During his two-year-old racing season, trainer Carl Chapman retired and the colt's conditioning was taken over by Lou Cavalaris, Jr.
At age three, Cool Reception was shipped south to race in the United States, where he met with limited success, winning the Fort Lauderdale Handicap against older rivals and an allowance race in Canada.
Cool Reception returned to Canada, where he easily won the Marine Stakes.
Ridden by jockey Johnny Sellers, he raced the last two hundred yards on a broken right foreleg.
In 2005, Cool Reception's accomplishments were recognized with his induction in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.