Travers Stakes (G1) Recap (8-24-19) - Winner: Code of Honor ($10.80)
Mucho Gusto and Tacitus set this up for a closer. When two very good horses are battling on the lead at a mile and a quarter, you just know another quality horse will pick them off. Tax from post 12 also pushed the pace, and Code of Honor’s pilot John Velazquez had to be loving the race shape. He was patiently ridden from 9th, and he started to move up with a quarter of a mile remaining. He raced wide throughout and swung out even wider in the stretch, and rumbled down the middle to prevail by about three lengths. Tacitus fought with Mucho Gusto throughout and gamely finished a 1/2 length in front of that one for 2nd. The top three ran quality races and Tacitus settled for the runner-up spot once again (also 2nd in G1 Belmont and G2 Jim Dandy). The blinkers definitely got him in the race earlier, and he lost nothing in defeat. He will win one of these big races at some point. Mucho Gusto tried to steal it and probably would have if Tacitus did not get the equipment change. Hats off to Shug McGaughey for having Code of Honor in peak form for the mid-summer Derby. Endorsed rallied from 12th to complete the superfecta. Owendale was a bit more forwardly placed than expected from the rail, and he ended up an even 5th. Highest Honors sort of ran in place throughout and was right behind that one in 6th, and Tax gradually weakened to 7th. Chess Chief, Laughing Fox, and Scars Are Cool were next, and it was a big gap back to Looking At Bikinis (stumbled at start) and Everfast.
Jarrod Horak’s Top 5 Three-Year-Old Males (9-5-19)
#1 - OMAHA BEACH - Ack Ack (G3) at Churchill on Sept. 28 is the new comeback spot.
#2 - CODE OF HONOR - Top 3yo of second half with wins in Dwyer (G3) and Travers (G1).
#3 - TACITUS - Gem of consistency added blinkers and finished 2nd in Travers.
#4 - MAXIMUM SECURITY - Bounced back in Haskell (G1). PA Derby next.
#5 - GAME WINNER - Got sick and missed Travers. No fall plans have been announced.
Article by Jarrod Horak
Photo by Josh Chicorelli
You can read all of our 3-year-old division reports on our Triple Crown 2019 page.
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