Where Are They Now: Zenyatta’s Sons, Cozmic One and Ziconic

In this new TDN column, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of popular and/or accomplished former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc.

The first two foals out of the mighty Zenyatta, Cozmic One (Bernardini) and Ziconic (Tapit), never reached the winner's circle during their brief careers on the racetrack, but they are both thriving in their second careers as jumpers and ambassadors for off-track Thoroughbreds.

The elder brother, Cozmic One's second career has been well documented in these pages (Cozmic One: Shining New Light on OTTBs and Checking in on Cozmic One) in the past, but we checked in with Hidden Brook Farm's Sergio de Sousa and his daughter Isabela for the latest update.

When Cozmic One first came to the de Sousas, he was Isabela's charge. An accomplished equestrian, Isabela was consistently in the blue ribbons with her OTTBs at the annual Thoroughbred Makeover, which was her first goal with “Coz” back in 2018.

When Isabela started traveling to pursue her career as a professional equestrian, Sergio took over the reins on Cozmic One. The two have been competing in jumper shows, focusing on the Take2 program, which partners with United States Equestrian Federation-rated horse shows that offer C-rated Thoroughbred hunter and jumper divisions, which are restricted to Thoroughbreds registered with The Jockey Club. They will also be competing in the Real Rider Cup for the second time this year in their new Kentucky-based event July 9.

“Isabela is around this summer, so if she wants to jump him she can, but he is basically my fun horse now,” Sergio said. “I just want to continue having fun with him and doing things like the Real Rider Cup. We did the .85 [meter jumpers] last week at the [Kentucky] Horse Park. I hope to qualify for the Take2 finals with him at the Horse Park in September.”

Cozmic One is now 10, which is considered old for a racehorse, but is the prime age for show horses.

“He has really matured,” Sergio said. “He is a much stronger horse now and I have improved my riding. We are just having fun and enjoying each other.”

“Coz is doing great and him and my dad are developing a lovely partnership,” Isabela added. “They both are learning from one another and are enjoying themselves while doing it.”

Ziconic & Sarah Pollock | Told By Film

While Cozmic One is enjoying the lush Kentucky bluegrass, his year-younger half-brother Ziconic remained on the West Coast when he left trainer John Shirreffs's barn three years ago. He was placed under the care of Linda Moss and her husband George Bedar, who already had a former Shirreffs trainee campaigned by Zenyatta's owners, Jerome and Ann Holbrook Moss, in her barn in Milyone (Maria's Mon).

Linda Moss became friends with Ann Holbrook Moss and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs back in 2011 when she honored Zenyatta at a local conference for women in business.

“I am a board advisor to the Professional Business Women of California and we have a conference every year,” Moss explained. “The theme for our conference in 2011 was connect, explore, inspire and I was responsible for producing the inspire section. I wanted a special woman to represent the inspired section and I chose Zenyatta to do that.”

The next thing Moss did was head to Hollywood Park to meet the queen herself.

“Shortly after the conference, I went down to the track and met Zenyatta,” said Moss, who had owned Arabs in the past, but always loved Thoroughbreds. “My older Thoroughbred Milyone was there, about three stalls down from Zenyatta. He just kept calling out to me as I was walking down the barn aisle. When I went up to his stall, he just put his head in my neck. John said, 'He has never done that with anyone before.' I jokingly said, 'Well if he ever needs a home, he has one.' A year and a half later, Dottie called me and said, 'Do you still want Milyone?'”

Of course, Moss said yes. Then, in June of 2019, she received another call from Ingordo-Shirreffs.

“When Ziconic was ready to be retired, Dottie called me and said John and I feel he should go to you,” Moss said. “We talked about it and that is how we got him exactly three years ago.”

According to Moss, Ziconic is well aware of his royal heritage and enjoys the attention that comes along with it.

“Ziconic is the type of horse who knows who he is and likes to be treated special,” she said. “He is extremely proud. He is probably the smartest horse I have ever been around. He is also very playful and loves an audience.”

Moss said Ziconic has taken to off-track life very well. He started his retraining as a jumper with trainer Sarah Pollock and the pair even won their first show together back in 2020. Unfortunately, Ziconic's show schedule was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and an EHV outbreak in the state of California.

