Cody’s Wish always look like a winner of the $200,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) May 7 at Belmont Park, and favorites 3-5 Junior Alvarado finished the race early. They stalked and ran first Sound money in seconds through fast fractions of: 22.68 and: 44.91 before gliding to the top at the turn and onto the five-segment run Sound money.
“I had to move a little at the turn because the horse ahead was hovering by the three-eighth pole, and I didn’t want anyone to cross the track,” Alvarado said. “At that point, I felt I had enough horses and thought he would carry me all the way to the rope. He’s a big horse that needs to run long and big, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. “
It was the fourth win in the last five outings for the 4-year-old pony by Curlin , who has greatly improved for coach Bill Mott after needing four attempts to break his maidenhood last year. In his previous race, he finished second first Scaling up in $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Staking (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. Scalding returns to get Ben Ali Stakes (G3) at Keenelandso it’s clear that Cody’s Wish is on the rise.
Curlin’s son was placed for Cody Dorman, a 15-year-old with the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome.
Cody’s Wish paid $3.70 for his fourth win in eight starts and made $110,000, bringing his career total to $385,060 for Godolphin owner/raider. He was timed at 1:34.68 for a one-kilometer run on a sealed surface created by two days of non-stop rain. Mott also won Westchester with To Honor and Serve (2012) and Flat Out (2013).
Coming in at third place, 6 and a half behind Sound Money, is Magnifier . He was 5 3/4 length ahead to great disappointment The greatest honor beater 23-1 Lots of information with a head to thwart a finish in last place in field five.
It was the fourth consecutive defeat for Greatest Honor, whose top last year was the highly rated Kentucky Derby by Woodford Reserve (G1) contender. Then finished third uncompetitive as 4-5th favorites in the Florida Curlin Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) before a cyst was discovered in the final leg. finished his 3-year-old season.
Coach Shug McGaughey added a flash for Westchester to try to wake up the Greatest Honor. The Hall of Famer told Fox Sports 2’s Acacia Courtney: “I hope the flashes will help him get in the race and focus better.” The flash had the opposite effect, with the Greatest Honor coming last in most of the race.
Last winter, Greatest Honor won Holy Bull (G3) and Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), and Cody’s Wish has yet to race. No sport can match horse racing in terms of dramatic turns.
“I’m looking forward to what’s next,” Alvarado said. “He’s a horse we’ve come to appreciate quite a bit. Bill Mott likes to take it one step at a time and he doesn’t like to rush them. He lets them grow. That always helps in the long run, and it helped this horse.”
Cody’s Wish is the fourth pony and the first bet winner of the Tapit mare Dance Card, who won the 2012 Gazelle Stakes Award (G1). She is also the dam of many classified shares that have been confirmed as Endorsed. Her newest pony is an avid pony of Into Mischief .
Video: Westchester S. (G3)
