Happy Preakness Day to All!
From all reports, it is absolutely GORGEOUS in Maryland this morning. The high will be about 80 with a slight breeze. The wind is blowing softly and the chance of rain is really non-existent. This sounds like the perfect weather for wonderful racing. All the best to each of the participants! My BARN 55 friend, MR. COMMONS, is a very happy guy. He is enjoying his time there…and from what I’m hearing, they have TONS OF LUSH GRASS to graze on right by the Stakes Barn. He must feel perfectly at home!
Steve Haskin of The BLOODHORSE did an interview with Dottie and John yesterday…and several questions were asked about ME! If you have a moment, I thought you might enjoy viewing it. Here it is!
All else is fine. I’m really feeling TERRIFIC and my guys at the barn are quite excited. There is so much going on now, not just with the last few months of the breeding season, but with the Preakness, and all of the Basketball Play-offs. Dialed In, one of the Preakness contenders, is by Mineshaft. He is a wonderful, well-bred stallion who resides at Lane’s End in our Stallion Barn. Astrology is by A.P.Indy. As you know, he has been a long-time favorite who lives here as well. He just recently retired from his Breeding Duties…but his accomplishments both on and off the racetrack are totally amazing.
So, I’m hoping this is really a fun, safe, and terrific race for all! It runs a bit after 6 Eastern Time! It’s getting EXCITING!
Enjoy your weekend!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
The Kennedys in San Diego
@ENSIGN — Thanks for the link to HorseRepro.com. What a great website. Your info on the likely date Zenyatta was bred back to Bernardini is consistent with what we have heard — the first week of April. So hopefully an announcement by the end of May.
Vicki B.
Hey @ENSIGN, thanks for the links about Paddy, and everything else. It IS nice here …when it’s nice.
pamela
Can’t wait for the announcement Zenyatta!!! Have a womderful weekend. Love and Kisses
Peggy
@ENSIGN: I just meant to say I am hopefully going to the Yearling Sale in August and the information you gave will help me understand my sale book better. It’s so exciting and thanks again. I just hope one day we will see another Triple Crown Winner out there. I believe we will see another very special horse. So Exciting………………..
Vicki B.
My brother introduced me to racing and Zenyatta. I saw her live at Hollywood Park last year, and within 10 feet of her in the paddock, found myself gasping, almost moaning. Hard to put into words, but “incredible” and “perfection” and “glorious” seem to fit. A friend said it’s my feeling of her as an individual and special, animal, and realizing how much horses are feeling beings. Which sounds simple, and probably obvious to most people here, but I never had any connections to animals growing up, as we weren’t allowed to have pets, so it’s still a fairly new, growing sensibility for me. Reading about Kincsem’s cat and lad, “an animal with a uniquely individual personality”, (it was linked here awhile back: http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Kincsem.html), and e.g., about Zenyatta and other horses interactions with autistic children, is expanding my understanding.
Anyway, pretty much adoring Zenny, I got her Bobblehead, and I like it a lot, but it’s not exactly “a horse sculpture”. Then I got her Breyer tree ornament, and I like it too, it’s economical, but its shape is not quite Z’s. What I really wanted, I felt, was to magically have Zenyatta herself, 17.2 hands high, in my own urban residential backyard, and THAT’S never going to happen, so I decided I really needed to get Nina Kaiser’s sculpture, which is as close as I can get, except for hopefully also visiting Z in Kentucky in some future. This is not the kind of thing I do every day. So I looked and looked at the sculpture photos, pondered, hemmed and hawed, mentally walked in circles, and finally I “did it”, mailing my order the same day I mailed my entry for the Contest for #19. Then seeing Dawn with her #19 made it a little more real to me, too.
