ENGLISH TEXTS
1 YEAR
ALREADY
� PAGE 38
CODY ’ S WISH THE SUNHORSE
One year on , the story of Cody ’ s Wish , a racehorse who touched the life of a fragile boy , continues to inspire .
A year ago , Cody ’ s Wish won the Breeders ’ Cup Dirt Mile for the second year running , this time after an inquiry , at odds of 8 / 10 at Del Mar Racetrack . We have just witnessed the 18 th edition of this race , added in 2007 to the already robust “ supersize me “ program of the American horseracing championship , which has grown from eight to fourteen races since its inception forty years ago .
To put this into perspective , the same amount of time has passed between the first edition of the Breeders ’ Cup and today as between D-Day in Normandy and the inauguration of this great invention by American breeder John Gaines in 1984 .
Remarkable , isn ’ t it ?
But more than just the victory of an American horse in a race designed for American horses , even one owned by Godolphin , it is to Cody Dorman that the event owes its place in many memories . This 17-year-old was born with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome , a rare genetic disorder that can cause delayed growth , intellectual disability and seizures . He had undergone over forty operations to survive and could only communicate using a tablet .
Five years earlier , during a visit by Cody and his parents to Gainsborough Farm in Kentucky , a foal by Curlin , not yet named Cody ’ s Wish , was growing up . “ He was a nice , quiet , laid-back foal ,“ stud manager Danny Mulvihill recalled . “ It was very important from my point of view to see if we could get a foal close to Cody , knowing he was in a wheelchair .“ This family visit had been organized by Keeneland for the Make-A-Wish Foundation , which tries to grant the wishes of children in difficulty .
And so it was that the foal , after sniffing his visitor and his unusual equipment , rested his head on the young man ’ s lap , who was obviously delighted . A small miracle .
Godolphin , breeder and owner of the foal , soon named the colt Cody ’ s Wish and two years later , he would return to his friend every time he visited ... “ And Cody , you know , that deep belly laugh . I can count on one hand the number of times I ’ ve heard him do that .” recalls the young man ’ s father , Kelly , in an NBC Video .
Later , when the horse became a particularly competitive champion , Cody Dorman and his family naturally continued to support him at the racetracks . The story became very popular , culminating in that day in November 2023 , the day of the horse ’ s last race .
Tragedy struck again , however , as Cody passed away the day after his champion ’ s second Breeders ’ Cup victory , on his way back home to Kentucky .
A book has since been published , and a film is currently in the works .
This therapeutic ability of horses with people in distress is well known . They help veterans recover and cope with depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms . Peyo , a former dressage horse , visits patients in hospitals and retirement homes with his rider Hassen Bouchakour .
Once there , he goes directly to those most in need and his presence acts on them like a charm .
THE BIG
RACE
� PAGE 40
BACK TO THE ARTICLE �
THE 7 VIRTUES OF AL CAPONE II
To win seven consecutive editions of the Prix La Haye Jousselin , the autumn counterpart of the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris , between the ages of 5 and 12 , the AQPS Al Capone II truly had to be extraordinary . He also benefited from specific conditions that helped him exert such dominance , without ever appearing as a clear dominator . Other horses around the world have similarly dominated the records of a particular event , allowing us to create a profile of these serial winners , to which the horse nicknamed “ Pompon ” bears a strong resemblance ...
1 . THE MOTIVATION
The conditions required for a horse to win the same race seven times are numerous . The first , and not the least , is that it must be capable of racing and maintaining its best level over several seasons . This almost excludes
109