Since Cool God stepped away from the thrill of racing, the gelding has been enjoying a different pace of life.
Cool God ran his last race at Sale in August 2014 and not long after that his owners decided to find the then five-year-old a new home. But that home had to be with someone who would appreciate his chilled, no-fuss attitude.
Cool God had been trained at Flemington by Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra and so Cool God’s owners recruited their rehoming program specialist, Pippa Warman, to find Cool God a new home and lifestyle. And she knew exactly where the horse should go.
Warman agisted her own horses at a property owned by horsewoman Carolyn Lofts who owns Wildwood Equestrian Park, north of Melbourne.
“She had mentioned to me that she wanted a nice horse off-the-track to trail ride on day trips. She wanted a horse that was even-tempered and even-paced because you don’t want to spend six hours sitting on a horse that bounces around,” said Warman.
“I think that for a horse that will be a trail-riding horse, temperament is most important. They need to be sure-footed so you can trust them to carry you for the day.
People can look for smaller stocky horses and I understand that, but a thoroughbred can be as good as any purpose-bred trail horse because they have stamina.
“I knew that, as a racehorse, Cool God was bombproof. He never got spooked. He had a good temperament and good feet, so as soon as he became available, I sent Carolyn a text and told her to hook up her float and meet me at the stables because I’d found her trail-riding horse.”
Lofts has had horses her entire life but only began trail riding when she bought Cool God, whom she renamed Buddy.