Telepeer

Cody’s Wish setting the pace among Horse of the Year contenders

June 23, 2023

By now, most horse racing enthusiasts have heard the heartwarming tale involving Cody Dorman, afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, and Cody’s Wish, the horse named after the teenager.

It’s a story that screams Hollywood, and it wouldn’t be surprising if someday there’s a movie depicting the connection between a boy and a horse that can run like the wind. Cody’s Wish is undefeated in two Grade I races this year, the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day and the Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Dorman and his parents and sister visited Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Cody was introduced to the curious colt and eventually, the 6-month-old weanling laid his head in the wheelchair-bound Dorman’s lap. The touching scene spurred Godolphin to name the foal after Dorman.

As we approach the halfway point in the race for Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish is in front, not only for what he’s done on the track but the fact some Eclipse Award voters will cast their vote for him solely on the tear-jerking circumstances.

A 5-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Cody’s Wish burst upon the scene last year when he won four of five starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. He’s won nine of 13 career races and is unbeaten in seven tries at a mile.

The big question is whether the Bill Mott trainee can go a mile and a quarter. In his only two starts around two turns, he finished third at 1-1/8 and second at 1-1/16. But both of those races were before he matured and became the horse he is now.

Cody’s Wish is probable for the Grade I Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 5. That’s at 1-1/8 and will tell us a little more about his ability to successfully navigate two turns.

Here’s a look at my top five for Horse of the Year as we approach this summer’s big races and then the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita for a record 11th time on Nov. 3-4:

1. Cody’s Wish

If he wins the Whitney and climaxes the 2023 campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he’s a shoo-in for Horse of the Year. He seems to be getting better each race, as his string of seven victories in his last eight races would suggest.

“I thought he had a possibility of being a good horse before we ever ran him,” Mott said. “It took us a couple of races to get him going in the right direction and to get him educated enough to where he knew how to use his run. He’s finally figured it out.”

Indeed. After taking four races to break his maiden, Cody’s Wish has turned into a monster.

2. Top Three-Year-Old

Take your pick – Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure or historic Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo. Will any of the three stand out in this summer’s Haskell or Travers Stakes?

If they do, and then also win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, they’ll be in the running for Horse of the Year. Forte ran a huge Belmont off a long layoff and is still very much a factor. Keep an eye out for Arabian Knight as well. He’s back in training after being taken off the Derby trail and his connections have been pointing him to the summer classics. Another Bob Baffert-trained colt, Arabian Lion, also is in the mix.

3. Clairiere

The 5-year-old Curlin mare’s resume includes victories in a pair of Grade I stakes this year – the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes day. Trained by Steve Asmussen, she’s finished third (2022) and fourth (2021) in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and, health permitting, she’ll get another chance this year to find the winner’s circle.

4. Defunded

Another colt that is improving with each race. The 5-year-old gelded son of Dialed In is 2 for 4 in 2023, including a victory in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup on May 29 at Santa Anita. He might race next in the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 29.

5. Up to the Mark

The 4-year-old son of Not This Time has won four of five this year, including the Grade I Manhattan on Belmont day. He’s a turf specialist, but that doesn’t work against him. Bricks and Mortar was Horse of the Year in 2019 along with being named top male turf horse.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73

Sports |

Horse racing notes: Juan Hernandez, Philip D’Amato take Santa Anita titles

Sports |

Los Alamitos kicks off LA County Fair meet Friday

Sports |

Los Alamitos horse racing consensus picks, Friday, June 23, 2023

Sports |

Santa Anita ‘might look at’ adding synthetic surface, GM says

Sports |

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks, Sunday, June 18, 2023

Orange County Register