Cozmic One and Jess's Dream
Feb 2, 2015 23:22:46 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on Feb 2, 2015 23:22:46 GMT -5
I doubt there have ever been 2 colts in the same year who will garner the amount of attention as these 2. This is from about a month ago but I thought it was interesting. Which do you think will have a better career? I think Jess because he has a much, much better trainer
High Expectations
by T.D. Thornton
(from barntowire from TDN)
Even under normal circumstances, preparing a precocious young colt for his career debut can be as difficult as it is rewarding.
But when a pair of impeccably bred 2-year-olds happen to be the progeny of the 21st Century’s two most prolific racemares to date, you might as well be training under a microscope.
Trainer John Shirreffs has Zenyatta’s first foal, Cozmic One (Bernardini) underneath his Santa Anita shed row.
Kiaran McLaughlin has charge of Rachel Alexandra’s firstborn, Jess’s Dream (Curlin), at Palm Meadows Training Center.
Public expectations and media scrutiny are high as both colts hone final gate and speed drills in anticipation of their first career starts in early 2015.
“No pressure there--by Horse of the Year out of Horse of the Year, so he needs to be Horse of the Year,” McLaughlin deadpanned. “Obviously, anything short of Horse of the Year, we’ll all be disappointed.”
McLaughlin was joking--or at least only partially joking--about the need for Jess’s Dream to live up to his champion lineage. But he definitely wasn’t kidding about the hype.
“Without a doubt,” Shirreffs said when asked if part of his job was to be a buffer between Cozmic One and an intensely curious, Zenyatta-crazed public. “Certainly we discourage too many visitors at this point because he’s a very strong, young horse and basically he needs to learn his lessons before he gets exposed to too many people.”
While neither trainer would admit to having a specific race circled in the condition book, both indicated entry time was getting near.
Shirreffs told TDN he is aiming Cozmic One for “something at two turns” at Santa Anita. The dark bay or brown worked five furlongs handily in 1:01 on Monday.
“He’s very fit,” Shirreffs said. “He needs to learn to break from the gate. He hasn’t been okayed from the gate yet. And then he needs a fast work, and he’s ready to go.”
McLaughlin told TDN he would ideally start Jess’s Dream at “seven [furlongs] to a one-turn mile” at Gulfstream Park. The dark bay or brown most recently breezed five furlongs in 1:00.25 on Dec. 18.
“Thirty days or so,” McLaughlin estimated. “We just have some work to do at the gate. He definitely is not a sprinter. He wants to run longer and that’s why we’ve been taking some time with him, because he’s a big, long-striding colt that wants to go farther.”
Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra both finished stellar racing careers in 2010, but strong fan bases for both have meant that neither mare has been far from the spotlight since transitioning to breeding duty.
Zenyatta retired 19-for-20 lifetime, with her only loss coming 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 2008, 2009 and 2010, while also winning Horse of the Year in 2010.
Cozmic One (foaled March 8, 2012) is Zenyatta’s first foal. He earned his name in part by being born under a full moon with a star marking on his forehead. Both dam and colt are owned by Jerry and Ann Moss.
In 2013, Zenyatta foaled a Tapit colt named Ziconic. Her 2014 weanling by War Front was euthanized Oct. 28 after a paddock accident. She was not bred in 2014, but is scheduled to be mated back to War Front in 2015.
Shirreffs said he can see some of Zenyatta’s traits emerging as Cozmic One matures.
“There are certainly similarities. He’s got his mother’s hind end. He’s developing her shoulder. And they’re almost the same color,” Shirreffs said. “The thing that struck me the most, because I hadn’t seen him since he was a weanling, is his physical structure. He’s got amazing cannon bones. Physically he’s very strong, like you would expect a Bernardini to be--lanky and long. He never gets tired.”
Shirreffs said the main adjustment for Cozmic One has been the transition from being turned out in a paddock to being confined to a racetrack stall 23 hours a day.
“We’ve had to find ways to get him out of the stall and walk him; use up some of his energy,” Shirreffs said. “The one thing that we have to be a little bit careful with ‘Coz’ is that once he started to breeze, suddenly he knew where the half-mile pole was, and he just started to take off. Since then, we’ve tried to teach him that to be a successful racehorse, you have to have several gears instead of just going to overdrive right away.”
