Sometimes horse racing has the uncanny ability to capture the imagination of the planet due to the stories being told on track. One of the most famous recent examples of this can be found in the story of Cody’s Wish. 

The legendary horse was more than just a racehorse to those that were closest to him, as it gave hope and belief that things were always going to improve. 

However, success on track following Cody’s Wish throughout his career, meaning that he was able to make international headlines across the planet due to the heartwarming story behind the multiple-time Grade One winner.

Early Life

Cody’s Wish was a son of Curlin, who was named the American Horse of the Year in 2007 and 2008, with the damsire being Tapit, who is largely considered to be among the leading stallions across North America, having produced champions such as Flightline, Essential Quality, and Untapable. 

Cody’s Wish was bred by Godolphin Racing in Kentucky, and was trained by Bill Mott. Due to the pedigree boasted by the runner, big targets were already on the agenda from a young age, with connections hoping that he would join the plethora of greats from the yard to land Grade One victory. 

Naming The Horse

The inspiring story behind Cody’s Wish started just months into the racehorse’s life, as Cody Dorman visited the Mott yard thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation. Dorman was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, meaning that he was wheelchair bound and could only speak with the aid of a tablet. 

In 2018, Dorman visited the American yard, and instantly sparked up a connection with the foal by Curlin, with the horse laying his head on the lap of Dorman, despite grooms claiming beforehand that he was a tricky horse to handle.

This instant connection saw Mott and Godolphin determine that the perfect name for the horse was Cody’s Wish in honor of Dorman and his battle with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. 

Racing Career

Cody’s Wish was unraced as a two-year-old, meaning that a run in the Triple Crown was always out of the question. The horse endured struggles on track during his first starts for Mott, claiming just third on three occasions at Belmont Park and Saratoga. Cody’s Wish never competed in the Belmont Stakes live odds though. 

However, as fortunate would have it, Dorman attended the track for his fourth start at Churchill Downs, with Cody’s Wish finally getting over the line and landing a first career win.

The horse’s start would rise further throughout the 2022 season, finishing second in the Challenger Stakes, before winning the Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park. His first big victory would come in the G1 Forego Stakes, beating champion Jackie’s Warrior by over a length.

The Dorman story captured the imagination of the world ahead of the Breeders’ Cup in 2022, with the horse’s best friend claiming that ‘he will win’ the Dirt Mile. He certainly delivered on that promise to win by a head from Cyberknife.

Final Season

Godolphin revealed after the Breeders’ Cup that Cody’s Wish would remain in training for the 2023 season, with the Classic being their big goal. A fifth victory in a row would see him kickstart the season in the Churchill Downs Stakes, before dominating a talented field to land the G1 Metropolitan Handicap.

However, Classic dreams were halted in the following G1 Whitney Stakes when finishing third behind White Abarrio. But, the runner quickly bounce back to winning ways after dominating the Vosburgh Stakes field to set up the defense of his Dirt Mile title at the Breeders’ Cup.

Dorman was once again in attendance at Santa Anita for the big race, and as was the case through Cody’s Wish’s career, he would deliver on track for his best friend. The Godolphin runner held off National Treasure to land the Hollywood ending before being sent to stud, before he was later awarded the Secretariat Vox Populi Award for the second straight year.

Sad Ending

The power that Cody’s Wish had to capture the imagination of racing fans saw the runner awarded the Eclipse Award for the American Horse of the Year, beating Classic winner White Abarrio by over 40% of the vote. However, there was to be a traffic subplot for connections just a day after the Breeders’ Cup.

Less than 24 hours after Cody’s Wish landed the Dirt Mile for the second year in a row, Dorman sadly passed away after a medical event when returning home to Kentucky. The teenager was just 17, and the tragic news was shared by his family on the following day. The team at Godolphin were quick to pass on their condolences, but the power of the story of Cody’s Wish will live long in the memory for those that followed the horse’s career.