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The William Mott-trained Cody’s Wish will be bidding to add to an already remarkable story by claiming back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile’s at Santa Anita.

The son of Curlin has captured the hearts of racing and non-racing people around the world, with the ten-time winner named after Cody Dorman, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, meaning he cannot speak and is wheelchair-bound.

Cody Dorman first met the bay colt in 2018 when he was a foal at Godolphin's Gainsborough Farm, through Keeneland's Make-a-Wish programme.

Cody's Wish walked up and placed his head on the young boy's lap, and with a bond between the Godolphin team and the Dorman family quickly established, the inspiration for the horse's name was born. 

Kelly Dorman, Cody's father, said about the bond between Cody's Wish and his son: "I kind of get worked up every time I talk about it. I apologise, but it's just been a blessing, not only the connection between Cody and the horse itself but it's been a blessing to us to get to meet so many great people and connect with fans, trainers, owners and stuff, everyone across the board.

"It's the media too, everybody's been so professional that's dealt with us, and patient. I'm just really thankful for all of it."

Cody's Wish went from strength-to-strength entering his four-year-old campaign and duly obliged when stepping up to Grade 1 company for the first time in the Forego Stakes at Saratoga. It was a success that thrust the story into mainstream viewing.

He said: "It really picked up last year when he won the Forego. That's when the story started really snowballing. And, we started getting a lot of calls and stuff, the media and interviews and things like that. On the first day of the Breeders' Cup last year, at Keeneland, I guess the magnitude of how far it reached really sunk in.

"There were so many people just coming up, telling us how much the story has meant to them, and most of them teared up and really impacted by this. And Cody, the kid's got the biggest heart in the world. He really loves making people happy and, of course, I've got a front-row seat to this, and I get to see it all.

"It's just really special, just how it's impacted so many people, especially the tail-end of Covid and everything else negative in the world. It's kind of nice to be a part of something positive."

The Godolphin-owned five-year-old looks to have every chance of going out on a high by following up in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, with Cody's Wish arriving fresh off the back of a cosy success in the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont last month. 

Emotions are sure to run high for all those involved as the colt embarks on his final racecourse appearance, but connections are certainly excited by the prospect of one final hurrah. 

"Any time we get to go watch him race, no matter where it's at, it's always exciting," said Dorman.

"But Breeders' Cup, that's kind of next level. We're excited, a little bit of nerves but we're really excited to be able to go to Santa Anita. It's an opportunity that we never dreamed that we'd be able to do something like that. And it's really special, in more ways than one.

"Maybe, with Cody being there, maybe it'll give him a little extra motivation. Sometimes, in the past, it seemed like it's helped. I don't know, it kind of seems like those two speak some type of language. You can't hear it, but you can certainly feel it and see it."

Cody's Wish's trainer, Bill Mott added: "The bottom line is this has been a saviour for Cody; it has given him something to look forward to. We are rooting for both Codys. They are both very important to all of us."

On this being Cody's Wish's final racecourse appearance, Mott continued:

"Look, I have been doing this long enough, I know it all comes to an end.

"It's a fact of life. He will be gone, but he has had a great career. We have done all we can do and it's onto his next career."