PALM BEACH, Fla. - Cody’s Wish, whose bond with a young man stricken with a rare genetic disorder became a feel-good story for horse racing the last two years, was honored for his on-track achievement in 2023 by being named Horse of the Year, it was announced Thursday at a black-tie ceremony held at The Breakers resort. Cody’s Wish received 134 of the 219 ballots cast, outdistancing fellow finalists White Abarrio (37) and Idiomatic (21). Also receiving votes were Up to the Mark  (9), Arcangelo (6), Auguste Rodin  (6), Elite Power (4), and Practical Move (1). Cody’s Wish, owned and bred by Godolphin Racing and trained by Bill Mott, won 4 of 5 starts in 2023. His three Grade 1 victories included the Metropolitan Handicap, the Churchill Downs, and the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He also won the Grade 2 Vosburgh. Cody’s Wish, in his final career start, won the BC Dirt Mile by a nose over National Treasure, a victory symbolic of the horse’s tenacity but also the courage shown by Cody Dorman, for whom the horse was named. Dorman suffered from Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a genetic defect that confined him to a wheelchair and left him unable to speak. In 2018, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Dorman, at Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Ky., was introduced to a young foal who would go on to be named Cody’s Wish. Cody Dorman and his family were present at several of his races, including the victories by Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2022 at Keeneland and 2023 at Santa Anita. Tragically, the day after the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, Cody Dorman, 17, died on his flight back home from California. The announcement of Cody’s Wish as Horse of the Year came at the end of the 53rd Eclipse Awards ceremony held at the Breakers during which champions were crowned in 11 equine and five human divisions. Finalists for the awards were announced on Jan. 6 after votes were cast by members of Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which consists of racing officials and Equibase field personnel. There were a total of 250 eligible voters and 219 ballots, or 88 percent, were returned. Voters selected three horses or individuals in each category and finalists were determined based on points accrued on a 10-5-1 basis. Winners were determined solely on first-place votes. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. In addition to being named Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish was also named champion older dirt male, receiving 168 of the 219 ballots cast. White Abarrio, who was third to Cody’s Wish in the Met Mile but who beat Cody’s Wish in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga and who also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic, finished second with 65 votes. The two Eclipse Awards earned by Cody’s Wish capped a big night for Godolphin and Mott. For the third straight year, Godolphin won the Eclipse Award for both outstanding owner and breeder. It is the fourth consecutive year Godolphin won the owner award and seventh overall, including one under the Darley banner. Godolphin received 191 votes for owner, 202 for breeder. Godolphin’s homebred Pretty Mischievous, a three-time Grade 1 winner trained by Brendan Walsh, was voted champion 3-year-old filly, receiving 182 votes compared to 24 for Randomized. Mott won his fourth Eclipse Award as champion trainer, and first since 2011. Mott received 132 first-place votes followed by Brad Cox (60) and Steve Asmussen (8), the latter not announced as a finalist. Chad Brown, the third finalist in the category, received seven first-place votes. In addition to training Cody’s Wish, Mott also campaigned champion sprinter Elite Power, the Juddmonte-owned 5-year-old who won this award for the second consecutive year after going 4 for 5, and Just F Y I, the champion 2-year-old filly owned and bred by George Krikorian who won all three of her starts. Mott’s three champions came one year after Todd Pletcher campaigned three champions -- Forte (2-year-old male), Nest (3-year-old female), and Malathaat (older dirt female). On Thursday, Pletcher-trained horses won two Eclipse Awards as Fierceness, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, was honored as the 2-year-old male champion, and Up to the Mark, a three-time Grade 1 winner, was honored as male turf champion. Fierceness is owned by Mike Repole, who was also co-owner of Up to the Mark along with Vinnie and Teresa Viola. Fierceness received 205 votes while Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Big Evs, who was not a finalist in the division, received four first-place votes. In the male turf division, Up to the Mark outpaced Auguste Rodin, who in his lone U.S. start beat Up to the Mark in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, by a count of 141-60. In the closest divisional vote, at least in the flat equine divisions, Inspiral, the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner in her lone U.S. start, was voted female turf champion with 112 votes. Two-time Grade 1 winner In Italian (50) and Mawj (43) were next in a category that saw 11 horses receive at least one first-place vote. In the most lopsided category, the Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic, who capped an 8-for-9 campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, was voted champion older dirt female with 211 votes. Goodnight Olive (4), Echo Zulu (3), and Adare Manor (1) also received first-place votes. Goodnight Olive was honored as female sprint champion for the second consecutive year, defeating Echo Zulu by a vote of 140-72. Maple Leaf Mel, who suffered a fatal injury just yards away from crossing the wire first in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga, received three first-place votes. Arcangelo, who won the Belmont Stakes and Travers, was voted 3-year-old male champion with 193 votes. Arcangelo’s Belmont victory made Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. Arcangelo was owned by Jon Ebbert. Auguste Rodin finished second in the 3-year-old male division with 21 first-place votes followed by Arabian Knight (2). Kentucky Derby winner Mage, who was the third finalist in the category, Preakness winner National Treasure, and Kentucky Derby runner-up Two Phil’s each received one first-place vote. The closest Eclipse vote came in the steeplechase division, where Merry Maker’s Grade 1 victory in the Lonesome Glory at Aqueduct earned him the Eclipse Award 69-50 over Snap Decision. Awakened (25) and Noah And The Ark (24) received first-place votes in a category where there were 26 voter abstentions. Irad Ortiz Jr., who set a record for purse earnings, won his fifth Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey, joining Jerry Bailey and Laffit Pincay Jr. as the only riders with at least five Eclipses in the category. He received 187 first-place votes. Though he wasn’t named a finalist, Javier Castellano received the second-most first-place votes with 17 followed by Flavien Prat (7). Tyler Gaffalione, who along with Prat was announced as a finalist, did not receive a first-place vote but Junior Alvarado (4), Juan Hernandez, Luis Saez, and Mike Smith did. Axel Concepcion was the overwhelming choice of champion apprentice jockey with 166 votes. Sofia Vives (16) and Jaime Torres (14) were next. In addition to the 17 equine and human awards, several other Eclipse Awards were handed out Thursday night. Paul Calia was honored as the Horseplayer of the Year for winning the National Horseplayers Championship. Stuart Janney, chairman of the Jockey Club, was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit. Tom Hammond, longtime host/analyst, was awarded the Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence. Media Eclipse Awards were also given in six categories. Writing awards were given to Tim Layden (NBCSports.com) in the Feature/Commentary category and Sean Clancy for News/Enterprise. NBC Sports won for Live Television Programming, and Woodbine Entertainment won for Feature Television Programming. The TDN Writers’ Room podcast won for multimedia and Carolyn Simancik won for News Photography. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.