LEXINGTON, Ky (LEX 18) — Cody’s Wish celebrated his retirement today with a ceremony at Godolphin’s Jonabell Farm. Throughout his career, Cody’s Wish won 11 races and was named 2023 Horse of the Year by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
“There was a great buzz around the stallion barn here when Cody’s Wish retired,” said Danny Mulvihill, Godolphin Stud Farm manager. “He’s probably the most popular stallion in the farm for visitors, for fans to come and see.”
The popularity of Cody’s Wish doesn’t just come from the accolades. Cody’s Wish is well-known for the story of his friendship with Cody Dorman.
“They just fed off each other,” said Kelly Dorman, Cody’s father. “They had the same spirit, same heart. Didn’t know how to quit. Cody lived his life the same way that horse ran every race.”
The two first met in 2018 at a Make-A-Wish event when Cody, battling Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, visited Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm. The horse, just a few months old, took an interest in Cody. When it became time to give the horse his name, Cody’s Wish took the title. From there, the bond between the two continued to grow, as Cody’s Wish was seemingly inspired by his namesake.
Mulvihill shared Cody’s Wish finished third in his first three starts.
“Cody had said to his mom, ‘he won’t win until I’m there to see him,’” Mulvihill said. “Well his next start happened to be close by at Churchill Downs, and Cody came to see him, and he won. And from that day, Cody did not get a prediction wrong.”
As Cody’s Wish grew, he became more temperamental. However, every time they met, Cody’s Wish remembered his friend Cody.
“You know he was gonna miss out on a lot of things,” said Kelly. “Like a best friend, you know, that can get in trouble, keep it a secret between themselves. Maybe have a girl make his heart jump out of his chest. As Cody got older, I thought about that a lot. I knew he had that void. But Cody’s Wish filled that. He filled that in a way I couldn’t imagine.”
Cody passed away last November, the day after Cody’s Wish won his last race. However, the story of a boy and a horse will continue to grow.
“I don’t think it’s even close to the end of the road,” said Dorman. “I think those two are getting started in a lot of ways.”
“I think this legacy is going to continue for a long, long time,” Mulvihill added. “I think you’re going to see lots of little Cody’s running around the place. We’ve already seen where there’s lots of names reserved. Cody’s this or Cody’s that, and I think we’ll see many, many more names like that just continuing the story. The story is so powerful it’s resonated with so many people that I think we’re going to see this continue for a long time.”
As part of today’s ceremony, Lexington-based Big Ass Fans gave Cody’s Wish a fan with Cody Dorman’s name on it to forever keep the two together.
