Cody Dorman, namesake of Cody's Wish, dies at 17

Photo: Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

Cody Dorman, the namesake of two-time Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish, died Sunday night at age 17 after a medical emergency on the way home from the Breeders' Cup.

"We are heartbroken to share the news that our beloved Cody suffered a medical event on our trip home to Kentucky yesterday and he has passed away," Kelly and Leslie Dornan, Cody's parents, said in the Godolphin statement previously reported by Thoroughbred Daily News.

"On Saturday, Cody watched his best friend, Cody's Wish, display his usual perseverance and toughness in winning a second Breeders' Cup. Those are the same characteristics Cody has showed time and again for the 18 years we were blessed to have him. We have been completely amazed to experience the impact Cody has had on so many people, through the journey that this wondrous racehorse has taken us all on. From Churchill Downs, to Keeneland, to Saratoga to Santa Anita this weekend, we could not move 20 feet without someone stopping to tell us just that.

"With Cody's diagnosis at birth, we always knew this day would come, but we were determined to help Cody live his best life for however long we had him. Anyone who has seen him at the racetrack, especially around Cody's Wish, understands that in many ways he taught us all how to live, always keeping a positive attitude and being more concerned about those around him than himself.

“As people of faith, we are comforted in the knowledge that Cody has gone home. We pray that he watch over all of us, especially Kylie the best little sister in the world. We are sincerely grateful for all those who have shared this journey with Cody and our family. The joy that his interactions with Cody's Wish have brought him the last five years is indescribable. We will rely on those memories to help us through an unimaginably difficult time."

Dorman, who had Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, would have turned 18 in December, according to a report from BloodHorse. In 2019 he met a yearling son of Curlin out of Grade 1 winner Dance Card while on a visit to Gainesborough Farm through Keeneland and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Then unnamed, the horse placed his head in Dorman's lap, beginning a bond between the two. Though Godolphin does not typically name horses after living individuals, they named the yearling Cody's Wish. Cody's Wish would go on to win 11 of 16 career starts and over $3 million, finishing his career with a second Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile win Saturday at Santa Anita.

The Dorman family asks, in lieu of flowers, that people donate to Make-a-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana.

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