| Code of Honor | |
| Sire: | Noble Mission |
| Grandsire: | Galileo |
| Dam: | Reunited |
| Damsire: | Dixie Union |
| Sex: | Stallion |
| Foaled: | May 23, 2016 |
| Country: | United States |
| Color: | Chestnut |
| Breeder: | William S. Farish III |
| Owner: | William S. Farish III |
| Trainer: | Claude R. McGaughey III |
| Record: | 13:6-2-3 |
| Earnings: | $2,473,320 |
| Wins: | Fountain of Youth Stakes (2019) Dwyer Stakes (2019) Jockey Club Gold Cup (2019) Travers Stakes (2019) Westchester Stakes (2020) |
Code of Honor (May 23, 2016 – December 23, 2022) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2019 Dwyer Stakes, Travers Stakes, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and came second in the 2019 Kentucky Derby.[1] He was euthanized on December 23, 2022, following an inoperable bout of colic.[2]
Code of Honor won his debut on 18 August 2018 at Saratoga Racecourse, and then came second in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on October 6. He stumbled at the beginning of the race but mounted a comeback.[3]
On 5 January 2019, Code of Honor came in fifth in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, then rebounded to win the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 2, where he defeated future Grade 1 winning sprinter Vekoma.[4] His jockey John Velazquez called it an impressive win.[5]
He then came in third in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 30 and second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 4. He crossed the finish line third but was placed second after the disqualification of the winner, Maximum Security.[6]
His trainer Claude McGaughey had planned for Code of Honor to take a break if he did not win the Kentucky Derby, and he returned after the time off to win three graded stakes. First was the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes on July 6.[7]
Code of Honor then won the two biggest races of his career, the first being the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on August 24.[8] He won a stretch duel over three-time Grade 2 winner Tacitus and future Grade 1 winner Mucho Gusto at 4:1 odds.
On September 28, he won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup over older horses after original winner Vino Rosso was disqualified.[9] After his two Grade 1 wins, Code of Honor became one of the leading three-year-olds.
His last race of his three-year-old season was the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 2. Code of Honor came seventh at 4:1 odds behind the winner, Vino Rosso.
Code of Honor won his first start as a four-year-old in the Grade 2 Westchester Stakes on June 6.[10]
He then placed in four graded stakes races, starting with the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on July 4 where he started with odds of 5:2 and finished third behind the winner Vekoma. He followed up with a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes behind the four time Grade 1 winner Improbable.
He finished his four-year-old season with second place finishes in both the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap on September 3 and Grade 1 Clark Stakes on October 27.
Code of Honor started his five-year-old season with a fifth place finish in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on 2 January 2021, which was won by three time Grade 1 winner Knicks Go who had previously won the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Code of Honor had a break and is possible to make a comeback on August 4 in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup or August 21 in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes.
Death-- Code of Honor was euthanized in December 2022 after an inoperable bout of colic. (Bloodhorse)