As I let Nina know, my #40 Bronze arrived last Wednesday at work, so I had to wait til I got home to unwrap, and the first words out of my mouth were, “Wow… … Wow… … Wow.” Then as I held her up, and started to turn her, I was saying, “I have a horse. I have a HORSE!” I have a Horse. I have a Horse!” Pretty amazing. The one, the only, the original — Zenyatta! I’m doing a lot of “looking” and examining. I did finally remember to kiss her, too. And I pat her each day. The sculpture is beautiful, but I think it’s going to feel more beautiful with time. Even though I knew the dimensions in advance, I am impressed that it really does look larger and more dramatically “real” in person, than pictures can ever convey — 3D is just different from anything flat. I know my “Bronzatta” is not a real, live, horse. And I still want to visit Zenyatta for real, like the rest. But I am very happy to have her excellent bronze, it feels wonderful.
Anna Wiley
What an amzing race Zen….You must be proud of Mike, he came in third on ASTROLOGY, from the number one postition. SHACKLEFORD WON IT! Animal Kingdom was right up there with him, he raced in TRUE ZENYATTA STYLE, breaking to the back of the pack, come up with a great rush at the end, but he ran out of room, Shackleford WALKED AWAY WITH THE RACE, he came out of it looking SO STRONG, he could’ve gone another quarter mile, he had such a light coat of sweat, we have a champion in the makings here, I hope he goes to the Belmont, I would also like to see Shackleford in the BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC perhaps, what a race THAT would be! Flashpoint finished dead last after leading almost the whole race, so disappointing, but he ran well in the beginning. I DON’T KNOW where Mr. Commons placed!!!! What happened? I don’t know the whole lineup, but Dialed In ONCE AGAIN didn’t make it up in time, and I have no clue what happened to Midnight Intelude! However, ALL MY CONGRATS TO SHACKLEFORD&CONNECTIONS, the colt ran an ADMIRABLE race and I hope to see him in the BELMONT STAKES!!!!
Dearest Queen ZZZZZ,
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL DAY, and ALL MY THOUGHTS are on you. My heart is at Barn 55! I LOVE YOU, SWEET, PRECIOUS GIRRRRL!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
@ Peggy: I would like to see another Triple Crowner, too. So disappointing…I thought this year would be the year. Maybe 2012!
Love,
Anna
Anna Wiley
@ Vicki B.- You’re lucky! That Zenyatta bronze is gorgeous. BTW: The Zenyatta Traditional Series Breyer model is very nice, too. I think it captures the true esscense of “The Real Zenyatta.” It’s on the Seattle Slew mold, a slow jog, or maybe a walk, with the mane and tail blowing and ears pricked-it’s really pretty, and the color and markings are just right.
Anna Wiley
I would like to share something with you, Dearest Zenyatta. My friend Hannah, also an occasional poster on your Diary, is a HUGE fan of you. She wrong a poem about you, I found it very touching and would like to share it with you.
ZENYATTA
She’s beautiful and fast,
and she never came last.
She’s pretty and sweet;
she’s got wings on her feet.
She’s as brave as steel
with her colors, pink and teal.
When she wants her way,
she’ll get it every day.
She paws the ground with the lightest touch,
and I love her, very very much.
ZENYATTA,
she is forever.
I hope you like it, DEAREST ZZZ. :D
Luv,
Anna
judy berube
To Ensign, Abigail, Max and all Z Fans:
Really appreciate the information you provide and the links also. Thanks so much.
I concentrated on watching Mr. C’s break from Post 14 in a replay of the Preakness. He broke straight, as you would normally hope, but this time the jockey had to yank him hard to the left toward the rail This must have been a little unsettling for him, but he continued on gamely. I thought he showed a lot of heart. I think he is going to be better and better. Hugs. Judy B.
Vicki B.
@Anna Wiley – Thanks, I’ll take a look at the Breyer too. And I very much like Hannah’s poem.
Trina Nagele
Dearest Z, Mr. Commons is very handsome with beautiful dapples reminiscent of yours. That pink on his muzzle makes me think someone wearing pink lipstick just gave him a big smooch. Hope you had a nice brunch, Zenny. You are our Queen.
@Ensign—Thanks for all the info and the great link to pictures from the Preakness.
