Rain or shine, slop or not, Cody’s Wish is back in his comfort zone.
The 5-year-old fan favorite takes on five rivals in the $250,000 Vosburgh (G2) on Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack, a sprint race in which Cody’s Wish has been close to unbeatable.
The Vosburgh, at 7 furlongs, is a “Win and You’re In’’ event for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, a race in which Cody’s Wish won last year.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Cody’s Wish will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from post 6. The race, along with the entire Big A card from Saturday was postponed to Sunday due to torrential rains and flooding in the New York metropolitan area.
Godolphin-owned Cody’s Wish has nine victories in 14 career starts – seven at 1 mile and two at 7 furlongs. He ran second in the 1 1/16-mile Michelob Ultra Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs in 2022, then reeled off six wins in a row – including four Grade 1s -- before running third in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 5 Belmont.
In 2021, Cody’s Wish won three of six races, the victories at a mile, two defeats at 7 furlongs and one at 1 1/8 miles. One of those wins came in the Westchester (G3) over a sloppy track.
“One turn and seven (furlongs) to a mile is good for him,” Mott said. “We wanted to see if he could win the Whitney – it’s a very important race and if he could win the Met Mile and the Whitney, those are two very big races.”
Cody’s Wish, a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, is a come-from-behind runner, so his finishing kick makes for an exciting few seconds for fans and horseplayers. He is the heavy 1-5 favorite.
A potential challenger is Accretive, a winner at 6- and 7-furlongs in his two races this year, both allowances, and a second in the 2022 Amsterdam (G2) and a fifth on the H. Allen Jerkens (G1). Trained by Chad Brown, Accretive will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., from post 4.
Mott also sends out 12-1 High Oak in the Vosburgh.
The other graded stakes races on the Saturday card moved to Sunday are the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1), the $400,000 Woodward (G2), and the $250,000 Gallant Bloom (G2).
The picks: 1 Cody’ Wish 2 Accretive 3 Sheriff Bianco
1 Great Navigator (Jairo Rendon, Eddie Owens, Jr.), 20-1
2 Cowan (J. D. Acosta, Raymond Ginter), 20-1
3 Sheriff Bianco (Jose Ortiz, Linda Rice), 10-1
4 Accretive (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Chad Brown), 9-2
5 High Oak (Katie Davis, Bill Mott), 12-1
6 Cody’s Wish (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott), 1-5
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
