McGaughey Stars Nearing Returns

In a perfect world, the Shug McGaughey-trained duo of TDN Rising Stars of Honor Code (A.P. Indy) and Top Billing (Curlin) would be preparing for a race like next Saturday’s GI Donn H. Instead they are each scheduled to work this morning at Payson Park with an eye on some less-ambitious spots over the coming week. 

Lane’s End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm’s Honor Code, winner of the 2013 GII Remsen S., was runner-up to Social Inclusion (Pioneerof the Nile) in a March allowance, but suffered a slight tear in his right hind suspensory and was missing for the next eight months. He returned to action in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance at Aqueduct and looked hopelessly beaten at the head of the lane. But he produced a tremendous late turn of foot to score by a length. The maternal great-grandson of the recently pensioned Serena’s Song (Rahy) is penciled in for a start in the $300,000 GII Gulfstream Park H. over the one-turn mile Mar. 7. 

“I was tickled to death with his last race. He had trained that way,” McGaughey said. “The only thing I was surprised with was that he had trained so aggressive I thought that he might lay up in the race a little closer. I think now that we’re getting him stretched out a little bit hopefully he’ll place himself a little bit better.” 

William S. Farish and E. J. Hudson’s Top Billing won two of his first three trips postward, including a January allowance at Gulfstream, but has been sidelined with a cracked right front cannon bone suffered in a workout following his third-place effort in the GII Fountain of Youth S. last February. Top Billing is expected to make his comeback in a second-level allowance, McGaughey said.