   “He is really enjoying his off-track life,” Moss said. “We give him a lot of diversity. He is kind of the king of the farm he is at right now, Eclipse Equine Sports Therapy Center in the Santa Ynez Valley. He was originally at a sporthorse farm, training with an amazing trainer, Sarah Pollock. She did an amazing job transitioning him.”

She continued, “He really loves to jump and be in the arena, getting all the cheers and being photographed. It has been a very inconsistent show career for him because of COVID and the EHV outbreak. We gave him the winter off. He is back in a jumping program now with the goal of showing in the fall jumping circuit. We will probably start him back at the .80 or .85 [meter], but he was jumping a meter previously.”

Under the care of Moss and the de Sousas, both of Zenyatta's boys have found their callings. They have taken the athletic ability and winning attitude they inherited from their superstar dam to new venues, shining a brighter spotlight on off-track Thoroughbreds everywhere in the process.

The post Where Are They Now: Zenyatta’s Sons, Cozmic One and Ziconic appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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T.I.P. Reveals 2021 Winners

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) has revealed the winners and other placings from its 2021 performance awards program and the T.I.P./United States Polo Association (USPA) annual polo awards.

The awards recognize Thoroughbreds that have accumulated the most points at all horse shows through a variety of disciplines and experience levels. In 2021, 726 Thoroughbreds from 42 states and four provinces competed in more than 15,000 classes, divisions, and events. Division awards were calculated in 14 discipline categories, 92 discipline divisions, and eight junior rider divisions.

In addition, Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) sponsored awards for a green OTTB category, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) sponsored an award for horses adopted from TAA-accredited organizations, and the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) provided awards for top-placing RRP Makeover alumni. The T.I.P./USPA Thoroughbred Polo Awards were also added in 2020 and awarded for the second year.

The complete list of winners and participants is available at tjctip.com/PerformanceAwardsWinners.

Performance awards will be available again in 2022 and will be based on show results from Dec. 1 of last year through Nov. 30, 2022.

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Half-Brother to Arc Winner, Eclipse Champion Thriving in Second Career

Nearly 200 Thoroughbreds competed in The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Championships held earlier this month in Aiken, South Carolina. There were classes covering seven disciplines and there were 26 divisions spanning hunters, jumpers, dressage, combined tests, Western dressage, English pleasure and Western pleasure. That meant a lot of variety among the competitors, all of them with a unique story. There was a 27-year-old horse and a 2-year-old horse. There were horses that didn't accomplish much of anything during their racing careers and then there was one, Two Notch Road (Partner's Hero), who made $536,139 on the track and had two stakes wins. It was a testament to the versatility of the Thoroughbred,

Then there was Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}). He is as well-bred as a horse can be.

Radiant Child's story didn't start well as he never made it to the races. But it will end well. He was placed in a loving home and is now enjoying his second career as a show horse. It shows that any horse, even one who is a half-brother to the winner of the GI Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, as well as to an Eclipse Award winner, can be in need of a soft place to land once retired.

Out of the dam Starlet's Sister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Radiant Child was purchased for €400,000 at the 2018 Arqana August Yearling Sale by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm and comes from a family that has been very good to the owner. Brant also owned his half-brother, 2020 Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), and his half-sister, Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), the 2018 champion turf female. There's also another talented half-sister that Brant owns, My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), the winner of this year's GIII Fasig-Tipton Waya S. for the second time. She has been pre-entered for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Even when a horse has a superstar pedigree, everything must go right for the horse to be a success on the racetrack. In this case, it didn't. It turned out that Radiant Child had a problem with a tendon in his left hind hock. The Brant team tried everything, including stem cell treatments and gelding the horse, to get him to the races, but, in the end, it was decided that it was in his best interests to retire him without his having had a start.

Brant is one of the most successful owners in the business, but even he will have horses that don't work out. Jean Bickley, Brant's racing manager, said he makes it a priority to find a good home for each and every one. In this case, Brant didn't have to look far. Bickley decided to adopt him.

“When the [2020] season at Payson was ending, the team didn't think he'd ever have the push behind to stay sound so the decision was made to rehome him,” Bickley said. “I'd always loved the horse since we got him, and always said if he ever needed a home I wanted  him. Mr. Brant offered Radiant Child to me because the family is very important to him and he knew the horse would have the best of everything. I've worked for him for 34 years and he's been aware of many of my horse pursuits over the years.”

Donuts are part of Radiant Child's daily menu | Courtesy Jean Bickley

Bickley was looking for a horse she could spend some time with and enjoy.

