Cody's Wish Dominates Westchester at Belmont Park

Cody's Wish  always looked like a winner in the $200,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) May 7 at Belmont Park, and the 3-5 favorite and jockey Junior Alvarado locked up the race early. They stalked front-running Sound Money  in second through quick fractions of :22.68 and :44.91 before gliding to the lead on the turn and drawing off to a five-length runaway over Sound Money.

"I had to make a little move on the turn because the horse in front kind of floated by the three-eighths pole, and I didn't want anybody to get through on the rail," Alvarado said. "At that point, I felt I had enough horse and figured he would carry me all the way to the wire. He's a big horse who needs a big, long run, so I knew it wouldn't be a problem."

It was the fourth victory in the last five starts for the 4-year-old colt by Curlin  , who has improved dramatically for trainer Bill Mott after needing four tries to break his maiden last year. In his previous race, he was second by a neck to Scalding  in the $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. Scalding came back to take the Ben Ali Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, so it was clear that Cody's Wish was on the rise.

The son of Curlin was named for Cody Dorman, a 15-year-old who suffers from the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome.

Cody's Wish paid $3.70 for his fourth win in eight starts and earned $110,000, raising his career total to $385,060 for owner/breeder Godolphin. He was timed in 1:34.68 for a one-turn mile over a sealed surface made sloppy by two days of relentless rain. Mott also won the Westchester with To Honor and Serve (2012) and Flat Out (2013).

Coming in third, 6 1/2 lengths behind Sound Money, was Zoomer . He was 5 3/4 lengths ahead of major disappointment Greatest Honour , who beat 23-1 Informative  by a head to avert a last-place finish in the field of five.

It was the fourth straight defeat for Greatest Honour, who early last year was a highly rated Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) contender. Then came an uncompetitive third as the 4-5 favorite in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) before the discovery of a leg cyst ended his 3-year-old season.

Trainer Shug McGaughey added blinkers for the Westchester to try to wake up Greatest Honour. "I hope the blinkers will help him get into the race and focus better," the Hall of Famer told Fox Sports 2's Acacia Courtney. The blinkers had the opposite effect, with Greatest Honour a distant last for most of the race.

Last winter, Greatest Honour won the Holy Bull (G3) and the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), and Cody's Wish hadn't raced yet. No sport can rival horse racing for dramatic turnarounds.

 "I'm looking forward to what's next," Alvarado said. "He's a horse that we've been pretty high on. Bill Mott likes to take it step by step, and he doesn't like to rush with them. He lets them develop. That always helps in the long run, and it's helped this horse."

Cody's Wish is the fourth foal and first stakes winner out of the Tapit   mare Dance Card, who won the 2012 Gazelle Stakes (G1). She is also the dam of multiple graded stakes-placed Endorsed. Her latest foal is a yearling colt by Into Mischief  . 

Video: Westchester S. (G3)