders from getting their...

Will Farish's Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) breezed a half-mile in :49.04 (XBTV video) at 5:30 Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga, completing his preparations for Saturday's GI Whitney S. The nine-furlong event offers the winner a fees-paid berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 7. Working beneath his regular exercise rider Lexi Peaden, last year's GI Runhappy Travers S. hero went his opening quarter in :25.1 and galloped out five-eighths of a mile in 1:01.2 to the satisfaction of Hall of Fame...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-RELATED JUVENILES DEBUT AT THE SPA 5th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, 3:28p.m. Wesley Ward unveils Breeze Easy's $290,000 KEESEP purchase OUTADORE (Outwork) in this turf sprint. Out of SP Adore You (Tactical Cat), the gray is a half to SW & MGISP Piedi Bianchi (Overanalyze) and SW Mine Reader (Gemologist). American Gentleman (American Pharoah) also makes his career bow in this spot. The $240,000 KEESEP buy is out of a half-sister to GISW Connect (Curlin) and MSW Tani Maru (Cherokee Run). Shug McGaughey saddles another...

Saturday, Keeneland APPALACHIAN S. PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $150,000, Keeneland, 7-11, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:33.97, fm. 1--ENOLA GAY, 118, f, 3, by Uncle Mo 1st Dam: Dakota Queen, by War Front 2nd Dam: Moon Queen (Ire), by Sadler's Wells 3rd Dam: Infamy (Ire), by Shirley Heights (GB) 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000  RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Allen Stable Inc; B-Mr Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III; J-Julien R Leparoux. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $174,000. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report &...