2019 Travers winner Code of Honor is euthanized at age 6

Code of Honor, W.S. Farish’s homebred winner of two Grade 1 races as a 3-year-old, was euthanized Friday after suffering an irreparable bout of colic, Lane’s End Farm announced Monday. The son of Noble Mission would have turned 7 on Sunday.

Trained by Shug McGaughey, Code of Honor won on debut at Saratoga in 2018 before finishing second in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park.

He won the Fountain of Youth (G2) the following March before finishing third in the Florida Derby (G1) and was promoted from third to second in the Kentucky Derby after the disqualification of Maximum Security.

Code of Honor’s 3 1/4-length win in the Dwyer (G3) five weeks at Belmont Park later kicked off a three-race win streak that saw him rise to the highest level against his own generation and older rivals. His next start was a three-length victory in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga, and he added the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) over elders the following month at Belmont Park.

“Code of Honor was such a special horse to both our family and the farm,” Lane’s End executive Bill Farish said. “Winning the Travers with a homebred will stand as one of the greatest highlights in the farm’s history.

“We are saddened by the loss of Code of Honor, who was just embarking on a promising career at stud.”