After work, Cody's Wish all but confirmed for Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott all but confirmed Metropolitan Handicap winner Cody’s Wish will make his next start in the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 5 after watching the fan favorite breeze a very easy five furlongs in 1:01 over the Oklahoma training track on Friday.

“I’m leaning towards the Whitney. I’m 99 percent sure right now that’s where he’ll run next,” Mott said about an hour after the work. “Naturally it goes without saying the horse has to be good and we still have some more work to do. We still have a long ways to go before the race. But I thought it was a perfect work this morning.

“I mean we’re not right on top of the race. He went smoothly. He came home well and looked like he was just galloping. But that’s just him. I’ve also seen him go 58 and 4 and it looked like he was going the same way.”

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Cody’s Wish is coming off one of the most eye-catching performances in some time, rallying from last to a sensational 3 1/4-length Met Mile victory, his sixth in a row and ninth in his last 10 starts. The 112 Beyer Speed Figure he earned matched his previous high for his victory in the Grade 1 Forego here last summer.

When asked to describe the performance, Mott thought for a moment then said dryly, “If you were sitting down it might make you stand up. He’s run so many great races, but I’d think you’d have to rank it right up there at the top, right? I know it was very special to me.

“I guess we all have things we want to accomplish and that was one of them for me. I wanted to win the Met Mile and the Travers. I’ve still never won a Travers and I don’t know how long I’ve got to wait for that. I waited a long time for the Met Mile, and I’m glad it came with him.”

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