Cody’s Wish gave understandably emotional connections the perfect send-off when he battled on gamely to secure back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile’s
The Bill Mott-trained five-year-old burst onto the scene when winning the Grade 1 Fogero Stakes at Saratoga last August and has barely looked back since, landing this contest last year before Grade 1 victories at Churchill Downs and Belmont this season.
The ten-time winner is named after Cody Dorman, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, meaning he cannot speak and is wheelchair-bound.
Cody Dorman first met the bay colt in 2018 when he was a foal at Godolphin's Gainsborough Farm, through Keeneland's Make-a-Wish programme.
Cody's Wish walked up and placed his head on the young boy's lap, and with a bond between the Godolphin team and the Dorman family quickly established, the inspiration for the horse's name was born.
The five-year-old son of Curlin was positioned towards the rear of the field in the early stages, but he began to make headway down the back and soon joined longtime leader National Treasure. The pair set down for an epic battle entering the straight and after plenty of toing and froing, Cody's Wish gamely battled his way to the front close, edging home to score by a nose.
Already emotional connections would have to survive a steward's enquiry after the two contenders came close together in the closing stages, with Junior Alvarado edging left-handed into Flavien Prat.
However, following a short stewards enquiry, the result would stand and the 4/6 market leader would prevail to complete back-to-back Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile's.