@Everyone—The pictures from the Preakness that Ensign linked to are really good, once you get past the pedestrian one (forgive the irony) of the van. I especially enjoyed the one showing Ubaldo, Shackleford’s groom, all smiles! And of course the gorgeous photo of Mr. Commons grazing under the watchful eyes of John and the groom. That’s Junior, right? http://twitpic.com/50rs19
@Max—Thanks for the link to the article about of Mr. Commons. Now that we know that he is named for an educator, we like him even more! Loved the photo of him too in his blue blanket with that lipstick on his nose.
@Vicki B—Thanks to your beautiful post, we all get to share in your excitement. Congratulations on your own Zenyatta. I enjoy thinking about how often those bronze statues will get love pats.
@Anna Wiley and Hannah—Lovely poem. I’m sure Z will be pleased as punch.
Peggy
@Anna Wiley, I just feel there’s going to be another Triple Crown Winner. We’ll just have to wait a little longer. But it is still very exciting isn’t it. I guess its the anticipation. He’s out there……Or maybe just waiting to be born. So exciting………….
judy berube
Dear Anna Wiley:
My Breyer Model just arrived. I posted about it earlier in this Diary. It is beautiful. Hugs, Judy B.
Peggy
Oh, Anna tell Hannah the poem is beautiful..
Trina Nagele
@Mucho Macho Man fans—Sixth-place finisher MMM lost a shoe (again) in the Preakness, but will probably run in the Belmont. Shackleford is also “better than 50-50” for the Belmont.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/63168/shackleford-better-than-50-50-for-belmont#ixzz1N7CSH5uL
signofthetimes
@Abigail
Just caught up on all your posts The Vault. Your piece
On Northern Dancer is superb. Poor guy with that
Cracked hoof. So glad they were able to find a fix for it.
Such a great piece on Giacomo and Team G. Loved your
Preakness review and the pedigree analysis on AK.
The Preakness review got me watching the Belmont with
Secretariats invincible win. What an awesome TB. What
Do you think has changed with current TB breeding. It is
Obvious looking at races from the past there is defiantly
A difference in stamina and sturdiness. Heart and courage
Is still there. Love those TB.
signofthetimes
@Trina
Just read those updates tooo. MMM and his shoe. Kathy R has
Her work cut out before her Belmont showing. He is soooo talented.
Just something coming out of the gate.
Goldi won her 1 1/8 turf race in France. Go Goldi !!!!! If Mario were not from the US , he would have been running down the track after Zenny.. Hope we have 3 female HOY. YIPEE!!!
@Anne Wiley
Really enjoy your posts. Yeah !!! They are getting longer and more
Frequent. That shows your enthusiasm.
XXXXOOO Enjoy the Carrots pears and bananas today. !!!
Three Mares in a row for HOY
judy berube
To Trina Nagle:
We love MMM. He has bad luck, but so much heart. Hugs, Judy B.
Julia B
Nice interview Dottie- thanks for the link :)
Max
@Anna Wiley. Here is the link from the Preakness website. Looks like Mr. Commons will go home while John Shirreffs and the team decide what to do next. I think that the horse did well from what Zenyatta called a Yikes! 14 post.
http://www.preakness.com/news-center/latest-news/shackleford-holds-animal-kingdom-preakness-stakes
Snoprinz
NO Triple Crown winner yet but looking forward to the Belmont. Zenny, you look fabulous and rested. I’m looking forward to news about your motherhood.
Judy (Maass) Gadwood Adores Zenny (CA)
@Vicki B ~ OMGoodness! You got me so excited just reading about your excitement and your Zenny bronze statue! :-) You are one of the lucky few! Nina does awesome work (I’ve told her that more than once!) Enjoy the Queen, and kiss her for me lol
signofthetimes
@Abigail
Just catching up on posts and missed your
Northern dancer story-two faces. That was soooo
hilarious- soo very sweet to Mrs. Taylor and the
Little blind boy. Goodthing the trainer did not bring
The blind boy up to ND. There may have no longer
Been a little blind boy. I have read a few other horses
Really bond to owners wives. Maybe they don’t remind
Them of the track like a trainer would. You made some
Great points about the whip in your ND blog. Some horses
Will go on strike when hit with the whip.
