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Cody's Wish (Curlin) worked five furlongs in 1:00 (1/15) Saturday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for the $1-million GI Whitney Aug. 5.

The Godolphin homebred is currently on a six-race winning streak topped by a powerful 3 1/4-length score last out in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 10 at Belmont Park.

“He was very good. He went five eighths and went well and appeared to be well within himself,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “We're uncertain about the nine furlongs (in the Whitney), but we're going to remain optimistic. Until they do it, you never know. Maybe now that he's more mature than he was early on, maybe he'll do it. He's more seasoned.”

His stablemate and last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elite Power (Curlin) worked a bullet five eighths in :59.60 (1/13) Friday over the Oklahoma training track and could make two starts at the Spa for Mott this summer in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 29 and the GI Forego S. Aug. 26.

“His work was very good,” Mott said. “He'll go to the Vanderbilt and then possibly the Forego.”

Cox Barn Loaded for the Spa…

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) worked a half-mile in :48.88 (6/20) Saturday over the Oklahoma training turf as she prepares to take on the boys in the GIII Troy S., a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older horses Aug. 5.

“Really good. She's an outstanding workhorse,” trainer Brad Cox said of the last out GI Jaipur S. winner. “It's her first move up here on the turf. She breezed last weekend at Churchill. It's just a maintenance move and she's doing great. She's pointing to the Troy right now.”

He continued, “Physically, she looks amazing. She's happy. I don't know if we need her to get any better, she just has to continue to be as good as she's been the first half of the year. If we can duplicate that in the second half, we'll be in great shape.”

The stretch-running Wet Paint (Blame), fourth as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Oaks and second in the Monomoy Girl S. June 17, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 (6/15) Saturday over the Oklahoma training track in preparation for next Saturday's GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

“Really good move this morning. She went five-eighths from the half in 1:00.60 and out in 1:13.60,” Cox said. “She's not the flashiest workhorse, but this morning she was on it and she was wanting to do it. I loved what I saw from her. She's set up for a big run next week.”

West Will Power (Bernardini), winner of the GI Stephen Foster S. July 1, worked a half mile in :51.40 (88/95) at Churchill Downs Saturday in preparation for a possible start in the GI Whitney Aug. 5.

“It was just a really easy half mile and if all is well he make the trip up this week,” Cox said.

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) and Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg), who dead-heated for fourth last out in the GI Belmont S., worked five eighths in company in 1:00.90 (5/13) Friday over the Oklahoma training track.

“Very good move. I'm very happy with them,” Cox said.

Both horses will point to the nine-furlong GII Jim Dandy S. July 29 with an eye towards the 10-furlong GI Travers S. Aug. 26.

“I don't know if any of these horses want to run a mile and a half, but they ran big races in the Belmont and got really good figures,” Cox said. “They've had time to recover and had some really good moves down at Churchill.”

Tapit Trice Haskell Bound…

'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), a close third in the GI Belmont S., breezed a half mile in :49.15 (27/84) over the Belmont Park main track on Saturday in preparation for the GI Haskell Invitational on July 22 at Monmouth Park.

“He just did what he normally does which is work well and gallop out strongly,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He was moving great. It was everything we wanted to see.”

Luis Saez will ride Tapit Trice in the Haskell.

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Trainer Todd Pletcher, a 2021 nominee to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, has a horse entered Saturday at Oaklawn in Fearless, among the favorites for the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older runners.

Roughly 24 hours before Pletcher, the trainer, was scheduled to send out Fearless in the Oaklawn Handicap, unbeaten Pletcher, the horse, was to make his 3-year-old debut in an allowance sprint Friday at Oaklawn.

“I have no connection to the horse,” Pletcher said Wednesday afternoon.

But Sara Patterson does. Pletcher is owned by Patterson's father, Randy, who purchased the son of Jack Milton for $7,500 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Sara Patterson named Pletcher after her best friend, Shad Pletcher, who died in December 2019. He was 48.

“I had just spent the weekend with him,” Patterson said. “Hadn't seen him in a year. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, just passed away. It was a pulmonary aneurism.”

Trained by Randy Morse, Pletcher was a 2 ¾-length winner of his Nov. 27, 2020, career debut at Remington Park. Randy Patterson, Morse's main client, owns Cedar Run Farm, a 200-acre foaling and layup facility just west of Hot Springs in Pearcy. Sara Patterson manages Cedar Run and said Pletcher was the first horse she's selected at a sale.

“It was coming down to the end of the sale and a lot of the sales companies were posting pictures on their Facebook pages – 'Hey, check out this colt, check out this, check out that,' ” Patterson said. “There was a colt and he just kept popping up on my Facebook page. I got to researching it and looking at it.”

After diving into Pletcher's pedigree, Patterson said she really liked the colt and sent her father some pictures. A contact for Randy Patterson then inspected the colt, Sara Patterson said, and gave the thumbs up to bid.

“Dad, of course, made it sound like he wasn't going to buy him,” Patterson said. “It's just another horse, blah, blah. I said, 'OK, that's fine, but if I were going to pick one, that would be my pick. I like that horse.' Sale goes on, I look at the results and, sure enough, I scroll down there and there it says, 'Randy Patterson.' ”

Sara Patterson said she had to come up with a name and eventually thought of her late best friend.

“He was always so supportive of me and my career and finally making the decision to come down to Arkansas,” Patterson said. “I felt like it was cool. He would always tell me how proud he was of me being able to come down and live this dream that I'm living. I was like, 'Pletcher, that's got to be his name. That's it. It's Pletcher.' ”

Patterson, 35, grew up in Anthony, Kan., and she and her father began developing Cedar Run approximately seven years ago to target the Arkansas breeding program.

After the name Pletcher was approved by The Jockey Club, Patterson said she realized “everybody” would believe the colt was named after Todd Pletcher.

“I never even thought about it at the time,” Patterson said with a laugh. “I'm excited about the horse.”

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