Mott With Two Players for Male Sprinter Title

After winning a pair of Breeders' Cup races Nov. 5 at Keeneland with Cody's Wish  and Elite Power , Hall of Famer Bill Mott is now the trainer of two potential finalists for the Eclipse Award of champion male sprinter.

Juddmonte's Elite Power staked his claim for the title by rallying to capture the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and Godolphin's Cody's Wish could also attract support for his determined victory over Cyberknife   in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) around two turns. He previously won the seven-furlong Forego Stakes (G1) at a sprint distance.

"This is the first time that it's even entered my mind. ... I'd leave that up to the voters," Mott said of the possibility. "I mean, look, we saw him on the track yesterday, and I guess it's something to consider."

The more Mott talked, the more he acknowledged that both sons of Curlin   are qualified to be in the championship discussion. Though Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior  , trained by Steve Asmussen, had an accomplished 2023 campaign and might be considered the leader for the award, Elite Power beat him in the Sprint, where Jackie's Warrior was third behind runner-up C Z Rocket , and Cody's Wish ran down Jackie's Warrior in the Forego.

Eclipse Awards are determined by end-of-year ballots from voters from the NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

"I've been involved in situations where I thought the work that a horse has done throughout the year didn't count as much as what they do in the Breeders' Cup—case being War Like Goddess ," he said.

Mott believes her third last year in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar likely cost her a championship to victorious Loves Only You , a Japanese star who raced only one time in North America last year.

"So the Breeders' Cup is important, you know, and I think the voters will actually have a very good look at that," he said.

Breeders' Cup Sprint victors often are awarded championships as male sprinter, though last year Jackie's Warrior secured the title after running sixth behind Breeders' Cup Sprint upsetter Aloha West  . Flightline , a certainty to be Horse of the Year in 2022, was third in male sprinter voting last year behind Jackie's Warrior and Aloha West on the strength of a Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) blowout in late December.

Godolphin announced later Sunday afternoon that Cody's Wish will stay in training for 2023 to aim for another Breeders' Cup run.

Immediate plans are still undecided for Elite Power.

Mott also had War Like Goddess and Olympiad   hit the board in Breeders' Cup races Saturday, with War Like Goddess finishing third behind males in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and Olympiad placing behind Flightline in the Classic (G1).

"Olympiad is going to Gainesway for a week," Mott said. "It's sale time and people want to see him, and I guess they'll have a meeting next week and decide whether he runs again or whether he goes directly to stud or what's gonna happen."

Olympiad is scheduled to stand next year, though sometimes farms choose to race a top dirt horse in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park in late January before the breeding season begins in February.