Shirreffs said Cozmic One appears to have his mom’s unruffled demeanor.
“Mentally, all the foals out of [Zenyatta’s dam] Vertigineux are not affected by horses around them,” Shirreffs said. “They don’t get upset when they’re in crowds, they don’t mind being behind or in front; right side, left side. They’re very good that way.”
Rachel Alexandra won the 2009 GI Kentucky Oaks by 20 1/2 lengths then beat males in the GI Preakness S. two weeks later. She also defeated the opposite sex in the GI Haskell Invitational and GI Woodward S. en route to 2009 champion three-year-old filly and Horse of the Year honors. She retired in 2010 with a 13-5-0 mark from 19 starts.
Jess’s Dream (foaled January 22, 2012) is Rachel Alexandra’s first foal. He is owned by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stable. Jess Jackson, Banke’s late husband, raced both Curlin and Rachel Alexandra and envisioned their mating; hence the name.
Because Rachel Alexandra was hospitalized after experiencing foaling difficulties with both Jess’s Dream and a 2013 Bernardini filly, she was not bred in 2013 or 2014.
“He’s improving all the time,” McLaughlin said of Jess’s Dream. “He’s big boy, and he’s doing well. He might not have consistent works every seven days because we’re going to the gate and kicking him out, but they’re almost like works.”
McLaughlin said he couldn’t speak to the traits Jess’s Dream might be carrying from his champion parents, because he wasn’t around either as racehorses.
“He’s very smart. No issues, really,” McLaughlin said. “He was happy and feeling good when he first came in to us, and a picture made the news with him rearing up. But he’s a pleasure to be around and he does everything right. He’s improving mentally all the time. He knows he has a job to do and he’s getting focused in training and doing really well.”
Both McLaughlin and Shirreffs said that having owners who are realistic about the pressures involved with racing the offspring of fan-favorite champion mares helps with managing expectations, both publicly and privately.
“Barabara Banke and her team understand the game really well. We’ve had a good run for them lately, and they understand the way it is. But everybody knows we have high hopes for Jess’s Dream,” McLaughlin admitted.
“The big thing is you don’t want people to jump to conclusions too quickly along the way,” said Shirreffs. “I try to tell everybody ‘one step at a time.’ That’s my philosophy.”
High Expectations
by T.D. Thornton
(from barntowire from TDN)
Even under normal circumstances, preparing a precocious young colt for his career debut can be as difficult as it is rewarding.
But when a pair of impeccably bred 2-year-olds happen to be the progeny of the 21st Century’s two most prolific racemares to date, you might as well be training under a microscope.
Trainer John Shirreffs has Zenyatta’s first foal, Cozmic One (Bernardini) underneath his Santa Anita shed row.
Kiaran McLaughlin has charge of Rachel Alexandra’s firstborn, Jess’s Dream (Curlin), at Palm Meadows Training Center.
Public expectations and media scrutiny are high as both colts hone final gate and speed drills in anticipation of their first career starts in early 2015.
“No pressure there--by Horse of the Year out of Horse of the Year, so he needs to be Horse of the Year,” McLaughlin deadpanned. “Obviously, anything short of Horse of the Year, we’ll all be disappointed.”
McLaughlin was joking--or at least only partially joking--about the need for Jess’s Dream to live up to his champion lineage. But he definitely wasn’t kidding about the hype.
“Without a doubt,” Shirreffs said when asked if part of his job was to be a buffer between Cozmic One and an intensely curious, Zenyatta-crazed public. “Certainly we discourage too many visitors at this point because he’s a very strong, young horse and basically he needs to learn his lessons before he gets exposed to too many people.”
While neither trainer would admit to having a specific race circled in the condition book, both indicated entry time was getting near.
Shirreffs told TDN he is aiming Cozmic One for “something at two turns” at Santa Anita. The dark bay or brown worked five furlongs handily in 1:01 on Monday.
“He’s very fit,” Shirreffs said. “He needs to learn to break from the gate. He hasn’t been okayed from the gate yet. And then he needs a fast work, and he’s ready to go.”
McLaughlin told TDN he would ideally start Jess’s Dream at “seven [furlongs] to a one-turn mile” at Gulfstream Park. The dark bay or brown most recently breezed five furlongs in 1:00.25 on Dec. 18.
