Zipse: Carson’s Run picks up where Cody’s Wish left off

Before a pair of young stars stamped themselves as the next big thing at Aqueduct on Saturday, it was Carson’s Run who ran to the first graded-stakes win of the afternoon. On a weekend full of important races with Breeders’ Cup implications, it may be a colt with no intention of running at the championships next month who may turn out to be the biggest story of all.

At a time when racing can use every bit of good news it can get, Carson’s Run has come along to step in and fill the void.

Belmont at Big A: Carson’s Run is among stakes winners.

Less than a year removed since the retirement of the champion Cody’s Wish and his remarkable connection to a young fan, we have another heartwarming story unfolding in the talented turf runner.

When Wade Jost came to Terry Finley last year in hopes of honoring his son Carson, the West Point Thoroughbreds chief was more than happy to help. Jost joined the group’s 2023 partnership, and Finley named a good-looking young chestnut for the son of his former West Point classmate.

Nine starts into his racing career, the colt is becoming one of America’s best grass runners. More proof of that came Saturday at the Big A. Carson’s Run turned in another impressive performance with a last-to-first victory in the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational.

Carson Jost was born with the extremely rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The condition has confined him to a wheelchair, and he is largely unable to communicate.

A son of Cupid, out of the Henny Hughes mare Hot N Hectic, the colt was purchased for $170,000 out of last spring’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales auction of 2-year-olds in training.

It was hoped that he could develop into a nice runner for the ownership team of West Point and Steven Bouchey. Carson’s Run is exceeding their expectations.

Trained by Christophe Clément and ridden by Dylan Davis, the race favorite trailed the field of six for most of the running in the 1 3/8-mile grass test Saturday. Guided wide for the stretch drive, Carson’s Run uncorked an electrifying turn of foot that carried him quickly from last to first. On the wire he was three-quarters of a length in front of his multiple graded-stakes-winning stablemate Deterministic.

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Davis has been aboard Carson’s Run for each of his three graded-stakes victories, which include a pair of Grade 1s in the 2023 Summer Stakes at Woodbine and the Saratoga Derby Invitational this summer. He clearly loves the colt.

“It’s incredible,” Davis said. “There’s no question about it. It’s a great feeling, and he’s a great horse. I’m happy to be aboard him from the beginning, and it’s a great feeling to run down these types of horses.

“He means everything. He’s one of my top horses, and I get a little emotional when he runs his best races. I just try to stay focused and enjoy the journey.”

The win was the fifth in nine career races for Carson’s Run, who also won the listed Tale of the Cat Stakes this year at Monmouth Park. The winner’s share of the Jockey Club Derby pushed his career earnings to $1,574,629.

Clément is not yet certain where Carson’s Run will make his next start, but he mentioned the Hollywood Derby (G1) on Nov. 30 at Del Mar as a potential target.

That race would represent his first trip to California and a cutback in distance to nine furlongs. Having earned his four stakes victories at four different tracks and at four different distances, there seems to be little that Carson’s Run cannot handle.

Quite possibly the best sophomore turf horse in America, Carson’s Run is doing much more than collecting stakes wins. What he means to a whole group of people, and especially to Carson Jost and his family, is immeasurable.

Whatever comes next, we will be watching and rooting for Carson and Carson’s Run.