Good Morning,
It is Preakness Week and everyone is very excited about the 2nd Leg of the Triple Crown taking place Saturday. This afternoon, on HRTV, they will show the post position draw. My friend from Barn 55, MR. COMMONS, is running! He was stabled about 3 stalls away from me. I was there when he first arrived as a 2 year old to begin training and then when he ran his first race! I truly want to wish him GOOD LUCK while in Maryland and in the PREAKNESS STAKES.
I’ve heard at this particular race track that you’d like to be somewhat in the middle of the field in the starting gate. The Preakness allows 14 horse to enter…unlike the Kentucky Derby which permits a field of 20. We’ll see who is in the field and the posts when they draw the race later today. SUCH FUN!
It is so interesting to ME to watch races and evaluate them now from this point of view…as an ATHLETE and a FAN…rather than that of being an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT on the playing field.
Dottie was telling ME several years ago, Patrick Valenzuela, who is a very talented jockey, came to the Turf Club one afternoon to watch a few races with her when he had completed his riding assignments for the day. He was watching a race very intently when he made a comment she will never forget!
‘WOW, IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO “RIDE” THE RACE FROM UP HERE! YOU GET A FULL VIEW OF THE WHOLE FIELD AND WHAT IS HAPPENING. IT IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN BEING ON THE TRACK, IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, AND NEEDING TO MAKE SPLIT-SECOND DECISIONS SO QUICKLY.”
These words really made her think and left an impact. They sound so simple…but actually say so much. From that point forward, every time she would evaluate a particular move a horse or rider would make…in the back of her mind, she would reflect on PVAL’S statement. It truly has great merit…not just in racing, but in life. It is so often easier to comment upon or evaluate something someone else does…but not as easy to accomplish that task when “WALKING IN THEIR SHOES”. Perhaps, it is best to often consider the WHOLE PICTURE.
When I’d be in the midst of running, making moves, inside-outside, going between horses, MIKE had to make so many split-second decisions. Holes open, then they close quickly. The horse in front of you can be making a big move and then suddenly slow down and change momentum. It is so tricky!
When I was running full speed, I was clocked at over 40 miles an hour on Trakkus. (Clement Hirsch/Del Mar) That is why the comment Patrick made is something to reflect upon when watching races, horses, and their performances. There are constant decisions to be made so quickly when you are actually the one running and / or riding the race! The action changes every second! There are many challenges to meet. Racing luck is also extremely important and does play a significant role in all of this! Head up or head down on the finish line can make the difference between winning and being 2nd. ( I can testify to this!) These are the components that truly work together to make HORSERACING such a fascinating sport! I feel totally BLESSED for the part I have been able to play in it!
Thinking of MY BARN 55 Friends today, I wanted to share this photo Mattea Kelley took recently with ME with ISABELLE. She was one of my dear riders while I was in training…and I JUST LOVE THIS PHOTO! If I say so myself, I think we both look TOO CUTE!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
PS…Speaking of the Preakness, as many of you may remember, Patrick rode Sunday Silence to an amazing victory in this race. Per many of the sports writers and fans, this was one of the most exciting finishes ever in a TRIPLE CROWN RACE…and Patrick’s ride was one of true perfection!
Lynette Lucas
Zenny – I love this picture!! Patrick is a great jockey but not at as great as your Mike!! Love you!! Hugs and Kisses from Roswell,NM!!!
Barbara C
Zenny, what insight from the saddle, it’s so exciting to watch all of you run, sometimes it’s like I’m running with you, but I see the point – when you see the whole picture it puts everything in perspective, but if you’re in the mist of the “running” you can’t see what the entire field is doing. Very nicely put, whether in racing or in life. Preakness is exciting you never know what will happen. Thank you Zenny and Dottie for the great words of wisdom. Looking forward to the Black Eye Susan and the Preakness – the very best safe ride to all. Love you Lady Z :).
Alma
May all the horses and jockeys in the Preakness be protected from all harm and come back safe and sound. Blessed be them all.
Brenda
How lucky was Isabelle to be able to give you a kiss, it says a lot about you Zenny that you enjoy such affection. I looked at the stats on winner/post positions today, it really seems that the middle post positions are the best. Here in Fort Erie I’ll be cheering for Mr. Commons and John so I hope he gets 6, 7 or 8.
Sharman
Wow, I loved this post and all the insight, makes me think differently now. And I just LOVE this Pic of you getting kisses, how adorable !!! Thansk for sharing this with us. Hugs to You an Dottie, John and the Mosses, you guys are SO AWESOME!!!!! :) Lots of Love Sweet Girl an to your family too !!!!
Dex
Zennie you are such a champion! We can all learn so much from you!!!
Kirren
What a sweet moment caught between you and Isabelle, Z!
It is true, looking at the WHOLE picture rather than just your own view can change perspective on many things! PVAL is a great jockey, and I am sure has many more words of wisdom. Thank you for sharing with us!
Good luck to all horses in the Preakness! I will be rooting on Mr. Commons and of course, Mike and his mount. I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises in store on Saturday!
