Mott: Cody's Wish is mentally prepared to go longer in Whitney

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The willingness to test Met Mile winner Cody’s Wish in the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Whitney Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga underscores the importance of the mental aspect of a Thoroughbred’s development.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said the Whitney was “not really” on his mind when he plotted the 5-year-old campaign for the winner of last November’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. “You put it on the list,” he said, “but you don’t really commit to it early on.”

Mott long had prepared for the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) on May 6 for the seasonal debut because he viewed that as an ideal way to get to the June 10 Met Mile (G1) at Belmont Park. When Godolphin decided to give its son of two-time horse of the year Curlin one more season, a victory in the Met Mile was viewed as paramount with an eye toward his stallion career.

When Cody’s Wish rallied from far back to rule the Churchill Downs by 4 3/4 lengths and used the same style to control the Met Mile by 3 1/4 lengths and extend his winning streak to six in a row, it was clear to Mott that the Godolphin homebred had developed the mindset to possibly handle more ground.

“Mentally, I think he’s more prepared because we’ve learned how he wants to run, basically,” Mott said. “I think it’s sort of a matter of letting him tell you when he wants to go and not pushing the button before it’s time to go.”

Cody’s Wish was hardly the complete package when he began his career. He finished third in each of his first three starts. When he was tested at 1 1/8 miles in his second lifetime outing, in July 2021 at Saratoga, he essentially flunked. The comment line read: “Off slow, rank inside, weakened.”

In his only other contest beyond one mile, when he made his 4-year-old bow in the 1 1/16-mile Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, he was “off a bit slow” and did not have quite enough punch for the stretch run. He was “outkicked” by Scalding by a neck.

In the latest example of Mott’s extraordinary ability to help older horses reach their full potential, Cody’s Wish now possesses a devastating knockout punch because he is no longer rank early. “They’ve got to reserve themselves to get any distance,” Mott emphasized. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mile or six furlongs. They’ve got to rate themselves.

“You’ve got to get them in a rhythm and not use up too much energy early," he continued. "Most horses can’t run at full speed for more than three furlongs. They’ve got to take a break early or late.”

Regular rider Junior Alvarado has helped to persuade Cody’s Wish to take a break in the early stages of a race and wait for his signal to go, leading to four consecutive Grade 1 triumphs. The horse has won nine of his last 10 starts while building his bankroll to $2,328,530.

Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin USA, was quick to sign on for Saturday's race. “We’re going to step out of our comfort zone a little bit and try the Whitney,” he said. “We feel it’s a good spot for him. We like the way he’s training. We’re hopeful that he’s going to do that distance and do it well.”

Cody’s Wish sits atop the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s weekly poll. A Whitney victory would go a long way toward enhancing his horse of the year candidacy.

“I can’t think of a stronger candidate off the top of my head,” Banahan said. “I feel he’s in the pole position at the moment. Hopefully, we can get another win and tighten our grip on that.”

The connections are undecided about whether Cody’s Wish might be asked to add even more ground by tackling the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. The Whitney will be critical in determining that.

“He hasn’t won over a mile yet, so we want to have a really good look at that,” Banahan said.