Cody's Wish to risk win streak in Met Mile on Belmont Stakes undercard
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ELMONT, N.Y. - The Belmont Park undercard leading up to Saturday’s Belmont Stakes figures to be just as compelling and entertaining as the main event itself and offers eight graded stakes, five of them Grade 1’s, topped by the $1 million Metropolitan Mile.
The Met Mile has lured a field of nine, featuring fan favorite Cody’s Wish who is in search of his sixth consecutive victory and fourth against Grade 1 competition. Cody’s Wish is one of four Breeders’ Cup winners who will compete on Saturday’s outstanding program along with his stablemate Elite Power (True North), Forte (Belmont Stakes), and Caravel (Jaipur).
Cody’s Wish is named for teenage Cody Dorman, who is afflicted with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Dorman and the Godolphin homebred have developed a special bond, which has been well documented by the media. Cody’s Wish’s legion of supporters has grown with each successive victory, including his game, last-to-first triumph in the 2022 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile and dominating 4 3/4-length victory to open his 2023 campaign in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day.
Undefeated in six starts at a mile, Cody’s Wish will face eight rivals including Grade 1 winners Doppelganger and Dr. Schivel, along with the red-hot Repo Rocks, whose lone setback in his last six starts was a second-place finish to Doppelganger earlier this year in the Grade 1 Carter.
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Manhattan
A field of 10 was drawn Tuesday for the Grade 1, $750,000 Manhattan, which is led by the Godolphin duo of Ottoman Fleet, popular winner of the Grade 2 Fort Marcy in his U.S. debut here last month, and Warren Point, who seeks to make amends after finishing a disappointing fifth as the 3-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Man o’ War in his first and only start in this country.
Up to the Mark and Red Knight enter the Manhattan off Grade 1 wins in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and Man o’ War, respectively, and figure to be major players in the 1 1/4-mile Manhattan along with the multiple Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising.
Ogden Phipps
A compact field of six older fillies and mares led by defending champion Clairiere will contest the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps. Clairiere came from far back to outfinish ultimate BC Distaff winner and champion Malathaat in last year’s edition of the Phipps.
A close third behind Malathaat to close out her 2022 campaign in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Clairere snapped a modest three-race losing streak when running down 3-5 favorite Secret Oath to capture the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park in her most recent start.
Secret Oath will try to avenge that setback on Saturday in a lineup that also includes Pass the Champagne, runaway winner of the Grade 2 Ruffian here on May 6, and Search Results.
* A full field of 13 3-year-olds was drawn for the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens with Arabian Lion, despite never having won a stakes and turning back to seven furlongs off a series of longer outings, likely to be favored for trainer Bob Baffert over a very contentious field that also features the undefeated and steadily improving Drew’s Gold and Grade 2 Pat Day Mile winner General Jim.
* Caravel, whose current four-race win streak includes a wire-to-wire half-length decision over males in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, will again try to play catch me if you can in the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur, which lured a full field of 14 grass sprint specialists and may prove the most competitive stakes on the card.
The bulky lineup also features Casa Creed, who has won this race each of the last two years and has been beaten just once in four starts over this course. Arrest Me Red, second beaten just a half-length by Casa Creed after contesting all the pace in this race a year ago, will be back for another try and is one of two top contenders trainer Wesley Ward sends out along with multiple Group 3 European turf sprint winner Go Bears Go.
* Trainer Bill Mott opted to bypass the Met Mile with 2022 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Elite Power, who will instead be heavily favored to register his seventh consecutive victory in the Grade 2, $400,000 True North. The imposing presence of the reigning Sprint champion has limited the field to just six starters with the lightly raced Strobe perhaps the best of the others.
* Emaraaty, idle since his easy gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 3 Bernard Baruch last summer at Saratoga, tops a group of seven entered to go a mile over the Widener Turf in the Grade 3 Poker, while a field of 11 was drawn for the Grade 2 Brooklyn at 1 1/2 miles.
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