I noticed DJ’s comment on receiving her Z statue. I also am awaiting my own. I can’t wait! :D A thousand thanks go out to Nina for her absolutely beautiful work, and her courtesy to your fans!
It is always good to hear from you, Z. Stay happy and healthy!
Love and miss you!
Sharon Call
@Max and LisaG. Thanks for your kind comments. Sometimes I feel like I get too long-winded and wear people out but it feels so good to ramble on and most of the people here know what I’m talking about. I’m hard put to find horsey people in my area these days.
Kirren
@Sharon Call, I would also stand up on your soap box with you about that race! Blame was not to “blame” for the result, nor was Mike. Z simply had bad luck in the race, and I thought Mike rode her beautifully considering the obstacles they faced. Garrett Gomez (Blame’s jockey) also made the comment that she is a wonderful horse, and he wished he wasn’t the one to beat her that day. Z ran what I think was her best race of them all, even if she lost by a nose. Why? Because she faced obstacles and still proved to be the quality racehorse that she is. Sometimes it’s not the races you win, but how you run the race that puts you above the rest.
Jean in Seaside
Zen, you found a way to teach a lesson without being prissy, and that’s a gift, girlfriend! Thanks. As a lifelong sports fan, I have a hard time with folks who watch, and are sure they know how it “should have been done,” from a free throw to a strike to stretch drive. Your comment reminds all of us to understand that professionals are at work, and while everyone can have a bad or a good day, skill is always at the mercy of circumstance, or luck, and many elements must come together for a win in any contest. It also (LOL!) reminds me not to judge others too readily, and to consider their views with kindness, if not with agreement. Grateful, as always, for you – and for the “thumbed” people who do your typing!
Eveline
Hi Zenny, as usual an other gorgeous picture of you. We will be rooting for Mr. Commons, but also for Animal Kingdom and the two Bowie horses. @ Laura J – CT has free realtime life streaming of their races, also free replays, here is the link to the webside http://www.hollywoodcasinocharlestown.com/Racing
Nancy McNaul Applegate
Me, too! i feel like i’m kissing you right on your nose, silly Zenny!
Karen Randall
What a lovely photo. She must really love you, and you look so sweet.
LauraJ
@Nancy Bickford, she’s had a foal tag on her halter since December. It’s clearly visible in the “Zenyatta At Lane’s End” video. Ann Moss brought that tag or one like it to the Eclipse Awards as a good-luck charm.
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@Roxi Cook, there are actually quite a few “Helmet Cam” videos out there. Go to YouTube and do a search. I think Hawthorne has one in most of the races run there–real races, not training.
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@Sharon Call, you are probably going to have lots of company on that soapbox. :-) I felt rather sorry for Blame and his connections. They deserved more adulation than they got. It wasn’t Blame’s fault that he had to run against the most beloved horse in America since Secretariat. Had Zenyatta not been in the race, he would have been a hero. Blame is by all reports a sweetheart. He retired sound and has a lot to offer the breed. I hope he has a long and successful stud career. And it’s not like Zenyatta embarrassed her self either. IMO if she hadn’t been behind Quality Road when he ran out of gas she probably would have won.
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@Kimberley Potter, sorry, but Mike is riding Astrology, not Mr. C, in the Preakness.
Max
Here is an article on Mr. Commons. David Ingordo is quoted extensively.
Good luck to your former barn mate, Zenyatta. I hope that he wins.
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=22137
Barbara Wood
What a beautiful picture of our precious Z.
Dottie, thanks for sharing the story about PV. I for one, am GLAD that Zenny never ran in the Derby! A 20-horse field always scares me, and I feel that there is added danger of a serious pile-up.
Good luck, Mr. Commons. I wish there were more coverage of the Preakness. I loved the all-day coverage of the Derby, since I don’t get HRTV or TVG.
Astrid
Zenny, what a precious pic. I am sure Isabelle will treasure it forever! You have the sweetest, kindest face! Thank you also for your lesson!! Good luck to Mr. Commons and safe trip to all the horses. I will be rooting for AK, Dialed In, MMM and Shackleford:)
What an unbelievable race between Sunday Silence and Easy Goer!!! I have never seen it before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoY_U8NTC7E&feature=related
Lisa g
@Sharon Call: Say what you have to say, you are one of my favorite posters, I may not comment all the time, but I am thinking and agreeing outloud to myself. I too am hard pressed to find horsey people here in TEXAS, the DALLAS area…Lisa g.
cindy from LA
Dear Zenny,
What a great post today. Love the pic of you and Isabelle. It does say it all; to ride you and to enjoy you on the ground is one very special thing. To ride you would be the most awesome experience of ones life and Mike has that experience. You made some very great points. To run these 3 year old “baby’s” in a race of 20 or 14 is quite a feat. They don’t have the experience to get the rider out of a jam. The jockey has to do it. Love PVal comment. It is sooo easy to criticize when not
seeing the whole picture. Soo funny on HRTV this week they
have had some great champion races and they showed Sunday
Silence and PVal in the Preakness. It was an awesome race.
