Cody's Wish has captured the imaginations of race fans around the country ever since the public learned about the special bond he has with 16-year-old Cody Dormer, who suffers from the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. His win in last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile was the climax of a fairy tale in his 2022 season as the Dormer family cheered the 4-year-old Bill Mott trainee to the wire. On the Kentucky Derby undercard, Cody's Wish and jockey Junior Alvarado showed they're ready to write another chapter as they drew away to victory in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes.
In his trademark style, Cody's Wish hung back in the early going of the seven-furlong contest on the main dirt track, letting Here Mi Song and Hoist The Gold take the lead ahead of stalkers Sir Alfred James and Endorsed. Alvarado let Cody's Wish gradually close the distance halfway down the backstretch, unwinding a gradual charge on the outside and sneaking into third by the top of the final stretch. Once there, he faced the pacesetters from a wide outside trip and dug in determinedly to draw clear by the wire and win going away.
This is the fourth time Mott has won this race, with previous victories coming with Rock and Roll in 1999, Rapid Gray in 1985, and Shot n'Missed in 1983.
Hoist The Gold hung on for second, with Tejano Twist coming up for third. Here Mi Song was fourth.
The Equibase chart indicated that Here Mi Song “faltered late in the stretch, vanned off after the race.” A reporter for the Associated Press later tweeted that trainer William Stinson, Jr., indicated radiographs on the horse did not show any abnormalities.
Cody's Wish paid $3.44, $2.90, and $2.64. See the full chart here.
The final time was 1:21.17, with fractions of :22.70, :45.19, and 1:09.17.
Mott trains the homebred Cody's Wish for Godolphin. He is out of Tapit mare Dance Card.
The Dormer family were again in attendance for the race. Cody Dormer met the horse who would become Cody's Wish in foalhood, when the son of Curlin placed his head in the boy's lap in a moment of uncharacteristic calm. The horse was named for Dormer and his connections say he has continued to approach the young man with a unique peace and gentleness.
CHURCHILL DOWNS QUOTES
Junior Alvarado (jockey, Cody's Wish, winner) – “I don't even know how to describe how much better he got today. What I felt today, is what you want to feel when you ride horses in big races, to feel the whole machine underneath you. Today, he was just a lovely animal to ride. He was there with me every step of the way. When I asked him, he didn't hold anything back, he just went right by those horses. This is what I love to do with this horse. I just want to keep the story going.”
Bill Mott (trainer, Cody's Wish, winner) – “With this horse winning, it's really way more than a horse race. For us, I mean, Cody Dorman, and Cody's Wish, make it something special. When this horse came back after the race, and hearing the crowd, they were going crazy up there, more than they normally cheer for any other race. And the horse is just so great. He's been showing up every time. He's been off since the Breeders' Cup, but it sure looked like he was ready today.
“I get choked up easily, but when he was walking over, my assistant Kenny said he paused, and he looked, and said it was almost like there is a connection there. Usually we don't see that in horses. For what reason, the horse knows something is special.”
Luis Saez (jockey, Hoist the Gold, second) – “He ran big. We broke sharp, sat in second and was travelling very comfortable. We came down the stretch and he never gave up. The winner was pretty good.”
Chris Landeros (jockey, Tejano Twist, third) – “He ran a great race. I have to be honest, I was caught off guard by Cody's Wish. I was sitting where I wanted to be. I was comfortable, following Endorsed and I actually took a peak over and I didn't quite see Junior (Alvarado). The minute I started riding forward, he was on me in two jumps.”
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