Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., is pleased to announce the arrival of Cozmic One, the first born foal of 2010 Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Zenyatta.
The 12-year-old dark bay gelding arrived at the farm Oct. 1, courtesy of his owner, Ann Holbrook, who, along with her late ex-husband, Jerry Moss, have been long-time supporters of Old Friends.
"We are thrilled to welcome Cozmic One to retired life at Old Friends," said John Nicholson, president and CEO of Old Friends. "As the first-born offspring of the incredible champion and Horse of the Year Zenyatta, Cozmic One holds a special place in the hearts of racing fans everywhere. We look forward to welcoming all who wish to visit as he embarks on his new all-important role as ambassador for Thoroughbred aftercare. Our everlasting gratitude to Ann Holbrook and Dottie Ingordo for trusting us with their treasured Cozmic One."
Holbrook, who was on hand to see her horse arrive at Old Friends, said, "Well, he is the first born (to Zenyatta), and he holds a very special place in our hearts. He's a sweetheart. ... So, bringing him to Old Friends is a great transition for him because he's got the fans, and the cookies, and we couldn't be happier."
Bred and owned by Holbrook, along with her former ex-husband, Jerry Moss, who passed away in 2023, Cozmic One, who is by Bernardini and out of Zenyatta, by Street Cry (Ire), was foaled in Kentucky on March 8, 2012.
Holbrook recalled when Cozmic One was foaled. "It was a very magical night," she said. "First, it was a full moon. And, then there was this incredible snow that was just falling vertically, but the snowflakes were like five-inches long and they looked like feathers. Also, it was Women's Day, so I thought it was honoring his mama, Zenyatta, too. So, we just joyfully welcomed him (into the world) and we're just so happy now he's got another chapter of his life here at Old Friends.
On paper, Cozmic One's pedigree suggested he had the potential to be a good race horse, as his sire, Bernardini, is a multiple graded-stakes winner, and his dam, Zenyatta, is a Hall of Famer who won 19 of 20 starts, 13 of them grade 1 stakes, and she was named 2010 Horse of the Year and three-time Champion Older Mare in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
Unfortunately, Cozmic One's racing career did not turn out that good. However, he went on to have a very successful second-career as a show jumper under the care of Sergio de Sousa, and his daughter, Isabela.
In his racing career, Cozmic One was trained by John Shirreffs, and began racing as a 3-year old in 2015 with two starts in maiden special weight races. In the first one on April 17, he finished sixth at Santa Anita, and followed that with a seventh at Belmont Park in his last start of the year.
He returned to the track for his 4-year old campaign in 2016, and had three more starts in maiden special weight races. In the first two at Del Mar, he finished fourth and then fifth. In his third start, he finished eighth at Santa Anita on Oct. 20 in his final start of the year.
After giving him time off, in Dec. 2017, it was decided to retire him from racing. However, that would not be the end of his professional life.
While Cozmic One was racing, Sergio de Sousa, who is currently a partner and manager of Hidden Brook Farm in Paris, Ky., had been working with horses for years. Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, he moved to Kentucky in 1987 and, according to his website, "My Family, Hidden Brook Farm and I, have always promoted the importance of the retraining or retirement of racehorses. I have ridden horses for most of my life, mostly Thoroughbreds. I still ride every day that I can, compete occasionally and every day that I do that, the horses remind me why I do what I do."
De Sousa has a keen eye for Thoroughbreds who might excel at something else after racing. Cozmic One caught his attention, and he believed the horse had the talent and potential to do well in a second career.
While he did not know the Mosses at the time, he knew David Ingordo, the bloodstock agent for the Mosses, "a little." So, he approached him about the possibility of giving Cozmic One a second career when he was done racing if the horse would be available from his owners.
In the end, things worked out and Holbrook and de Sousa became co-owners of the horse. Soon, Cozmic One, who had been gelded by that time, headed to de Sousa's farm near Lexington, Ky. at the time to begin his post-racing career as a show jumper.
"He was a good horse," said de Sousa, who drove Cozmic One to Old Friends from his farm in his van on this day. "We were very thankful to Ann and all of the Zenyatta team, Dottie and David Ingordo, who got us started when they retired him as a racehorse. He was a joy to have at home."
Ridden and trained by Sergio, and his 16-year old daughter, Isabela, who was a seasoned rider with a number of titles to her name already at that time, including winning the Show Jumper title at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover three years in a row (2015, 2016, 2017), Cozmic One, or "Coz" as they called him, began to learn his new career.
That October, after only a few months of training, Cozmic One headed to the Kentucky Horse Park for the 2018 Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover, and being a son of Zenyatta, became one of the most popular equine entrants in the competition.
"When we participated in the Retired Racehorse Project, he brought more awareness to the event," said de Sousa.
Then, in the competition, with Isabela riding, Cozmic One did very well, placing fifth out of 96 participants in the show jumping competition and made the Finale.
Since that time, Cozmic One went on and improved in show jumping competitions, winning a number of events. He also finished fourth in the prestigious United States Hunter Jumper Association's (USHJA) Zone 5 of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio in the Thoroughbred Jumper section.
"When his track time came to an end, we were so lucky to have Sergio de Sousa step up, and his daughter, Isabela, did as well," said Holbrook. "She was riding him in the shows and he really enjoyed it. I think he especially enjoyed the ribbons and all the fans."
Recently, after five years of successful show jumping, it was decided to retire Cozmic One from his show jumping career.
"He had an injury years ago to his left hind leg," said de Sousa. "Usually I turn him out for the winter for about four months from November to February. And, this year he just didn't come out right, so it was going to take a long time to heal. He's paddock sound and can canter and everything. But, we really didn't want to do anything else, so it was time to really retire him."
Thanks to Holbrook, the now 12-year old Thoroughbred has been sent to Old Friends to enjoy the rest of his life.
"I think Old Friends is a great thing," said de Sousa. "He loves people. He knows that we work for him. He's a big puppy dog. I think he is going to continue to thrive here and more people will be able to come and see him."
And, being a son of Zenyatta, he will no doubt become very popular with the tourists coming to the farm.
