The wildly popular Cody's Wish resumes what could be a Horse of the Year season when he leaves the starting gate in the 2023 Whitney Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. Ranked No. 1 in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, Cody's Wish is the favorite to win the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. He has won six straight races and is coming off a victory in the prestigious Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard. He is the 1-2 morning-line favorite in the 2023 Whitney Stakes odds. Grade 1 winner Zandon is second in the odds at 9-2 in the six-horse Whitney Stakes 2023 field, while the Todd Pletcher-trained Charge It is third in the odds at 5-1. White Abarrio (6-1), Last Samurai (15-1) and Giant Game (20-1) round out the field.
Post time for the $1 million race is 5:42 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what Saratoga Springs-based racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2023 Whitney Stakes picks.
A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team, Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014.
Last year he was red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for $1,678 and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o' War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s.
In April of this year, he hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park for $641, the exacta in the Florida Derby, a Pick 5 at Keeneland and the exacta in the Lexington Stakes. He smashed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes for $532.96, and later in June he crushed the Pick 4 at Belmont for $555. Those are just some of his scores this year.
For Saturday, he has handicapped the 2023 Whitney Stakes lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2023 Whitney Stakes predictions
One surprise: Weir is taking a stand against Charge It. Best known for winning the Dwyer Stakes by 23 lengths last year, Charge It is listed at 5-1 on the morning line, behind only Cody's Wish and Zandon. But Weir expects the Todd Pletcher trainee to pass Zandon in the betting and go off as the second choice.
Charge It has never proven he can beat horses of this caliber. In his three Grade 1 starts, he has finished second (2022 Florida Derby), 17th (2022 Kentucky Derby) and fourth (2023 Met Mile). "I was a fan, but I need to see him prove that he actually fits with better horses," Weir told SportsLine. Weir is not using Charge It in any of his wagers. You can see all of Weir's 2023 Whitney Stakes bets here.
How to make 2023 Whitney Stakes picks
Instead, Weir's top pick is a horse who should be primed for this race. Weir also is high on a longshot who "could be dangerous." Weir is including these horses in his 2023 Whitney Stakes bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horses to back only at SportsLine.
So who wins the Whitney Stakes, and what dangerous longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest Whitney Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for the Whitney Stakes, and find out.
2023 Whitney Stakes odds, contenders
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zandon | 9-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Charge It | 5-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Giant Game | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Last Samurai | 15-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | White Abarrio | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | Cody's Wish | 1-2 | SEE PICKS |
