Once that decision was reached there was no stopping him. He set out to write a book that not only would be educational for new racehorse owners or people who were thinking of entering the sport, but also to write about the ups and downs of a life entertainingly entwined with racing. He wanted to write a book that presented useful information, but at the same time make it funny and colorful. As president of Dogwood Stable, Cot has brought 1,200 new owners into the industry. He had a showplace farm in Georgia, visited by Arab royalty and Kentucky hardboots.
Dogwood is now in Aiken, South Carolina, where horses are an integral part of the town.
Lightning in a Jar was written in a span of six months, and had its official release on October 15, 2000. The title has long been one of Cot s favorite phrases, used when he speaks of the great Dogwood runner Summer Squall. He won the Preakness Stakes at three, as well as three other highly important races. And yet it is so much more, because at its heart Lightning in a Jar is the honest tale of a colorful life filled with love and unmasked admiration for the Thoroughbred racehorse. I took the book with me to California and couldn t put it down.