While the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets is the headliner of the Saturday June 10 card at Belmont Park, the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap commands plenty of attention by itself as the million-dollar secondary feature on the card.

Commonly known as the Met Mile, the race has been contested for more than a century since first run at Morris Park in 1891. It was the feature race on the first day of racing at Belmont Park in 1905, when the great Sysonby finished in a dead-heat for the win with longshot Race King.

Traditionally held on Memorial Day, the race was moved to the Belmont Stakes undercard in 2014. The Met Mile carries a purse of $1 million and the race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” Series. The winner will receive a spot in the starting gate for the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 4, but possibility exists that the winner of this race will instead opt for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, as was the case last year when Metropolitan Handicap winner Flightline went on to win the Classic and the title of Horse of the Year for 2022.

The 2023 edition of the Metropolitan Handicap is a fascinating handicapping puzzle featuring a favorite that looks tough to beat facing eight challengers who all seem to have a chance to run second or at least hit the superfecta.

1. Cody’s Wish (7-5 morning-line odds): Five-year-old fan favorite Cody’s Wish leads the field for the 2023 Met Mile and will be a tough favorite to bet against with five wins in a row and eight wins and a second in his last nine outings including the victory in last fall’s Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Cody’s Wish’s lone loss since Sept. 2021 was in a two-turn race, and he appears nearly invincible in one-turn races like this going seven furlongs or one mile. He returned from a layoff last time out with a dominant win in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford on the Kentucky Derby undercard. In a race loaded with high-quality runners that will go off at good odds, it will be difficult for handicappers to go against this low-priced favorite.

Jockey: Junior Alvarado; Trainer: Bill Mott

2. Slow Down Andy (10-1): He’s not really a mile specialist but he certainly was not embarrassed when he faced Cody’s Wish in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and only lost by 1 ¾ lengths in third. If he runs within two lengths of Cody’s Wish again it could result in an exacta or trifecta finish in the Met Mile. The only horses who’ve beaten him in his last three outings were Cody’s Wish, Cyberknife, Defunded, and Country Grammer, who are all multiple Grade 1 winners. He’s shipping in from the West Coast for this spot, but unlike Cody’s Wish and others in this race who already have recent form, Slow Down Andy will be making his first start back from a seven-month layoff and it’s tough to see him being able to turn the tables.

Jockey: Mario Gutierrez; Trainer: Doug O’Neill

Click image to purchase shirt.

3. Dr. Schivel (10-1): As the winner of the Grade 1 2021 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on his way to a runner-up finish by a nose in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Dr. Schivel clearly has the quality to compete at this level. His career hit the skids since he found his greatest success and raced only once between December of 2021 and May of 2023 when he went to Dubai in March 2022 to finish third in the $2 Million Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Atlantis Dubai. His return from the long layoff last time was an encouraging wire-to-wire victory, but before you get too excited, he faced only two rivals in that win at Santa Anita Park and the race was run at six furlongs. Dr. Shivel is untested and unproven beyond seven furlongs so far in his 11-race career, and this will be a difficult spot for him to unveil a hidden talent at one mile. On the plus side, he’ll probably get the lead and is good to see Irad Ortiz Jr. picking up the mount.

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.; Trainer: Mark Glatt

4. Hoist the Gold (30-1): Finished a well-beaten second behind Cody’s Wish in his last start and has been keeping good company but is winless for over a year since early 2022. Has a habit throughout his career of finishing second, which would seem to be this horse’s ceiling in the Met Mile for trainer Dallas Stewart, who is known for having a penchant for finishing second at big odds in high-profile spots like this one. That seems like a stretch, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Jockey: Luis Saez; Trainer: Dallas Stewart

5. Charge It (6-1): Based on upside, this horse probably has the best chance of the challengers to Cody’s Wish of posting the upset. He disappointed in his last two starts when losing as the big favorite, especially when fifth last time out in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. His best career race, however, came right here at Belmont Park at this one-mile distance when he won the 2022 Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes by 23 lengths with a giant speed figure. If he runs back to that career best, he can upset, and while that seems questionable here in the Met Mile, he does have the right humans in his corner with Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez forming one of the winningest trainer/jockey combinations in the long history of Belmont Park.

Jockey: John Velazquez; Trainer: Todd Pletcher

6. Zandon (5-1): Owns a notable list of career accomplishments including a win in the 2022 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes leading to a third-place finish in the 2022 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve a month later. Has continued to be competitive since then with a list of high-profile in-the-money finishes but remains winless since the Blue Grass over a year ago. Trainer Chad Brown has attempted to turn Zandon into a winning miler, but the colt already failed once before when mustering only a fourth-place finish in last fall’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets.

Jockey: Flavien Prat; Trainer: Chad Brown

7. Repo Rocks (4-1): Somehow seems to fly under the radar in spite of a growing list of stakes wins including a 5 ¼-length win last time out in Belmont’s Grade 3 Westchester Stakes over Zandon. Winner of five of last six races – all stakes – with the only loss coming two starts ago in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets behind Doppelganger. Capable of huge speed figures at middle distances and his fast training pattern at the home base of Parx Racing indicates continued fitness.

Jockey: Ruben Silvera; Trainer: Jamie Ness

Doppelganger. (Sue Kawczynski/Eclipse Sportswire)

8. Doppelganger (20-1): In the midst of a breakout season in 2023 with a 3-for-3 record this year culminating in his Grade 1 win in April in the Carter Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets  when he defeated Repo Rocks. That was significant because he’s the only horse to have beaten Repo Rocks in that opponent’s last six outings. All he lacks right now is a standout speed figure, but the upward trajectory of his career at this point indicates that a big one might be forthcoming. Morning-line odds of 20-1 on a horse exiting a win in the Carter seem like an excessive overlay.

Jockey: Jevian Toledo; Trainer: Brittany Russell

9. White Abarrio (10-1): Making first start for once prominent trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who is reviving his career now after serving a 10-year suspension. Can Dutrow announce his return with a Grade 1 splash like this one? It’s not impossible. While White Abarrio may seem overmatched here, he does exit a big win in his most recent race and anyone who watched last fall’s third-place effort when beaten by a half a length in the 2022 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets would not definitively rule him out of this race, at least in the exotics.

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione; Trainer: Richard Dutrow Jr.

THE PICK: Cody’s Wish 

LIVE LONGSHOT: Doppelganger

SUPERFECTA: 1-8-7-5