Elite Power's Great Record Overshadowed by Cody's Wish

At just about any other barn on the backstretch or Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course, Elite Power  would be the star of the show.

The 5-year-old horse certainly has the resume. The son of Curlin  , who is the 4-5 morning line favorite in the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at the Spa on July 29, has won his last seven starts.

Elite Power won the Eclipse Award as the best sprinter in the country in 2022.

Despite that, he has to take a back seat in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

That's because that is where Cody's Wish  also lives.

Cody's Wish, the owner of a six-race winning streak—the last four being Grade 1s—gets the biggest headlines, not only for his performance on the track, but because of his backstory. He is named for Kentucky teenager Cody Dorman, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder. The boy and horse have forged a special bond, making them the story of the year in horse racing.

Elite Power, as good as he is, is overshadowed by Cody's Wish.

Cody's Wish is the top-ranked horse in the NTRA Thoroughbred poll; Elite Power is second. Elite Power held the top spot for several weeks after winning the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 25. Cody's Wish took over in May and has been No. 1 ever since.

Elite Power just keeps doing his thing.

"Look, he doesn't have the same feel good story going along with him," Mott said outside his barn at the Oklahoma. "But there is nothing negative about his race record, that's for sure."