BY BROCK SHERIDAN

MAY 17, 1980—In one of the more controversial races in Triple Crown history, Florida-bred Codex and jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. survived a claim of foul lodged by jockey Jacinto Vasquez, who was riding the Kentucky Derby-winning filly Genuine Risk, to win the 105th running of the $250,600 Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) at Pimlico Race Course.

With 83,133 in attendance at Old Hilltop and a reported 30 million more watching the telecast on ABC Sports, the Preakness stage was among the most dramatic before the race—then compounded coming out of the second turn and again magnified after the race.

Genuine Risk came into the second jewel of the Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown as the first filly since Regret in 1915 to win the Kentucky Derby. Regret did not run in the Preakness, so Genuine Risk was the first Derby-winning filly to start in the Preakness and the first with Triple Crown possibilities.

Owned by Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone and trained by LeRoy Jolley, Genuine Risk was the 2-1 favorite in the Preakness with Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Jaklin Klugman at 4-1. Jaklin Klugman was also the only other Derby runner in the Preakness.

Two fresh Florida-breds attracted plenty of wagering support in the Preakness with Colonel Moran, winner of the Grade 2 Withers at Aqueduct on May 10, the second choice at 11-5; while the Tartan Farms’ Codex was 5-2.

Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Codex was making his first start since winning the Hollywood Derby (G1) on April 13 and was riding a three-race winning streak into the Preakness. He previously won an allowance race at Santa Anita on March 16 and the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on March 30.

An average 2-year-old with earnings of $25,576 from two wins in seven starts, Codex was only nominated to the Triple Crown because Jeff Lukas, D. Wayne’s son and assistant trainer, did so when his father was away from the barn months earlier.

“My dad doesn’t know how good Codex is,” Jeff was quoted as saying to the Pimlico nominations official in a Sports Illustrated story by William Nack. “If he won’t pay the nomination fee, I will.”

Knight Landing, a 50-1 longshot, set the pace down the backstretch in the Preakness, leading by a length ahead of Jaklin Klugman in second with Codex behind him in third. Genuine Risk was two lengths farther back in fourth.

Codex and Cordero shot past the two leaders heading into the far turn and were alone on the lead with three-eighths of a mile to the finish when Genuine Risk suddenly appeared from her early mid-pack position. Apparently sensing the impending threat from the filly, Cordero looked over his right shoulder only to witness the astounding assault from the Derby winner. In an instant and among the most controversial displays of race riding, Cordero went on the defense, steering Codex out several paths and taking Genuine Risk and her momentum with them—effectively foiling her offense.

Cordero gave Codex a few taps with his right-handed crop and the colt responded by racing away from the filly to win by four-and-three-quarters lengths in 1:54 1/5. Genuine Risk held second and Colonel Moran was third on the inside, more than three lengths back.

The time was just a fifth of a second off the track record set by Canonero in the 1971 Preakness and tied with Spectacular Bid’s 1979 Preakness as the second fastest—although Secretariat’s time was later corrected to 1:53 flat. His closing time of :18 1/5 for the final three sixteenths tied him with Little Current and Florida-bred Affirmed as the fastest final fraction of the race at the time.

The stewards did not post the inquiry sign but were forced to review the incident after Vasquez claimed foul, saying in reports that Codex not only carried the filly out, but they had also bumped. He also alleged that Cordero struck the filly on the nose with his whip.

But the four Pimlico stewards, Clinton Pitts, Lawrence Lacey, Fred Colwill and Edward Litzenberger agreed with Cordero and let the results stand.

 

The notes in the official chart as written by trackman Bill Phillips in the 1981 American Racing Manuel published by Daily Racing Form seem to agree with Vasquez.

“Cordero looked back entering the stretch, angled extremely wide, intimidating and lightly brushing Genuine Risk… [she] lost momentum when being carried extremely wide and lightly brushed into the stretch and gradually weekended thereafter.”

Codex joined Carry Back (1961) and Affirmed (1978) as Florida-bred winners of the Preakness, a list later made by Aloma’s Ruler (1982), Gate Dancer (1984), Silver Charm (1997) and Alfeet Alex (2005). 

The 1980 Preakness was the first of 15 victories in the Triple Crown race by D. Wayne Lukas and the first of seven in the Preakness. His later Preakness winners were Tank’s Prospect (1985), Tabasco Cat (1994), Timber Country (1995), Charismatic (1999), Oxbow (2013) and Seize the Grey (2024).

In the final race of his career, Codex finished seventh in the 1980 Belmont (G1) won by Temperence Hill. He was retired by Tartan Farms with six wins, two seconds and a third from 15 starts and earnings of $534,576. He was syndicated for $6.2 million and stood at stud at Tartan Farms in Ocala. He produced three crops before being found paralyzed in his stall and euthanized on Aug. 20, 1984.

Codex was by Arts and Letters out of the unraced Florida-bred mare Roundup Rose, by Florida-bred Minnesota Mac. He was bred in Florida by Tartan Farms Corp., who also bred Roundup Rose and Minnesota Mac, a son of Rough’n Tumble.

Among his best progeny were multiple graded stakes-winning Florida-breds Lost Code ($2,085,396) and Coup de Fusil ($690,424) and multiple graded stakes-winner Badger Land ($519,625). Coup de Fusil was bred in Florida by Tartan Farms while Lost Code was bred in Florida by Mareinvest 83, Ltd.

The Woodlawn Vase replica presented to Tartan Farms for the 1980 Preakness is currently on display in the Florida Thoroughbred History Museum and Gallery located in the offices of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association in Ocala, Fla.

Return to the May 17 issue of Wire to Wire