LEXINGTON, Ky. – Cozmic One was bred for Thoroughbred racing success, as the son of champion and prominent sire Bernardini was the first foal produced by Hall of Fame racemare Zenyatta. But his calling, instead, was ambassadorship for the breed away from the racetrack. Cozmic One is a graduate of the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover – and, after his successful jumping career, those in town for this week’s edition of the Makeover can now visit him in his third career of sorts, in his retirement at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky. “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,” Old Friends President John Nicholson said. “We look forward to welcoming all who wish to visit as he embarks on his new all-important role as ambassador for Thoroughbred aftercare.” Cozmic One was unplaced in five starts on the racetrack for his breeders, the late Jerry Moss and Ann Holbrook. During his career, equestrian Sergio de Sousa, currently a partner and manager of Hidden Brook Farm in Kentucky, had approached David Ingordo, bloodstock agent for the breeders, and expressed interest in the horse’s prospects should he retire. Cozmic One did retire in December 2017, and came under the care of de Sousa and his then-teenaged daughter Isabela – an accomplished equestrian who had trained green Thoroughbreds to win the show jumping title at the Thoroughbred Makeover three straight years at that point. Cozmic One’s retirement qualified him for the 2018 class at the Thoroughbred Makeover, known as the largest and most lucrative Thoroughbred retraining competition in North America. Ex-racehorses with the same amount of training, roughly a year, in their new career can compete in up to two of 10 disciplines – barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunters, freestyle, polo, ranch work, show jumpers, or show hunters – showing off the versatility and trainability of the breed. Under the event’s current format, the top five after preliminary competition in each discipline then move on to a clean-slate finale to determine 10 champions, after which judges from all disciplines then rank a “best in show” champion and, over the years, fan polls have also been conducted to showcase other popular Thoroughbreds among the winners. More than $100,000 in prize money is available. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. In his first year of showing, Cozmic One and Isabela de Sousa placed fifth out of 97 entries in the show jumping division at the Makeover, and competed in the finale competition at the Kentucky Horse Park. In the ensuing years, Cozmic One continued to compete in the sport, including earning a fourth-place finish in the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s Zone 5 rankings for the Thoroughbred jumper section, representing horses competing in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. It was recently decided to retire Cozmic One, now 12, to a less physically taxing lifestyle. “He had an injury years ago to his left hind leg,” Sergio de Sousa said. “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.” Cozmic One arrived at Old Friends on Oct. 1. “He loves people. He knows that we work for him,” Sergio de Sousa said. “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.” Cozmic One will now continue to serve as a Thoroughbred ambassador in retirement, as a new class of ambassadors arrives at the nearby Kentucky Horse Park – less than 10 minutes from Old Friends – this week to compete in the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover. The Retired Racehorse Project reported 353 final entrants – both newly retired racehorses, as well as former broodmares in a division added last year – for this week’s flagship event. Preliminary competition in the 10 disciplines takes place Oct. 9-10, with the finale set for Saturday, Oct. 12. Familiar names set to compete include graded stakes winners Decorated Invader (dressage), Drafted (competitive trail and freestyle), Winston C (dressage and eventing), Captivating Moon (dressage and eventing), Cavalry Charge (show jumper and show hunter), King Cause (field hunter), Real Grace (dressage), and Wondrwherecraigis (show jumping). :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.