Cozmic One Ready for Debut

By T.D. Thornton 
Friday marks the unveiling of the sport's most eagerly anticipated first-time starter in years. But when Cozmic One (Bernardini) steps into the starting gate for the second race at Santa Anita Park, his trainer and jockey will be more focused on making sure the 3-year-old gets a good learning experience out of his debut rather than attempting to match the unbounded brilliance of Zenyatta, his famous dam, who began her storybook career by capturing 19 straight victories and the heart of the racing nation. 

“He's a little bit like his mother in some of his mannerisms. He was a wonderful stride like she had,” said John Shirreffs, who trained Zenyatta for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and now has charge of the champion's first foal. “He's very strong and he feels good. For him, it's a manner of channeling his energy.” 

Jockey Victor Espinoza, who has been partnering with Cozmic One during morning training, said he relishes the anticipation of finding out how the long, lanky, dark bay colt will respond under the conditions of an actual race after schooling him to act with restraint over a long series of workouts this spring. 

“For me, it's all about teaching him a good experience in his first race,” Espionza said. “Especially for a horse like him, I want him to enjoy the ride. The most important thing is I want him to have fun. I don't want it to be stressful for him. I don't want to be all aggressive and macho with him. I want him to have a good time, and to teach him, 'This is going to be your job.'” 

Primarily because of Zenyatta's fervent fan base, and secondarily because Cozmic One's career coincides with an era in which even minute decisions about unraced racehorses from superstar matings get chronicled microscopically on social media, anticipation has been heightened for Friday's one-mile debut. Ever since his Mar. 8, 2012, foaling, fans of the colt with a white star on his forehead born under a full moon have had the first Saturday in May circled on their calendars. But the third Friday in April is just fine for Shirreffs, who is known for his patient approach. 

“I think it's all about professionalism for a young horse,” Shirreffs said. “You want them to go in a professional manner. If they do something well, you want them to repeat it as much as possible so you're not going backwards. You always want to feel like you're moving ahead, even if it's just baby steps.” 

“Coz,” as he is known under the shedrow, first shipped to Shirreffs' Belmont Park barn last summer, and there were rumors that he would debut at age 2 at Saratoga. Shirreffs spent the entire Spa meet politely deflecting questions about when Coz would appear in the entries, knowing Zenyatta's baby wasn't even close to attempting a race. 

Shirreffs shipped the colt west last autumn when his outfit returned to Santa Anita, and in December told TDN, “the big thing is you don't want people to jump to conclusions too quickly along the way of training him. I try to tell everybody 'one step at a time,' that's my philosophy.” 

As the winter progressed, so did Cozmic One. It was clear to Shirreffs that the physical ability was there, but the colt needed more work to get his mental act together. Through it all, the similarities to Zenyatta shined through: Coz developed his mother's muscular hind end and powerful shoulder. Even her coat sheen and color. And, of course, the headstrong attitude and confidence in a pack of horses, which Shirreffs said is a trait passed along to all of the foals out of Zenyatta's dam, Vertigineux (Kris S.). 

Zenyatta's only loss came in her final career try, a narrow, heart-wrenching second-place defeat by a head in the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. She was the first female to win the Classic (2009), holds the North American record for Grade I victories by a filly/mare (13), and was voted champion older female in 2009 and 2010 while also winning Horse of the Year in 2010. 

After Cozmic One, Zenyatta foaled a Tapit colt named Ziconic in 2013. Her 2014 weanling by War Front was euthanized last October after a paddock accident. Zenyatta was not bred last season and currently resides at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky. After the accident, Jerry Moss told TDN she would again be mated with War Front. Shirreffs said he does not get regular progress reports on Zenyatta, but added, “She's fine. I know that she's going to be bred soon.” 

Shirreffs said the turning point for Cozmic One came in mid-March, when the colt began to learn how change gears rather than kicking into overdrive and taking off as soon as he sensed the true speed part of a drill was about to begin. 
“I'd say his last three works he's been able to finish really well,” Shirreffs said. “Before that, he would be breaking off, getting into his work, but he really wasn't finishing well. And since then, he's really been in the bridle his last couple of works, so that was a big change for him. He's starting to focus and understand where the wire is. 

“It's just a matter of him learning,” Shirreffs continued. “Obviously, after you breeze horses a few times they anticipate [breaking off from a given pole], so they want to get right into it. He had to learn not to run through the bridle and to listen to his rider. That just comes with being patient and not asking to much in the beginning.” 

Espinoza said exercising a bit of reverse psychology on Coz seemed to provide the “ah-ha!” moment for the colt. 
“He's very smart, and he learns things quick, which is sometimes good, sometimes not. Sometimes he's too smart,” Espinoza said with a laugh. “He was a little bit aggressive, so I tried something different with him. When he thinks that I'm going to take a hold of him, I do it the opposite way and don't take a hold, trying to trick him. 

“The first workout I went normal, and [when Coz took off] I was like, 'Whoa!'” Espinoza explained. “The second time he did that, I figured him out and I was like, 'Okay, I have to do something different.' The third work I didn't take a hold of him. The fourth work, when I didn't take hold and worked him behind horses, I was like, 'Wow, what happened?' He was very handy after that. I was like, 'Damn, this is pretty good!'” 

Shirreffs said Coz's workmate has primarily been Captain Tim (Candy Ride [Arg]), another 3-year-old maiden owned by the Mosses, who ran fourth in his Apr. 5 debut at Santa Anita against maiden special weights going 6 1/2 furlongs. 
“The last two works he's gotten dirt kicked in his face,” Shirreffs said. “We have to give [Captain Tim] a little bit of a head start because [Coz] jumps into gear quickly. It wouldn't do any good for him to run by the horse and have the workmate chase him around there.” 

Espinoza said he notices positive changes just by looking at Cozmic One before and after workouts. 

“He's put on more weight. His body's filled out. He started getting sweaty before, and now he's like more calm and cool. He's started to get it,” Espinoza said. 

Friday's maiden race has drawn a field of seven, with Coz breaking from the rail. 

“He's coming out of the one hole, so that sort of changes the complexion of the race for him,” said Shirreffs. “I don't think he's got the kind of speed to make the lead out of the one hole, so he's going to have to somehow get to the outside. Whether or not or how early he can do that, I don't know. Obviously, we'd hate to see him stuck down on the rail.” 

Espinoza said he didn't see post one as too much of a hindrance. 

“For a first-timer like him, I think the inside is good, because it's going to be a good experience for him,” Espinoza said. “For a lot of horses, no. But for Cozmic One, I like the way he's going to come out of there. I think he's going to learn a lot first time out.”