Cody's Wish touches hearts with Churchill Downs Sprint triumph
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A day of racing that desperately needed a feel-good story finally got it 10 races into the card when Cody’s Wish drew off to a convincing 4 3/4-length victory over Hoist the Gold in the $750,000 Churchill Downs Sprint.
On Saturday morning, Forte – the Kentucky Derby favorite in early wagering – was scratched by state veterinarians due to a minor bruise in his right front foot. Later in the day, two horses were euthanized after sustaining injuries during races.
An appreciative crowd roared as Cody's Wish returned to the winner’s circle, where he accepted the most special congratulation of all from his namesake and number one fan Cody Dorman.
The story of the connection between Cody’s Wish and Cody Dorman that has been well documented over the past 18 months added another emotional chapter on Saturday. Cody’s Wish posted his fifth consecutive victory and third straight in a Grade 1 race while making his first start since rallying to a head decision over Cyberknife in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
With regular rider Junior Alvarado aboard, Cody’s Wish dropped back to the rear of the nine-horse field in the run down the backstretch of the seven-furlong Churchill Sprint. Cody’s Wish, who was narrowly beaten out of the Eclipse Award for top sprinter a year ago by stablemate Elite Power, quickly began to accelerate once entering the turn, remained well out near the middle of the track while continuing his rally into the stretch, and readily ran down the leaders a furlong from the wire before drawing off with complete authority at the end.
Hoist the Gold prompted the pace from the outset, continued on willingly down the stretch and remained second-best while no match for the winner. Tejano Twist rallied mildly to be third. Here Mi Song, who set the pace for nearly six furlongs, weakened to finish fourth, then was vanned off after the race.
Cody’s Wish, a 5-year-old Godolphin homebred by Curlin trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, has won eight of his last nine starts, with his lone loss during that streak a neck setback in the Grade 3 Challenger going two turns for the only time in his career last winter at Tampa Bay Downs. The victory was also his fifth in as many starts at Churchill Downs.
Cody’s Wish completed the distance over a fast track in 1:21.17 seconds, getting a 105 Beyer Speed Figure, and paid $3.44.
“There’s so much involved with this horse winning, it was really way more than a horse race for us,” an emotional Mott said minutes after the race. “Cody Dorman and Cody’s Wish, they make it pretty special. When this horse came back after the race, just hearing the crowd, they were going crazy up there. More than you’d normally hear. And then when he walked into the winner’s circle, he ducked his head in front of Cody like he knew he was there. It was almost unbelievable. Like there’s really a connection there.
“We don’t usually see that in horses. It’s usually who’s going to feed me. In this case it seems like, for whatever reason, this horse knows. It was a special event. More than just a horse race. It means so much to this young man. He doesn’t have that much to look forward to. But he’s got Cody.”
As for Cody Wish’s performance in his first start in six months, Mott summed it up succinctly.
“He just smoked ‘em,” Mott said with a laugh. “He was just so great. He’s been showing up every time. He’s been off since the Breeders’ Cup but trained like he was ready. I’ve seen some great ones and actually had some great ones and we all know not many of them win every time. To have this horse win as many as he has, to put together this type of streak, It’s pretty special.”
Mott said if all goes well, the next chapter of the remarkable story of a boy and a horse will be written in the Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont Park on June 10.
Dallas Stewart was all smiles after the Sprint following the second-place finish of Hoist the Gold.
“Our horse trained like a champ coming out of his last start at Keeneland, he ran like a champ and was beaten by a champ today,” Stewart said.
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