LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Cody’s Wish, who was edged out of an Eclipse Award as top male sprinter in 2022 by his Bill Mott-trained stablemate Elite Power despite concluding the season with victories in the Grade 1 Forego and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, will make his 2023 debut as a prohibitive favorite in Saturday’s $750,000 Churchill Downs Stakes. The seven-furlong Kentucky Derby Day fixture lured a field of 11, including the red-hot Endorsed, but only as many as 10 will start. White Abarrio will be scratched on order of the Kentucky stewards after his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., had two horses collapse and die over the past five days. The stewards ordered the scratch of all of Joseph's horses Saturday, including Lord Miles from the Kentucky Derby. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the stewards said the scratches were ordered for “the betterment of racing, the health and welfare of our equine athletes, and the safety of our jockeys.” The decision was made “after consultation” with Joseph, the statement said. Under the order, Joseph will not be able to enter horses in Kentucky “until further notice.” Joseph said: “I received a call at approximately 2:30. The stewards asked me to scratch the horses. If I didn’t scratch them they were going to scratch them so I went ahead and scratched them. It’s unfortunate what happened. All the tests [on the deceased] horses have come back inconclusive. The Kentucky Racing Commission told me this morning there’s no findings of wrongdoing on my part.” Without White Abarrio in the race, Cody's Wish will be an even heavier favorite. Cody’s Wish has been on a remarkable run since winning his maiden here in October of 2021, having won six of his seven subsequent starts. His lone setback during that streak came in his 2022 debut when he was beaten a neck by Scalding going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 3 Challenger at Tampa Bay. Cody’s Wish bounced back from that narrow defeat with four straight victories, beginning with an easy five-length triumph in the 2022 Westchester and a neck decision over Three Techniques in the Hanshin Stakes last July at Churchill. He defeated 2021 sprint champion Jackie’s Warrior in the Forego at Saratoga last August and then won the Dirt Mile Nov. 5. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more “We had a good vacation and have gotten a nice series of works in him,” said Mott. “So as far as conditioning wise, I don’t think the layoff should be an issue. And he likes this track. He’s won several races here.” Cody’s Wish is perfect in four starts at Churchill Downs, all at a mile, although he proved seven furlongs was not an issue with his come-from-behind victory in the Forego. “We ran down a really good horse that day in Jackie’s Warrior and then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup off that,” said Mott. “Seven furlongs to a mile, I think he’s just as effective at either distance.” Mott said if Cody’s Wish performs well on Saturday, the Grade 1 Met Mile on June 10 at Belmont would be a possibility for his next start. Endorsed enters the race on a little roll of his own, having won his last three starts, all at Gulfstream Park, including the Grade 3 Fred Hooper and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile. Unlike Cody’s Wish, however, he hasn’t been as effective at Churchill Downs, where he’s winless in six starts. Now 7, Endorsed would eclipse the $1 million mark in earnings if he finishes in the top three in the Churchill Downs. “Last year he was a bit of a hanger,” said trainer Mike Maker. “This year, it looks like he’s figured that out. I know he’s never won here at Churchill, but I think he’s a lot different horse now than when he ran here before. Obviously, [Cody’s Wish] is the one to beat. He’s a champion in my eyes. It’s a very competitive race and one deserving to be run on Derby Day.” :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. The well-traveled 9-year old C Z Rocket comes back to Churchill Downs for the first time since capturing an allowance race in June of 2020, his fourth win in nine starts at this track. C Z Rocket, runner-up behind the champion Elite Power in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 25. Completing the field are Here Mi Song, Hoist the Gold and Get Her Number, the first three finishers in the Grade 3 Commonwealth last month at Keeneland; Tejano Twist, winner of the Grade 3 Whitmore at Oaklawn in March; and outsiders Fortin Hill, Sir Alfred James and Steal Sunshine. - additional reporting by Matt Hegarty :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.