“Thirty days or so,” McLaughlin estimated. “We just have some work to do at the gate. He definitely is not a sprinter. He wants to run longer and that’s why we’ve been taking some time with him, because he’s a big, long-striding colt that wants to go farther.”
Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra both finished stellar racing careers in 2010, but strong fan bases for both have meant that neither mare has been far from the spotlight since transitioning to breeding duty.
Zenyatta retired 19-for-20 lifetime, with her only loss coming 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 2008, 2009 and 2010, while also winning Horse of the Year in 2010.
Cozmic One (foaled March 8, 2012) is Zenyatta’s first foal. He earned his name in part by being born under a full moon with a star marking on his forehead. Both dam and colt are owned by Jerry and Ann Moss.
In 2013, Zenyatta foaled a Tapit colt named Ziconic. Her 2014 weanling by War Front was euthanized Oct. 28 after a paddock accident. She was not bred in 2014, but is scheduled to be mated back to War Front in 2015.
Shirreffs said he can see some of Zenyatta’s traits emerging as Cozmic One matures.
“There are certainly similarities. He’s got his mother’s hind end. He’s developing her shoulder. And they’re almost the same color,” Shirreffs said. “The thing that struck me the most, because I hadn’t seen him since he was a weanling, is his physical structure. He’s got amazing cannon bones. Physically he’s very strong, like you would expect a Bernardini to be--lanky and long. He never gets tired.”
Shirreffs said the main adjustment for Cozmic One has been the transition from being turned out in a paddock to being confined to a racetrack stall 23 hours a day.
“We’ve had to find ways to get him out of the stall and walk him; use up some of his energy,” Shirreffs said. “The one thing that we have to be a little bit careful with ‘Coz’ is that once he started to breeze, suddenly he knew where the half-mile pole was, and he just started to take off. Since then, we’ve tried to teach him that to be a successful racehorse, you have to have several gears instead of just going to overdrive right away.”
Shirreffs said Cozmic One appears to have his mom’s unruffled demeanor.
“Mentally, all the foals out of [Zenyatta’s dam] Vertigineux are not affected by horses around them,” Shirreffs said. “They don’t get upset when they’re in crowds, they don’t mind being behind or in front; right side, left side. They’re very good that way.”
Rachel Alexandra won the 2009 GI Kentucky Oaks by 20 1/2 lengths then beat males in the GI Preakness S. two weeks later. She also defeated the opposite sex in the GI Haskell Invitational and GI Woodward S. en route to 2009 champion three-year-old filly and Horse of the Year honors. She retired in 2010 with a 13-5-0 mark from 19 starts.
Jess’s Dream (foaled January 22, 2012) is Rachel Alexandra’s first foal. He is owned by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stable. Jess Jackson, Banke’s late husband, raced both Curlin and Rachel Alexandra and envisioned their mating; hence the name.
Because Rachel Alexandra was hospitalized after experiencing foaling difficulties with both Jess’s Dream and a 2013 Bernardini filly, she was not bred in 2013 or 2014.
“He’s improving all the time,” McLaughlin said of Jess’s Dream. “He’s big boy, and he’s doing well. He might not have consistent works every seven days because we’re going to the gate and kicking him out, but they’re almost like works.”
McLaughlin said he couldn’t speak to the traits Jess’s Dream might be carrying from his champion parents, because he wasn’t around either as racehorses.
“He’s very smart. No issues, really,” McLaughlin said. “He was happy and feeling good when he first came in to us, and a picture made the news with him rearing up. But he’s a pleasure to be around and he does everything right. He’s improving mentally all the time. He knows he has a job to do and he’s getting focused in training and doing really well.”
Both McLaughlin and Shirreffs said that having owners who are realistic about the pressures involved with racing the offspring of fan-favorite champion mares helps with managing expectations, both publicly and privately.
“Barabara Banke and her team understand the game really well. We’ve had a good run for them lately, and they understand the way it is. But everybody knows we have high hopes for Jess’s Dream,” McLaughlin admitted.
“The big thing is you don’t want people to jump to conclusions too quickly along the way,” said Shirreffs. “I try to tell everybody ‘one step at a time.’ That’s my philosophy.”
