‘Reach Out And Take A Shot’: Mott Pondering Whitney Stretch-Out For Cody’s Wish

With two Grade 1 wins from as many starts this year, Cody's Wish may make his next start around two turns, trainer Bill Mott told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday. The 5-year-old son of Curlin could appear on the entry list for the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 5 at Saratoga, contested over 1 1/8 miles, a distance Cody's Wish has yet to attempt.

“If you're going to reach out and take a shot, you might as well do it where it counts,” Mott told DRF. “I don't want to waste a race with him anywhere, but the bottom line is with any of them you don't know they're going to get the distance or not get the distance until you actually try it.”

Cody's Wish has only lost once in his past 10 starts, when trying 1 1/16 miles during the Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in March of 2022. Since that neck loss, Cody's Wish has put together six straight victories, including four consecutive Grade 1 wins: the Forego, Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Churchill Downs Stakes, and the Met Mile.

“He's won several races at the mile distance,” Mott told the NYRA press office on Sunday. “He's won at the one-turn mile and at a two-turn mile. He's never won beyond a mile. Those are some of the challenges that we face now with where we go and what race we're going to run in. That will be under discussion over the next month.”