Honor Code was supposed to be trainer Shug McGaughey’s best chance for a return trip to the Kentucky Derby winner’s cirlce in 2014. But with that colt having missed a month of training, another McGaughey pupil, Top Billing, is emerging as a serious Spring Classics threat.
One has to wonder what kind of hopes McGaughey had for Top Billing in his early training. He began his racing career not in New York or South Florida, McGaughey’s prime racing grounds. Instead, he was unveiled in a six-furlong Maiden Special at Laurel Park on December 6. He made up 14 lengths over a sloppy track and an outclassed field to win by 5 1/4 lengths. His second start did come at Gulfstream Park on January 3, where he was narrowly defeated by the highly regarded Commissioner in a nine-furlong Allowance heat. He improved again in his third outing with a handy 2 3/4-length tally in another two-turn Allowance at Gulfstream.
Top Billing’s late-running style hasn’t necessarily been conducive to the way the Gulfstream Park surface has been playing this winter. That certainly seemed to be in evidence on Fountain of Youth Day. His big move around the far turn is even more impressive if one believes the track that afternoon was slanted extremely toward speed. He was the only horse to gain any ground on Wildcat Red and General a Rod, the two dueling front runners, and he continued running on willingly to the wire.
If the talent is there, the longer trips at Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park won’t be a hinderance. In fact, this colt’s pedigree screams ‘Classic distance’. Top Billing is a son of Curlin, winner of the Preakness Stakes andBreeders’ Cup Classic, etc. en route to Horse of the Year honors in 2007. He’s had a somewhat shaky start to his stallion career as his first crop didn’t perform to expectations as juveniles in 2012. But since then his first crop has emerged with runners like last year’s Belmont Stakes champion Palace Malice. Top Billing is from Curlin’s second crop (that also includes Classics contender Ride on Curlin) and is out of the mare Parade Queen. She’s a stakes-winning/multiple graded-placed daughter of Belmont Stakes winner A. P. Indy, one of North America’s true stamina influences. Parade Queen is the dam of two previous stakes winners, Untouched Talent and King Gulch. The former is the dam of 2012 Arkansas Derby winner andDerby/Preakness runner-up Bodemeister.
Bob Baffert was the last trainer to win back-to-back Kentucky Derbys and he did it in 1998 with Real Quiet, considered a second stringer to barnmate Indian Charlie right up until he was draped with the garland of roses. If McGaughey is able to match that feat in 2014, it just might be with Top Billing moving up from second billing.
Matt O'Neil Consulting 