Saratoga: Cody’s Wish namesake is confident of a Whitney win

Will Cody’s Wish win the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga?

There is perhaps no one better to ask than the star horse’s namesake, Cody Dorman. The teenager was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, and first met the son of Curlin when he visited Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Ky., through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cody uses subtle head motions to communicate through a tablet. He is unable to walk. Those who arranged the visit were concerned about how the foal would react to the unfamiliar sight of a wheelchair. After approaching slowly and sniffing around the boy, the foal eventually buried his head in Cody’s lap.

Cody’s Wish continues to acknowledge his biggest fan whenever he sees him, and Cody has had an uncanny feel for how the horse will perform. He told his mother, Leslie, that the Godolphin homebred would not win until he was there to see him run.

Sure enough, a still-maturing Cody’s Wish wound up third in his June 4, 2021, debut at Belmont Park and got the same result as he gained invaluable experience in a pair of races at Saratoga. With Dorman able to travel from the family’s home in Richmond, Ky., to be in attendance for the first time, the then 3-year-old broke his maiden on Oct. 2, 2021, at Churchill Downs.

Dorman also was present when Cody’s Wish closed his 4-year-old campaign with a dramatic victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland and when he made a successful 5-year-old bow this season in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G2) on Derby Day. He had predicted both outcomes and has never seen his namesake lose.

Dorman will be taking only his second week-long vacation when the family drives from Kentucky to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to see whether the Met Mile (G1) winner can get a testing additional furlong in the prestigious Whitney. Needless to say, the 17-year-old is amped.

“We’ve had a little bit of a time trying to get him to sleep the past week, the closer we’re getting to it,” said his father, Kelly. “He’s real excited and looking forward to it. He’ll get to see his buddy, and hopefully everything will fall into place.”

Cody’s other vacation occurred in 2018. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his wish to tour Bass Pro Shop’s headquarters in Springfield, Mo. Noted fisherman Mark Zona hosted. The Dormans stayed put during the pandemic in an effort to keep Cody and his younger sister, Kylie, safe.

Cody has survived almost 50 operations, including two heart surgeries when he was an infant. He has improved in his therapy and schoolwork since he met the horse.

“He’s actually been doing really well. Knock on wood, he hasn’t been sick lately or anything like that,” his father said. “He gets a little bit tired, but that is nothing out of the normal for him.”

Cody’s Wish is riding a six-race winning streak into the Whitney, with the last four of those Grade 1s. He has swept nine of 10 overall but has never won beyond a mile. Can he finally do that?

The long list of people wanting Cody’s opinion starts with his father. “How do you feel about your horse? Do you feel pretty good?” he asked recently.

“Yes,” Cody responded through his tablet.

Kelly persisted. “Are you sure? You know, he’s going a little longer this time. He’s going a mile and an eighth. It’s a bit different going two turns.”

Cody is keeping faith in his horse. “Yes,” he answered again.

In a sense, Cody cannot lose. A trip from Kentucky to Saratoga Springs, with an additional stop to see Niagara Falls, is a treat at any age.

“He just smiles real big when we talk about it,” Kelly said.