Cody’s Wish a gritty, emotional winner of another Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Cody Dorman’s and Cody’s Wish’s Connection Will Resonate Poignantly in Perpetuity
By Ben Baugh
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— Insuperable challenges never seemed to bother Cody’s Wish and Cody Dorman.
So much has already been written about Cody Dorman and the horse named in his honor, but the significance and gravitas of events leading up to Cody’s Wish victory in the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the aftermath, where a medical episode would transform what was already a compelling narrative, made the experience bittersweet not only for the connections but for the entire racing community. Dorman who was afflicted with Wolf-Hirschorn syndrome, passed away on Nov. 5, 2023, at the age of 17. The visceral connection was a powerful testimony between humans and equines.
Triumph and heartbreak are a part of life, the stress and emotions associated with life-changing events are often powerful and palpable, elation at its best and the heaviness of despondency at its worst. Cody’s Wish’s and Cody Dorman’s bond embodied the spontaneous excitement and drama associated with Thoroughbred racing. Their relationship was recognized Thursday evening at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards at The Breakers, Palm Beach, Fla. The palpable presence of Cody Dorman seemed to fill the ballroom, Cody’s Wish was named Horse of the Year receiving 134 of 219 possible votes..
“He just caught us off guard,” said Kelly Dorman, Cody Dorman’s father. “If anyone ever asks off the top of their head if this story was fabricated, made up, you’re dead wrong. There’s so much perfect about this story, it doesn’t seem real at times, the way everything has fallen in place. All the people involved, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, Joel Rosario, we got to meet them. They’re incredible people.”
Godolphin LLC’s Cody’s Wish was a model of consistency during his career, the son of Curiin never finished out of the money in his 16 career starts, finding his way to the winner’s circle 11 times. His intrepid spirit and ardent depth for living were mirrored by that of his human counterpart. Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott is no stranger to winning Horse of the Year plaudits, having earned the honor previously with as Tom Durkin so poignantly stated, “the unconquerable, invincible, and unbeatable Cigar,” who took home the honors in 1995 and 1996. Cody’s Wish also garnered his second consecutive win in the older dirt male category.
“I’m glad he got it (Horse of the Year),” said Mott. “He’s a very deserving horse, a deserving team, it’s great for the Dorman family and the legacy they’ve left behind.”
Cody’s Wish had the same kind of grit and determination as his son, said Kelly Dorman.
“Cody was a warrior and Cody’s Wish was too,” said Dorman.
And although the relationship had already traversed several years, its depth appeared to be in its nascent stages, according to Dorman.
‘It was probably back in August, and we were at a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the organization that was the catalyst in making the connection happen, between the Dormans and the horse, and for it to continue over the past five years.
“Danny Mulvihill (stud farm manager, Godolphin) was there and we were just talking off the rail about different stuff, and I told him, ‘deep down, I don’t know what it is, I have this feeling. I don’t know what’s going to happen,’ and were having the conversation about Cody’s Wish’s retirement, I said, ‘I feel like we’re just getting started,’” said Dorman.
The third time was epoch-making for Mott, the 2023 Fan Duel Moment of the Year, showcased the fierce determination of Cody’s Wish capturing his second consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile (Grade One), winning by a nose over 2023 Preakness winner National Treasure. The 5-year-old horse was ridden to victory by his regular rider Junior Alvarado, who had piloted the 5-time grade one winner, 7-time graded stakes winner, and 8-time stakes winner on 10 occasions.
“It’s a dream come true as a jockey,” said Alvarado. “We’re always looking to ride those good horses every year and for it to happen to me, the entire connection about Cody’s Wish and Cody Dorman, their story and their bond, I was just lucky to be a part of it…I know for me it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think both of them right now are in a better place. Cody’s Wish as a stud and Cody Dorman in heaven.”
Cody’s Wish won four of his five starts during his 5-year-old campaign, scoring three Grade One victories in the Churchill Downs Stakes presented by Ford, the Metropolitan Handicap, and the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Mott wasn’t surprised by Cody’s Wish’s campaign.
‘You still have to do it, you have to lead them over there and see what happens,” said Mott. “So many things can happen. We stretched out in the Whitney (Handicap). It probably went beyond his scope as far as distance goes. Once we backed him down to a flat mile, he showed up again, He showed us what he could do.”
Maria Bourne, the office manager at Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm, was responsible for naming the bay son of Curlin. What resulted was one of the most endearing moments in the sport in recent history, with the narrative just beginning to take shape.
“She called me one day, and said, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but do you remember the day that foal laid its head in Cody’s lap?’ I said, ‘Yeah, like it was five minutes ago,’” said Dorman. “She said, ‘We’ve never had anything like that happen. I hope you don’t mind, we just named him Cody’s wish. I almost dropped the phone. It was such an honor. My son after everything he’s been through, to have a racehorse named after him. We were laughing about it earlier tonight (Thursday night), and I said, ‘Mary do you remember when you told me that.’ We had several conversations about that.”
But it was Kelly Dorman’s faith and unbreakable spirit in both his son and the horse’s determination that suggested that greater things were on the horizon.
“To do all the things they did, and impact the entire world,” said Dorman. “During his funeral service, the CEO of Make-a-Wish came to the service. She said, their marketing team that had been running the numbers, that week alone, in the different media formats, he had more than a billion views. She said, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this.’ You’re just bursting with pride. He (his son) had every obstacle in front of him, and he could have just laid down and given up, and he didn’t do it. He wasn’t given legs like most people. He wasn’t given a voice. If he had an itch, he couldn’t scratch it. I always will be proud of him. What he’s done, the legacy he’s left has really helped us…We have our days and it’s rock bottom. I just know he’s looking down on us There’s always something to live for. I know he’s looking down on us right now with a smile, glowing like the sun.”
A Godolphin homebred, Cody Wish’s dam Dance Card was a Grade One winner, who retired with more than $500,000 in earnings and was conditioned by Kiaran McLaughlin.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Godolphin LLC won the Eclipse Award for the outstanding owner for an unprecedented seventh time, and this past year’s win was the fourth consecutive win. They followed that victory with a win in the Breeders’ category.
