(LEX 18) — A new monument at the Kentucky Horse Park will honor not only Cody's Wish, a legendary racehorse, but also the boy he was named after: the late Cody Dorman.
From first sight, Kelly Dorman says he's never seen a person have a stronger connection with a foal than his late son Cody did. During a Make-A-Wish day event in 2018, a 5-month-old foal came right up to his son, and they became instant friends.
"That horse always placed his nose in Cody's lap," Dorman said.
The bond grew so tight that the horse was named after Kelly's son — Cody's Wish.
"The way they would stare at each other, I mean, you, it would, it would run right through your soul. You, you knew they were speaking to each other in their own language," Dorman said.
Cody Dorman was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. As a result, Cody used a wheelchair and communicated with a tablet. He was present for some of his namesake's great triumphs. Cody ultimately passed away in 2023 at the age of 17.
But Kelly says he's found peace knowing his son's legacy will live on forever.
"There's no end to the gratitude that we have," Dorman said.
This fall, a statue at the Kentucky Horse Park will show the bond between the boy and horse.
"The neat thing about the statue it's, it's, it's gonna be kind of interactive. People in wheelchairs will be able come up to the statue," Dorman said.
Accessibility is not only a focus for Dorman's, but also for artist Jocelyn Russell.
"I lost a couple of my nephews to muscular dystrophy and, um, so our family was very familiar with working around disabilities," Russell said.
Russell felt a strong connection to the Dormans and to the story of Cody's Wish.
"The meaning behind this monument is so powerful and to have them on board and be a, a huge part of it has just been very fulfilling," Russell said.
"It, it is, it's even, uh, you know, even a, a notch above special that Jocelyn is doing it, uh, her work is so incredible that the, the amount of details she puts in all this stuff," Dorman said.
The Dormans are excited to see the finished product in October. They hope the monument can inspire Horse Park visitors from around the world.
"If it helps one person, the goal has been achieved," Dorman said.