“My other Thoroughbreds are both older and I was looking for an all-around horse,” she said. “I bought a home in Aiken three years ago so that I could ride out, do a little bit of showing. At this point in my career, I just want to enjoy my horses and maybe show a little. I wanted to have an all-around horse and I thought he fit the bill.”

Radiant Child is now “Dudley,” the barn name given to him by Bickley.

“Dudley is the angel in the film “The Bishop's Wife,” which was my mother's favorite Christmas movie, and Dudley was played by Cary Grant,” Bickley explained. “He's handsome and funny, just like the horse, and charming and everyone liked him. It is the perfect name for him.”

It seems that Dudley has quite the personality. He loves donuts and gets glazed donuts from Dunkin' Donuts every day but Sunday. On Sundays, he feasts on donuts from Krispy Kreme. He's smart and friendly and likes people and other horses. Bickley says he's a dream to own.

“Dudley” loves his donuts | Courtesy Jean Bickley

“Everyone who had him said he was just the kindest, sweetest, smartest horse,” she said. “He's very unique because he's probably the most chill Thoroughbred you will ever see. He is beautiful and he comes from a really good family, so, because of that, he gets a lot of attention. He loves all horses. My other horses are quirky, but he doesn't have any quirks. He's just friendly and fun. He's a good ambassador because he's not at all like what some people think of when they think of the Thoroughbred. He has a laid-back personality and is kind. People have misconceived ideas that these horses come off the track and they are all crazy. He is a very good ambassador for Thoroughbreds and how versatile they are and the variety of things they can do if people just take the time to transition them into new careers.”

Radiant Child is a rookie when it comes to his new career, but he's showing promise. Bickley said she will only enter a few shows a year, ones like the T.I.P. Championships, where Radiant Child won the In-Hand Class for 2-year-old to 5-year-old geldings and colts  out of 20 horses and was third in the Championship In-Hand Class.

The Thoroughbred Incentive Program was launched by The Jockey Club in 2012 as a way to encourage people to adopt off-track Thoroughbreds. More than 58,850 eligible Thoroughbreds have taken part and there have been more than 6,500 horse shows and events that have included T.I.P. classes or awards. Any horse that has been registered with The Jockey Club  or a foreign Thoroughbred stud book recognized by The Jockey Club is eligible to take part. The 2021 T.I.P. Championships included $60,500 in prize money.

Radiant Child also competed in the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show in September.

Bickley would like to see Dudley excel in the show ring, but it's more important to her that he have a good home and a good life. So far, so good.

“He loves this,” she said. “He eats donuts and he hangs out with dogs. He's as happy as a clam.”

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American Wood Fibers Partners With Secretariat Center

American Wood Fibers (AWF) today announced a new partnership with the Secretariat Center, located in the Horse Capital of the World at the world famous Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The company will serve as the sole sponsor and supplier of animal bedding, contributing to the Center's upkeep and overall health of American Thoroughbreds. This sponsorship allows the Center to continue their impactful work, readying the horses for life after rehab.

Since 2004, the Secretariat Center has been considered the gold standard in retraining and rehabilitating former racehorses to prepare them for post-track careers. Through boarding and reschooling, the Center's goal is to create harmonious matches with adopters and educate the community about the American Thoroughbred breed. To date, they have successfully rehoused more than 800 Thoroughbreds.

“We are so excited about our new partnership with AWF,” said Shelley Mann, Executive Director of the Secretariat Center. “As our exclusive sponsor, they are helping us keep our stalls clean and comfortable, contributing to the health and wellbeing of our Thoroughbreds as we place them into loving families.”

The ongoing donation of animal bedding will help maintain the care and comfort of the horses housed at the facility. Most of the Thoroughbreds require stall rest for a successful transition, and AWF's large flake shavings will create a better environment during their stay. The premium softwood shavings are all-natural and eco-friendly.

“AWF is incredibly proud to support the Secretariat Center,” said Michael Keefe, VP of Sales and Marketing. “We are honored to partner with a visionary nonprofit  who shares our enthusiasm for the equine industry.”

Despite temporarily closing their doors due to the pandemic, the Center was able to rehome 33 Thoroughbreds last year. The facility is now open and members of the community are welcome to attend virtual and in-person tours, watch training sessions and donate to their programs. Visit www.secretariatcenter.org for more information.

Read more here.

The post American Wood Fibers Partners With Secretariat Center appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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