In the weeks leading up to the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, it seemed everyone wanted to get a glimpse of Godolphin’s Cody’s Wish , the horse that tugged at America’s heartstrings.
The story was a warm one. The 5-year-old horse and his relationship with Kentucky teenager Cody Dorman, who is unable to walk or speak after being born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, was the most popular narrative in horse racing.
The ode lost a little steam when Cody’s Wish’s six-race winning streak ended with a third-place finish in the Whitney. Before the Whitney, people of all walks of life seemed to find their way to Mott’s barn.
“And they still do,” Mott said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. “It’s a great story and I think the story is still kind of going on. People realize he is a good horse. I guess if he would have won it would have been more hype than there is now.”
The son of Curlin was well-beaten in the Whitney as White Abarrio was 6 1/4 lengths ahead of Zandon , who was 3 3/4 lengths in front of Cody’s Wish. The Whitney was 1 1/8 miles, a distance that is just out of the range of Cody’s Wish. He had only run that far once before and finished third, beaten 5 3/4 lengths in the second start of his career, at Saratoga, on July 28, 2021.
There is still time for the Cody’s Wish and Cody Dorman saga to pick up steam again. There will be at least two more races this year, the first being the $250,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack Sept. 30 and then a return to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), a race he won last year, at Santa Anita Park Nov. 4.
“I am sure that will most likely be the last race of his career, so it would be nice to go out on a winning note,” Mott said. “Look, I certainly wasn’t overjoyed by (Whitney loss). I would rather he would have won it but I am always in the hope that he comes back well and we can have another go at it.”
What made the Whitney extra special was that Cody Dorman and his family made the trip to Saratoga to watch their favorite horse. They watched from the winner’s circle but quickly departed after Cody’s Wish was defeated.
“If you are taking them over, every time you risk getting them beat,” Mott said. “If you are worried about getting them beat, you wrap them up in bubble wrap, send them to the farm and say that is enough.”
In the two starts before the Whitney, Cody’s Wish won the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) and the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park.
“That is a career for most horses,” Mott said. “If you had any horse and you could say if all you could win would be the sprint at Churchill Downs and the Met Mile, you would say that is pretty good. He has had a good run.”
Englehart Seeks More Success on New York Showcase Day
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who enjoyed great success with Maple Leaf Mel in the Seeking the Ante Stakes on last year’s New York Showcase Day card, returns this year with a pair of talented contenders in two stakes on an 11-race program Aug. 27 at the Spa.
Neal Allread and Dan Langlais’ homebred Leo and Royal is set for the featured $250,000 Albany Stakes, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, while Tricky Temper looks to provide Englehart with back-to-back wins in the six-furlong $200,000 Seeking the Ante for juvenile fillies.
“I think New York-breds have made their case in open company as well, and it’s nice to have that one day during the meet where you get to showcase all the New York-breds,” said Englehart. “It’s a special day. It’s Saratoga and the program is important to the state. It’s nice to see all the familiar faces that come out for the day.”
Jeremiah Englehart
Leo and Royal, a chestnut son of Alpha , invades from Finger Lakes off a runner-up effort in an allowance Aug. 1 where he finished 11 lengths back of winner Amedeus Music .
“He got a really tough trip,” said Englehart. “It was a race we wanted to be aggressive with and he got stuck behind a wall of horses. He’s a horse that’s got a lot of ability, but he’s still green and immature on some things. We’re taking a shot in this race, and I think eventually he is going to be a New York-bred stakes horse.”
Leo and Royal entered his latest effort off a pair of wins at the Farmington oval, and owns a record of 2-1-0 in four starts. He is out of the Englehart-trained and Allread-owned stakes winner Clean Jean.
Englehart is in search of his fourth victory in the Seeking the Ante after sending out Party Like Grandma (2018), Samborella (2020), and Maple Leaf Mel.
“It’s a nice race and you get a couple of these races that you really enjoy,” said Englehart. “When you’ve won a race multiple times, you kind of look forward to it. It’s always a spot we try and circle with our fillies.”
Mark Stanley’s Tricky Temper gives Englehart a strong chance at victory once again as she enters from an eye-catching 4 3/4-length score in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 9.
Tricky Temper breaks her maiden Aug. 9 at Saratoga Race Course
“She’s still green and still learning, and the most impressive thing about her first race was how she came out of it,” Englehart said. “She came out of it acting like she knows what she’s doing and like she wants to do more.”
Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, the Into Mischief bay was a $230,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She is out of the multiple stakes-winning Any Given Saturday mare Winter Book .
The item on Englehart was contributed by the NYRA Press Office.
