Code of Honor charged down the stretch Saturday evening, pulling away from the field for victory in the 150th running of the Travers Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course.

John Velazquez rode Code of Honor, with a 4-1 morning line, to victory in the $1.25 million Grade I race. Tacitus, the morning line favorite, was second, and Mucho Gusto took third.

It was Velazquez's third victorious ride of the day — following victories in the Grade II Ballston Spa Stakes aboard Significant Form, and the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens Stakes aboard Mind Control.

"Today I made sure when I got him out to the clear, he responded right away, so I was very happy for him," Velazquez said of Code of Honor. "Obviously, we've been looking for this kind of performance for a long time. He's never really put it together until today."

It's the fourth career victory in the Travers for trainer Shug McGaughey, but it had been 21 years since McGaughey's last win in the Midsummer Derby (1998, Coronado's Quest).

"It doesn't get old, but it can't take that long again," McGaughey said.

To see our coverage of Saratoga's racing season, click here.