A Magical Breeders' Cup -By Mohit Lalvani
Posted on - 07 Nov 2022
In 2018, when Cody Dorman, about to enter his teens, was invited to was to Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm in Versailles as part of a Make-A-Wish trip, he met with a foal there. Wheelchair ridden, Cody has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder and, unlike most other boys, he communicates using his tablet. Fifty surgeries and thousands of seizures later, Cody has endured much through life and at that visit to Gainsborough, nobody could have predicted how that foal would react to Cody and his wheelchair; it was the creation of a bond between horse and human, the stuff that movies are made of.
The foal walked out of his barn and instead of acting agitated, kept going up to Cody, putting his head on the boy’s lap, and when, post that visit, the farm called up Cody’s parents a year later, they did so to inform them that that foal had been named, Cody’s Wish for the boy whose courage has been inspirational.
For the Dormans, Godolphin’s gesture has been a godsend by giving Cody a purpose that has helped him emerge from the dark place that he has lived in so far. He has a shrine in his room for the horse and when Cody’s Wish won the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga in August, he earned his place in the Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile this weekend against the best in the world. The Dormans were off to Keeneland.
Cody’s Wish broke slow and was last for the early part of the race even as Pipeline set strong fractions of 22:20 and 45:70. With Cyberknife stalking Pipeline and Cody’s Wish improving all the time, they turned for home, whips flailing, horse and jockey in perfect unison, and as Cyberknife and Cody’s Wish battled each other, it was a mere head that separated them at the post. Cody’s Wish was now a dual Grade One winner;six for six at this distance, and when Cody’s dad and mom kissed him, whispering in his ear, the ecstasy written across all their faces matched every teary eye at Keeneland. Cody’s Wish is likely to remain in training and while the racing world will see more of his indomitable spirit, nothing could be better for Cody if he does. Either way, he’s done enough to stand as a stallion and through his progeny, this story will live on.
On stories, the Breeders’ Cup, in its relatively short history has given us many moments of greatness. Miesque, Goldikova, Zenyatta, American Pharoah, and Royal Academy are just of the thoroughbreds that gave us moments that have made for racing folklore and, a day later, the racing world witnessed another such instance when one the greatest champions in history, Flightline delivered on his promise and mauled his opposition in the Grade One Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. Stalking the leader, he pulled away to win by over 8 lengths and if there were doubters before, there aren’t any now. Likened to the great Secretariat, he is likely to retire unbeaten at Lane’s End as it is almost inconceivable that any insurer will risk underwriting his 5-year-old career.
Many had come to Keeneland to witness Flightline make history and while the son of Tapit may have seized everyone’s imagination, the weekend will be remembered for a horse that battled for his moment of glory while stealing the hearts of many and capturing the soul of a boy named Cody.
