Author Paul Halloran Discusses New Book on Cody's Wish

Cody's Wish: A Boy, a Racehorse, and a Fight for Life by Paul Halloran officially goes on sale this Tuesday, May 5th.

A veteran journalist with four decades of experience in the industry, Halloran first learned about the story of Cody's Wish (Curlin) and his connection with a young boy facing significant medical challenges while covering the races in Saratoga in 2022. He was immediately drawn to the bond between Cody Dorman and the talented Godolphin homebred. After Cody's Wish secured a victory in the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Halloran decided to capture the story in a comprehensive narrative. He spent the 2023 season following along with Cody Dorman, his parents Kelly and Leslie, and his sister Kylie as Cody's Wish raced to a Horse of the Year campaign.

The TDN sat down with Halloran to discuss the “story behind the story,” from his initial connection with the Dormans to the lessons he hopes the racing world draws from his debut book and Cody Dorman's legacy.

TDN: How did you first learn about Cody Dorman and get connected with the Dorman family?

Paul: I was assigned to cover the GI Forego Stakes in Saratoga in August of 2022. I didn't know anything about the story. Obviously Jackie's Warrior was 1-9, so I thought it was going to be an easy story until all of a sudden this five horse came flying down the stretch.

I remember I'd had a conversation with Sean Clancy from The Saratoga Special in the paddock and he told me there was a story behind the horse. I caught up with Michael Banahan after the race and he told me I needed to talk to Mary Bourne. Mary, of course, is the one who suggested the name. Mary connected me with Kelly.  I spoke to him on that Monday and I was able to send him a couple questions for Cody to answer on his tablet.

TDN: At what point did you have the idea to write the book?

Paul: Obviously I started following the horse a little bit after that. I watched that Breeders' Cup that year from Aqueduct of all places. That's when the story started to become national news. Cody was voted the winner of the Big Sport of Turfdom Award and then the horse was voted the winner of the Vox Populi Award.

Tom Law, who gave me the original assignment, reached out and asked me to do a follow-up story. That was the second time I had spoken to Kelly and that's when I first thought about doing a book. I had thought about writing books many times over the years and it's easy to find reasons not to do something. But I kind of got the feeling that if I didn't follow through on this one, the whole book-writing itch would be gone.

When I reached out to Kelly in December I told him, 'Before you answer this, you should know I've been writing for 40 years. I'm confident in my ability to tell the story, but you and your wife should know I have never written a book before.' He was all for it. We decided Sunday nights would be good for us, so I think on the second Sunday in January of 2023, we started our weekly Sunday night Zoom meetings for them to tell me the story.

I did not meet them in person until April of that year, when I took a trip to Kentucky. While there, I also interviewed everyone at Godolphin and Cody's neurologist.

2023 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile | Benoit

TDN: You were able to tag along with the Dorman family for much of Cody's Wish's 2023 campaign, from his win in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes, to the trip to Saratoga for the GI Whitney Stakes and of course for his final race at the Breeders' Cup. Do you have any favorite memories?

Paul: Those were all such great opportunities to see with my own eyes what they had described to me. Until you saw them together up close and personal, you might not totally buy into the story. You're thinking, 'Well what do you mean this kid and this horse have a connection?'

As far as the story, the Breeders' Cup to end it would be a highlight, obviously not knowing what was going to happen the next day, but for the family to make that trip and Cody insisting on being at the racetrack in the morning every day. As far as the actual races, I would say it was the Met Mile just because on that day, there was not a horse in the world who would have beaten him. He went from last to first in less than a furlong. It was electrifying.

TDN: Having spent so much time with the Dormans, what do you think people should know about them?

Paul: My biggest takeaway, and I hope this comes through in the book, is that I knew they had it really, really difficult, but I could not have imagined it was that difficult.

Kelly and Leslie have very similar backgrounds. They both grew up on farms in Kentucky. They have a blue-collar work ethic. They're get-the-job-done type people. Taking care of Cody required that and then some. I have a daughter with profound autism and she's classified nonverbal, although she speaks only when she wants something. We certainly have our moments, but then I think of their situation. 24/7 for six weeks shy of 18 years. He required that level of care from them and there were no days off. They are elite human beings.

TDN: During the writing process, did you feel a sense of pressure to do this story justice?

Paul: My goal, and I told them this before we ever knew how it was going to get published, was that Kelly and Leslie would read it and say that I did a good job of telling their son's story.

I hope people buy it. I wouldn't mind if we all made a few dollars on it, but to be perfectly honest with you, I never really cared about that nearly as much as putting this together so their family has something going forward. That comes with an immense amount of pressure, but I looked at it more like I was really honored that they were willing to take this chance. Now that it's printed, I'm still petrified that I'll find a mistake I can't do anything about now, but the pressure really was to get it right for the Dormans. I think they think that was accomplished, so now everything else is the bonus.

TDN: For our audience that is already somewhat familiar with the Cody's Wish story, what do you hope people will take away from reading the book?

Paul: I would hope they take away that it is a book about hope.

Leslie talked in the book about how their family was just happy to be going to Keeneland that day when it all began. Then when they heard that Cody was going to go meet a horse before they went to Keeneland, they thought that was great. When you live the grind they were living, any distraction, diversion, positive–whatever you want to call it–is huge.

Not every special needs family is going to have the Horse of the Year named for their kid, but I think the message is that for those living in that community or those living with any type of adversity, we can all use a little pick-me-up. Cody's Wish was the all-time pick-me-up.

This is certainly a story about resilience, but I also think it's a story of hope and that we can all hope that when we're facing the biggest negatives, there could be a positive around the next turn.

   Cody's Wish: A Boy, a Racehorse and a Fight for Life is available to purchase here.