TORONTO, June 20, 2025 – Once a week, throughout the Mohawk racing season, Woodbine will profile a horse who has had a life-changing impact on one of their closest connections. This week, driver Carter Gimblett and Cosington, the bay trotter who inspired his love for the game from an early age. While the fourth-year reinsman was too young to have ever raced the bay trotter his father Todd and grandfather John purchased more than two decades ago, Cosington’s impact on a wide-eyed toddler resonated more profoundly than any triumph on the track ever could. Cosington Foaled: March 9, 1999 Sire: Malabar Man Dam: Classical Speed Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 20-12-16 Earnings: $471,708 Trainer: Dave Menary Owner: Todd Gimblett Breeder: Armstrong Bros. Cosington winning Race 3 at Woodbine on January 24, 2008 (New Image Media) When did you realize Cosington was going to be a special horse for you? “This is a horse that my father and grandfather bought back when I was only two years old. At that time, I didn’t know much about horse racing other than it was horses – but Cosington’s the one that, anytime my dad would take me into the barn, I’d always find myself hanging around with. He’s the first horse that I got attached to. “He was one that gave my family their first chance at racing on the Grand Circuit and racing at the top level, even at Mohawk back then. He was just a really, really nice horse to be around.” What race of his was most meaningful to you and why? “There were a bunch. He won a race at The Meadowlands in the Horse & Groom Series [Feb. 29, 2004]. That one was pretty special to them. And then, getting to compete in races like the Breeders Crown, the Nat Ray, they had another series back in the day called The Horsemen’s Trotting Series. He raced very well in that series, too. There were a number of them. “My father and grandfather bought him out of the Harrisburg Mixed Sale and gave him to Dave Menary to train – he trained him all throughout that year. It was through an owner’s perspective, but he was their first really good horse.” Talk about his personality on and off the track. “Off the track, he’s the nicest horse you’d ever meet. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. When I was young, I could walk right in the stall with him, and he wouldn’t have a care in the world. All around, he was just a great horse to be around. “Now, this comes from back when I was younger, but when he used to go to the track, it was game on. He knew it was time to race and he’d get pretty fired up and ready to go. “He got claimed off them a couple of years later, but at the end of his career, my father bought him back and retired him. He just lived out the rest of his life as a pet for us, and he was an amazing horse. He’s since passed away, but he’s the horse that kind of started everything, and meant the world to me. “He always had the biggest heart on him, and he just wanted to please.” Three words to describe him? “Gentle. Kind. Willing.” How has he changed your life? “He pretty much was the main reason why I’m as involved in harness racing as I am today. There’s a lot of great things that I could say about him, but there’s only so much you can say, right? “I trace everything that I’ve done – even to the point where I wanted to become a driver and train – all back to him.” Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine Share This:Share
