Two-time grade II winner Honor Code remains on track for his scheduled start in the $1.25 million NYRA.com Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) June 6 at Belmont Park.
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said June 1 the 4-year-old A.P. Indy ridgling emerged from his half-mile breeze the previous day in good order. Honor Code was clocked in 49.01 on Belmont's main track.
"He came back very good," McGaughey said. "His works have all been good since he ran. He seems to be doing good, he looks good, and he's training good. We're looking forward to running him."
Lane's End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm's Honor Code has worked three times since finishing fifth, beaten six lengths, in the Alysheba Stakes (gr. II) May 1 at Churchill Downs. The loss snapped a two-race win streak for Honor Code, who was knocked from the Triple Crown trail last spring with a suspensory injury.
He won an Aqueduct Racetrack allowance race in November and the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II) March 7 at the Met Mile distance.
"I just didn't think he got hold of the racetrack," McGaughey said. "It happens to a lot of horses at Churchill."
Also being pointed to the Met Mile is multiple grade I winner Bayern , who breezed a strong five furlongs in company with graded stakes-placed Cat Burglar June 1 at Churchill for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
Kaleem Shah's Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Bayern, dominant victor of the Woody Stephens Stakes (gr. II) last June at Belmont, went in 59 1/5, second-fastest of 20 horses, while Cat Burglar got the same distance in 59 4/5.
Bayern is expected to be on the same June 2 flight from Kentucky that is carrying stablemate American Pharoah to New York.
Meanwhile, Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred Untapable, 2014 champion 3-year-old filly, put in her final work on a sloppy Belmont track the morning of June 1 in preparation for the $1 million Ogden Phipps Stakes (gr. I) to be contested as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival presented by DraftKings.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, the now 4-year-old bay daughter of Tapit breezed an easy four furlongs in 49.50 under regular exercise rider Mike Callaham. Her work was the fastest of three horses traveling the same distance, and her stablemate, Shook Up, turned in the second-best time of 50.26 when Callaham took her to the track.
Shook Up, who is owned by Regis Racing, was the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) runner-up in her previous start, and she will run in the $750,000 Acorn Stakes (gr. I) for 3-year-old fillies.
With Asmussen not expected to arrive until later in the week, assistant Scott Blasi supervised the final preparations and said both efforts were easy maintenance breezes for the fillies.