Lots of comments on HRTV about Shackelfords pre-race
“preparation”. Goodthing he is not a stallion. Not quite as polished
As Z’s dancing but gets rid of the nervous energy pre-race.
Important to know your horses patterned behavior.
signofthetimes
@Vicki B
What a wonderful story behind your motiovation
To get A Zenyatta Statue. I can hardly wait to get mine.
My desire is to ride her which would be the epitome
of the human horse connection. Dream On!!!!
I don’t know how Mike can ride anyone else. I guess
that is why he is a professional. He has ridden so many
Greats with so many wonderful moments, there will
Not be another Zenyatta for him. I think we are all sure of that.
Barbara Wood
@Abigail–I just printed up and read your story on ND–great job. I had missed the clicking on different parts to help rescues. I’ll try to remember that. It’s sort of like the animal rescue site, which I do faithfully every day.
Enjoy your delicious green grass, bug Z. Hope you are dreaming of your future, and hope we hear something soon. Love you always.
Abigail from Montreal
Hi again everyone. Wow! Thanks for these appreciative comments because, great as the internet is, without a community like ours you’re mostly talking to yourself….LOL. On THE VAULT site, few readers leave a comment which is fine because that is apparently the trend. Did you know that when a site gets say 300 comments that that really means it’s had well over 1,000 reads? Steve Haskin told me this after he published a response I wrote to his “I Lied.” I find it HUGELY interesting, although it’s hard to know what to do with it as information, if you get my drift. Anyway, that’s why I love your site, Zenny — it really is a conversation!!!!
To answer/respond to a few of your comments:
@ Barbara Woods: Now that THE VAULT has moved from Google to WordPress there are no real fund-raising opportunities + no ads that I can see to raise funds. Hugely disappointing but the Google site was virused or otherwise invaded and I had to move or lose everything. We did raise $160 on Google that I am sending off to Old Friends this week from THE VAULT readers.
@ notafanofensign: I haven’t done anything on Quiet American but will add him to my list. I have had a few requests for specific horses and will honour them all as time goes on. In your case, I’ll try to get back to you on Zenny’s site ASAP.
Have a great Sunday evening everyone — especially my sweet Zenny. Jericho & I will be watching part 3 of Nature on bears — the first 2 parts were GREAT and Jericho does his wolf howl when the bears make their bear-y sounds….I guess Jericho won’t be able to visit you, Zenny — he does the same thing with horses!!!!!
EK
MMM might do better with glue on shoes or no shoes. My filly who gives kisses and never bites has 2 crosses to Northern Dancer from Nijinsky and The Minstrel. She is tail male to Blushing Groom just like Animal Kingdom who has 2 crosses to Northern Dancer from Lyphard. She has good strong never get a crack feet just like her mom who had no Northern Dancer and was tail male to Mr. Prospector with 2 crosses to In Reality.
judy berube
Dear Ann From Paramount, CA:
What a gutsy race your Rightful Image ran today. He is really something. Congratulations on his Maiden Win. Hugs, Judy B.
Barbara Wood
Down here in Texas we have been reading quite a bit about this new strain of equine rhino infection that is spreading quickly through the western states. The last I heard, it was as close to us as New Mexico. Does anyone know how this is impacting the Thoroughbred community (sales, travel from state to state for races, training, etc.)? I imagine most of the affected horses so far are Quarter Horses, but the disease would not be likely to differentiate between breeds, I wouldn’t think. If any of you have any updates, I’d appreciate hearing. It is becoming quite serious.
DJ
Dearest Sweet “Z”,
I pray that everyone and every horse is home, or on their way..henceforth, safe and sound; and holds everything that is dear to them in their hearts that really matter…life, love, health, friends, encouragement and comfort as well as good food accompanied if possible with good humour and always, always, rest for the weary and well travelled soul.