'He's the the complete stallion package' - Code Of Honor to stand at Lane's End

Two-time Grade 1 winner Code Of Honor will stand the 2022 season at Lane's End Farm, the operation announced on Sunday.

Earning almost $3 million in a career that included Graded race performances each year from two to five, the son of Noble Mission is a six-time Graded winner. He looks to add to his already impressive résumé this weekend in the Hagyard Fayette Stakes at Keeneland.

Code of Honor got his racing career off to a perfect start wiring the field in a maiden special weight at Saratoga on his two-year-old debut. The victory gave his trainer Shug McGaughey the confidence to target the Champagne Stakes, in which Code Of Honor finished second after stumbling badly at the start.

Early in his three-year-old career, he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and finished third in the Florida Derby, making him a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby.

In the Kentucky Derby, he crossed the wire third, only three-quarters of a length behind the declared winner Country House, and was moved up to second upon the disqualification of first-place finisher Maximum Security for interference.

From there, Code Of Honor won three Graded races in a row to finish out his sophomore season. A victory in the Dwyer Stakes set the stage for his three-length win in the Runhappy Travers Stakes before annexing the Jockey Club Gold Cup in his follow-up race. In that race, he finished second a nose behind Vino Rosso, but was placed first by stewards after bumping with that rival down the stretch.

Noble Mission: sire of Code Of Honor

"Code Of Honor impressed me from day one", said McGaughey. "He is the type of horse every trainer dreams of; he is sound, balanced, and an efficient mover and takes to his training very well. What I saw him do as a two-year-old when breaking his maiden at Saratoga gave me the confidence to go straight to a Grade 1.

"Watching him overcome his bad break in the Champagne to run second was impressive and showed the heart and determination that's been a trademark of Code Of Honor throughout his career."

As a four-year-old and five-year-old, Code Of Honor won the Westchester and Philip H. Iselin Stakes, while also hitting the board in the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap, Kelso Handicap and Clark Stakes.

"Code Of Honor is a special horse on many different levels for us, and we're excited he is returning home to the farm where he was born," said Bill Farish of Lane's End.

"He is what we like to see in a prospective stallion being a consistent performer at the highest level. He was a precocious two-year-old that developed into a Classic horse winning at the elite level. He has the proven race record, desired physical attributes, and deep pedigree to make him the complete stallion package."

Code Of Honor is by European champion Noble Mission, a full brother to Frankel, and out of the W.S. Farish homebred Reunited, a winner of the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland who has produced eight winners from eight starters, including Best Pal Stakes runner-up Big League.

Check out Bloodhorse for all the breeding and racing North American news