Inspirational story of horse who 'saved boy's life' gets happy ending
A horse named after a teenager who is unable to talk or walk fulfilled a final wish by winning the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for a second time.
Cody’s Wish was named after 17-year-old Cody Dorman, who suffers from the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. They first met in 2018 when Dorman, who communicates only by tablet, was offered a tour of Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm as part of Keeneland’s Make-A-Wish Day.
During the visit, an inquisitive six-month-old foal walked over and put his head in the boy’s lap and from that moment was given the name Cody’s Wish. Cody’s Wish has gone on to establish himself as the best horse in the United States, winning nearly £2.5 million in earnings.
He left it late to win the Dirt Mile, passing the line a nose in front of National Treasure and getting the verdict only after a stewards inquiry because the first two bumped in the closing stages.
Dorman attends nearly every race Cody’s Wish has run but the trips will come to an end with Saturday’s race his final run before he goes to stud. Dorman’s father Kelly said: “In a lot of ways, I think that horse probably saved Cody's life. I know him and the horse has made a lot of lives better.
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“The people that we've got to meet during this process -- first and foremost, the blessing is today Cody's Wish put his head in Cody's lap. The next blessing is all the people we got to meet, like these guys sitting right here, the fans, the entire horse racing nation has been incredible to us. We're so thankful and grateful for that.”
Godolphin representative Michael Banahan said: “We're so fortunate to share the story with the Dorman family. We regret the run coming to an end.
Junior Alvarado after winning on Cody's Wish (Getty Images)“Hopefully there's going to be great opportunities for the Dormans to come out and visit him at the stallion barn when he gets there, and hopefully there will be some babies down the road.”
Trained by hall of famer Bill Mott, Cody’s Wish won 11 of his 16 starts. “It's probably one of the most memorable rides that we've all been on, and I think it's meant so much to so many different people," he said.
“Sometimes it's a small group that gets to enjoy the win, but I think this one's been for a lot of people. We're very thankful for the Make-a-Wish Foundation that brought everything together.
“Godolphin has been terrific. I mean, the team at Godolphin has been so giving and open, and they were all about it, about this whole story, and they made the story.”
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