Honor Code's Home Cooking Sizzles in Del Mar Rising Star Romp

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Home Cooking (Honor Code), beaten at 1-2 debuting three weeks earlier at Del Mar, proved that money right and then some with a dominant off-the-pace romp to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors Sunday at the seaside oval.

Coming into her debut off a best-of-124 half-mile move in :46 flat July 24, the $11,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy turned $260,000 OBS March purchase (:9 4/5 breeze) was pressed through a swift :21.44 quarter and won the battle, but lost the war, fading late to finish third. Once again punched down to 1-2 while removing blinkers here, the bay was outsprinted early and settled comfortably in fifth as stablemate and $1-million OBSMAR buy Muteki (American Pharoah) led narrowly through a quarter in :21.63. Longshot firster She's Inthearmynow (Army Mule) was the first to push her chips in and overtook the pacesetter on the latter half of the bend, but Home Cooking was just getting going and blew past the new leader at the top of the lane. Under mild encouragement from Mike Smith, the favorite quickly closed the proceedings and strutted her stuff all alone through the final furlong, hitting the wire a powerful 9 1/4-length victress. Monique (Union Rags) completed the exacta.

The second 'Rising Star' for Lane's End's champion Honor Code, Home Cooking is the second foal to race out of her dam, following Gold for Kitten (Kitten's Joy), third in a pair of stakes as a 3-year-old in 2021. Her second dam produced four-time turf sprint stake winner Successful Native (Successful Appeal) and is a half to MGSW Valid Expectations (Valid Appeal), GSW Little Sister (Valid Appeal) and two other stakes victors. Bought by DARRS for $28,000 last year at Keeneland November, Olympic Avenue has a yearling Take Charge Indy filly named Liar for Hire.