This is NOT about one of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia stories. It’s a feel-good story from this year’s Kentucky Derby, run on May 6. June and I enjoy the pageantry, and, of course, sometimes there are surprises. This year’s highlight was a story about a horse running in one of the preliminary races.

Cody Dorman is a profoundly disabled child who lives in Kentucky. His brain works, but not his body. He liked horse racing and expressed a desire about four years ago, when he was 13, to meet a racehorse. The top picture shows a 6-month-old colt initiating contact with Cody. Two years later, during the pandemic, Cody was depressed and said he wanted to go back and see that horse. The second picture, described as miraculous, shows that the horse, now full-grown, remembered Cody.

The story goes on. The owners named the horse Cody’s Wish, and he lost his first three races. Cody said that the horse couldn’t win unless he was there. With Cody on the scene, the horse won six of his next seven races, including the 2022 Breeder’s Cup. You can’t make this stuff up! On Derby Day, Cody’s Wish would be running in Race 5: Big Fans Dirt Mile. Cody insisted on a new suit for the occasion:

I encourage you to watch the entire video (about 11 minutes). I’m not sure I know all the takeaways: see what God says to you.

Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? (Job 39.19, ESV)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21.31, ESV)