USA – Cody’s Wish reacquainted with his namesake

The success of Cody’s Wish in the US has been one of the feel-good stories in racing in recent times. The five-year-old son of Curlin is named after Cody Dorman, a local Kentucky resident, who suffers with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a condition that forces him to use a wheelchair and communicate via a tablet. Dorman first met the then young weanling in 2018 and there was an immediate connection between the two, with Cody’s Wish laying his head on Dorman’s lap.

The touching tale has only got better, with Cody’s Wish proving to be top-class on the track, recently adding a fourth Grade 1 to his list of accolades and amassing a huge fan following.

Dorman recently visited trainer William Mott’s stable to see Cody’s Wish and the strong bond between the two was immediately evident, with the colt stopping to greet Dorman after returning from morning trackwork.

Japan – Christophe Lemaire pitches up

Baseball is a huge sport in Japan and along with racing is one of the most popular spectator sports. What better way to connect the two huge fan bases than have five-time Japanese Champion Jockey Christophe Lemaire pitch the first ball of the big Nippon Ham v Orix Buffaloes baseball game?

UK – Send in the chiropractor

Horse welfare is always a priority in racing and it’s a message the sport has been seeking to broadcast more widely, especially in the light of this year’s protests at the Grand National and Derby.

The idea of a horse chiropractor may sound unbelievable, but as World Horse Racing’s post from Dylan Cunha’s yard shows it is a crucial part of the race recovery of stable star Silver Sword.

Saudi Arabia – A first win for Jimmy Jerkens has Wiggy dancing

Breeders’ Cup and multiple Grade 1-winning US trainer Jimmy Jerkens recently celebrated his first win in Saudi Arabia.

The result generated plenty of interest on Twitter, with many US-based trainers as well as trainers around the world supportive of Jerkens’ intrepid decision to move to train in Saudi Arabia.

It was also a result that had flamboyant Saudi Cup-winning rider Wigberto ‘Wiggy’ Ramos jigging for joy, with many people as impressed with the Panamanian star’s moves out of the saddle as they were in it.

Another bit of news from Saudi Arabia was a first win in the country for Japanese superstar sire Saxon Warrior, when Kouthni Maak won a maiden at the beginning of August. The news was retweeted by Japanese horse racing channel Netkeiba, resulting in over 200,000 impressions.

All these posts show the interest generated by connecting different racing jurisdictions. From the US to Saudi Arabia and Japan, the international racing community has never been so interlinked.

Hong Kong – Racing welfare in HK

Last season’s recruit to the Hong Kong training ranks, Jamie Richards, takes you behind the scenes to show the pivotal role vets play in racing in the territory.

Australia – Unorthodox warm up

Australian jockey Jye McNeil had to watch out during his pre-racing track run at Bendigo, as he was repeatedly dive-bombed by an angry magpie.

The video gained plenty of attention in Australian media, showing that humorous, animal themed tweets are always popular.