The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced on Thursday night that Cody’s Wish, who won four races last year including the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), was named the 2023 Horse of the Year at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, at The Breakers Palm Beach.
As a 5-year-old, Cody’s Wish, a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin out of Dance Card by Tapit, won four of five starts, including three Grade 1 races. Cody’s Wish made his 2023 debut winning the 7-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) in May, followed by the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park in June. He suffered his only defeat of the year when he was third in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1) at Saratoga in August. He bounced back in October at Aqueduct to win the Vosburgh Stakes (G2), before capturing the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).