He was a horse that was passed up twice for purchase (no ringworm) and Charlie Whittingham and two other men bought him and what an awesome horse he turned out to be. I think he was mean spirited. Charlie liked to give his horses peppermints and everyday he did that he risked loosing his hand. So funny Charlie used the daily feeding of a peppermint to determine how the horse felt that morning.
Sharon made some great points about the BCC 2010, your trip was absolutely awful, stopping and starting weaving to find
the open space and then to explode and come within a nose to be the winner. Your performance was the mark of a truley special champion. To face all of that discouragement in hte trip and be able to explode and lose by a nose is awesome. Some horses get discouraged when they are caught in a pack, or get rank when they want to go and there is no where to go.
Split second decisons are always a part of riding horses.
I was turning a corner heading for a jump. My TB Gelding was very long and not very flexible. Could not turn him sharp enough to head for the middle of the jump. He was heading
full force to the standard. Fortunately he was a veteran, I let the reins go, bent over and put both my arms around his neck.
I could not get us out of this potential accident, but I knew he would not run into the standard and he did not. It was soo funny. When he went around it my arms were around his neck and he just kept cantering and cantering. I am sure he wondered what was going on.
Really looking forward to the post assignments tonight on
HRTV and rooting for Mr. Commons, Animal Kingdom (have to root for a possible triple crown winner), Mucho Macho Man, who had a great work this week and I know there will be a couple more.
Thanks for such a great post. Dottie is very wise. Looking at
the whole picture is sooooo important.
Sweet Dreams Zenny and enjoy your healthy dinner.
XXXXXOOOOO
Astrid
A while ago I found the winning pic. of a race horse which my husband’s family owned. His name was Carry Jack and he won his race in Blue Bonnet, Montreal. Unfortunately it was a claiming race so the family lost him and he went back to the States. I was so excited having found this pic. that I hung it in the living room for everyone to see!:) About a month ago I checked his pedigree and couldn’t believe my eyes that Carry Jack was the son of Carry Back the KY Derby Winner and Preakness winner of 1961!! Carry Jack just looked like his famous dad but had less success. I do not know what happened to him after that. I hope with all my heart that he had a good life! I am treasuring his pic.:)
cindy from LA
@Max
What a great article about Mr. Commons and David Ingordo’s
buying style. Talk about ethics and honesty. What an awesome thing to know about your bloodstock agent, who is now working for Lanes End. Dottie you are such a great person and a very wonderful mother to have such a wonderful talented son.
Thanks for all that you have done for all of Z’s fans and
all of the work you have put into this website.
Patti in Carlsbad
LOVE YOUR PICTURE WITH ISABELLE, LADY Z. :)
THANK YOU FOR THE INSIGHT ON RUNNING OR RIDING IN A RACE. PVAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SPECIAL FAVORITE OF MINE. I AM SO HAPPY HE IS BACK AND DOING WELL. HOW VIVIDLY I REMEMBER HIS FABULOUS RACE ABOARD SUNDAY SILENCE.
MAY THE RACING GODS BE WITH YOUR EX STABLE MATE, MR. COMMONS, ON SATURDAY.
I WILL BE WATCHING AND ROOTING FOR HIM.
Lauren
What a beautiful kissy face. Nothing would be better than be able to give you a hug and kiss beautiful girl. You look so loved in your picture. I will cherish this picture forever. Hugs and kisses beautiful girl. xoxoxo
Penny
I was at Gulfstream when Sunday Silence won the Breeders Cup; Chris was his rider then. It’s easy to be the Monday morning quarterback and it’s usually people who do not know what they are talking about. Your posting are wonderful. I wish I could kiss your nose!
XOXOXO
WILD HORSES
Hey Big Beautiful One,
Boy would I love to be in Isabelle’s shoes in that picture. Just to kiss your soft nose would be AMAZING. She and all of the people who know you personally are soooo lucky! Have a wonderful day. Lori
Karen
Fabulous post Dottie and “Z”! Such wisdom about racing and life. We are all learning so much, while being reminded to broaden our perspective. Thank you!!!
renee
I have a feeling that if Zenny could talk, this is what she WOULD be saying :) Thanks Zen master :)
Rosanne Glynn
Isabelle is one lucky girl to get to kiss you Zenyatta! Is anyone able to take some videos of Zenyatta? That wold be a REAL treat for all of her fans!!!
Love you Zenny!! oxoxoxo
Mary Lee
Yes Zenny! PVAL’s Preakness Race/Win on Sunday Silence against the gritty and talented Easy Goer was voted RACE OF THE DECADE!! It is one of the alltime BEST races where SS won by a whisker! Love your enthusiasm Zenny….it all brings tears to my eyes! Love You and thinking of You, (WINK ~ WINK!)
tony and sue
Zennyt…we root for Mr. Commons on Sat. based on YOUR recommendation. This is another amazing post…lots of great info. about racing, strategy, etc. All we know is seeing you at the BC last year was a treat for the senses. You came flying down that backstretch like no other. What a thrill it must have been to ride you…or kiss your soft nose like Isabel is doing in this lovely picture.