Expert Pick of the Week: 2023 Whitney Stakes

Aug 03, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A
compact, but superb, field of six will vie in the $1 million Whitney S. (G1) at
Saratoga on Saturday. The historic event attracted a trio of Grade 1 winners
for the 1 1/8-mile tussle, and I will tab a pair of those fine individuals to
battle it out inside the final furlong.

Godolphin
homebred Cody’s Wish is currently
the feel-good story of horse racing and couldn’t be much sharper leading up to
this demanding test. Trained by Bill Mott, the son of Curlin is a neck shy of
posting 10 wins in succession, and he rides in with four Grade 1 triumphs in a row. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

The
reigning Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) victor has been ultra-impressive in both
the Churchill Downs S. (G1) and Met Mile (G1) to commence 2023, and the five-year-old
streaked home a fantastic winner of the Forego S. (G1) on this course the last
time he raced at The Spa. The Kentucky-bred bay possesses a punishing turn of foot,
and while his kick might not be as potent going nine furlongs over this
surface, the superstar is still impossible to go against after posting a strong
half-mile drill on the Oklahoma on Sunday. Regular pilot Junior Alvarado will
be in the stirrups.

Chad
Brown’s
Zandon finished second in
the 2022 Jim Dandy S. (G1) and third in the Travers S. (G1) on this strip last
season and looks to be rounding up to a major showing in the historic tilt. The dark bay Upstart colt has rallied to be runner-up in each of his outings in
2023 and will appreciate the move to 1 1/8 miles on this occasion. The Kentucky-bred
four-year-old, who bagged the 2022 Blue Grass (G1), is not a win machine, but
he always fires and is surely battle-tested leading up to the Whitney.

The
stout late runner gets a fine post along the rail for his third start of the
campaign, and he will clearly benefit from having a solid pair of morning
drills at this locale, as well. Joel Rosario will be in the silks and rallying
this one from off of a solid early tempo to the top of the lane.

Expert Pick

An
exacta with
#6 Cody’s Wish on top of
#1 Zandon in the 2023 Whitney Stakes
is the Best Bet of the Week.