Cody's Wish

The remaining days in 2023 dwindled to a few last week, a welcome development considering the year that it was. Yes, there was some good news. Arcangelo (Arrogate) winning the GI Belmont S. for trainer Jena Antonucci was as good a story as we've seen in some time. The saga of Cody's Wish (Curlin) continued to tug at our heartstrings. The sales continue to post huge numbers. Purses have soared in Kentucky and at Oaklawn, with maidens running for pots in excess of $100,000. But for every good story there...

The Mt. Brilliant Family Foundation has signed on once again as the presenting sponsor for the Thoroughbred Charities of America's upcoming 34th Annual Stallion Season Auction to be held Wednesday, Jan. 3 through Sunday, Jan. 7, the non-profit said in a release Friday. "We greatly appreciate the continued support of Mt. Brilliant," said Erin Halliwell executive director of TCA. "The Stallion Season Auction is vital to our organization as it allows us to make grants to qualified organizations across the country. Mt. Brilliant's support of the auction and TCA are...

After playing a starring role in a story that the racing world--and many circles outside the equine industry--will not soon forget, Cody's Wish will now work toward cementing his legacy as he takes up stud duty at Darley's Jonabell Farm. With a $75,000 initial fee, the son of Curlin is the priciest newcomer to join the Kentucky stallion ranks this year, but also the only one to boast five Grade I victories. His resume is further enhanced by a Grade I-winning dam--a distinction that only one other incoming stallion can...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to [email protected] My favorite memory of 2023 (other than me bawling my eyes out standing there watching Cody's Wish enter the winner's circle with Cody Dorman waiting for him at Santa Anita, which still makes me cry) was being at Keeneland with Liz Crow to watch our homebred and Liz's purchase Gina Romantica win her second Grade I there at 11-1 odds (I bet her, too!) AND then...

The beloved equine friend of the late Cody Dorman, MGISW Cody's Wish (Curlin), was voted the first back-to-back winner of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award, the website Secretariat.com said in a release Saturday. Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery created the award in 2010 to annually recognize the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport. Though he retired to stud duty with 11 wins and career earnings of $3,106,030, it was the Godolphin homebred's connection to Cody Dorman that elicited widespread admiration...

The nominees for the 2023 Secretariat Vox Populi Award are: Arcangelo, winner of the GI Belmont and Travers S. and the first horse to win a Triple Crown race with a female trainer; Casa Creed, the seasoned 7-year-old turf veteran who has continued to thrill fans while demonstrating both heart and resilience in winning the GI Fourstardave H.; Cody's Wish, 2022 Secretariat Vox Populi recipient whose four wins in five starts this year as a 5-year-old included the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and who shared an endearing and enduring connection with his namesake, the late Cody Dorman; Echo...

It's been a roller coaster year for White Abarrio (Race Day), but it ended on the highest of possible notes, with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. To talk about the Breeders' Cup, future plans for the horse, the decision to hire Rick Dutrow as the trainer and more, co-owner Mark Cornett was the Green Group Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast, which is presented by Keeneland. With the status of Saffie Joseph, Jr. in limbo after he was temporarily banned by Churchill...

What I wrote in Monday's TDN, that Idiomatic (Curlin) should be Horse of the Year, well, never mind. It took the tragic news of the passing of Cody Dorman for me to wake up and realize that while Idiomatic had a terrific year, voting for her for Horse of the Year would mean not voting for Cody's Wish (Curlin), and what a mistake that would be. Everything I had to say about the on-track credentials of the two remains the same. Both won a Breeders' Cup race, both won three...

So long has this column been disrupted by sales and travel that this final instalment for a Flat season that seems to have whizzed by faster than ever should perhaps be renamed 28 Days. That's not to say that we are giving you four times the value, however. The last week or so has been spent in California at the 40th running of the Breeders' Cup. Any racing event which draws some of the best racehorses from a variety of nations is a treat, and with its 14 Grade 1...

Cody Dorman, the inspirational teen who was suffering with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome and whose love affair with the two-time GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) warmed the hearts of everyone in the sport of horse racing, died Sunday while en-route from Santa Anita to his home in Kentucky. The news was released by Godolphin on Monday morning in the form of an announcement from his parents, Kelly and Leslie Dorman. The announcement read: "We are heartbroken to share the news that our beloved Cody suffered a medical event...

More often than not, when the horses hit the finish line for the last Breeders' Cup race of the day, we know who the Horse of the Year is. Usually, someone has done enough to separate themselves from the pack: Flightline (Tapit), Knicks Go (Paynter), Authentic (Into Mischief). Or no one stepped up to unseat the leading contender going in. We have nothing of the kind this year. There were plenty of standout performances on Breeders' Cup Day, but that's part of the problem. The leading contenders are so evenly...