Dear Friends,
It is almost time for this year’s Third Jewel of the Triple Crown. On Saturday, the Belmont will run in New York. I’ve heard that it is very warm there right now…but it is supposed to rain and cool off by the weekend. As a matter of fact, they DID cancel racing in NY today due to the heat! Let’s hope the weather really cooperates for a fabulous Belmont and a wonderful weekend of racing!
Belmont Park Race Course is a huge track. It is actually a mile and one-half racing oval. It is also a track that has a nickname…THE BIG SANDY….due to the surface. From everything I’ve heard, the total environment is very pretty and the barn area has lots of trees and grass for grazing. Sounds terrific to ME!
Yesterday, they had the post-position draw. Twelve horses entered the race with the Derby Winner, Animal Kingdom, drawing post 9….and the Preakness Winner, Shackleford, getting the outside draw. Right in the middle, in post 6, is Nehro. He finished 2nd in the Derby and skipped the Preakness to prepare for this race. His rider is Corey Nakatani, who we know as he also rides my pal, CLOUD MAN, whenever he runs! A few other horses who ran in the Derby are also entered….so it should be a terrific Belmont! Good Luck to All!
In 2007, MY TEAM ran my barn mate, TIAGO, in the Belmont. From what I’ve heard, they had a wonderful time in NY. Tiago ran 3rd in the race which was won by Rags to Riches in a close photo beating Curlin. Hard Spun was 4th. It really was a strong field and a very exciting race.
At that time, they had the DETENTION BARN in New York. Every horse had to go to this special area 6 hours before running. The staff from each barn would accompany their horse and sit there pre-race with their entrant. As I understand it, they have now eliminated this procedure.
In his files, John had a photo of TIAGO in the DETENTION BARN. He is looking about, checking everything out, and getting acclimated to this new stall. Tiago was post 2….and in the stall directly to his right in this picture is Curlin. All horses would get ready for their race here…and then go directly to the paddock. It was truly a very BUSY place, for sure.
John also had a cute photo of Tiago getting a bath after a morning of exercise during his time at Belmont Park. You can see a bit more of the lovely barn area in this picture! Oh, I see my friends Frank and Frankie with him! They look TOO CUTE!
I wonder who will win the Belmont this year? Have fun handicapping the race!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Lover of Horses
Tiago’s beautiful, Queen Z! I’m routing for Mucho Macho Man, but if he doesn’t win, I’d like Animal Kingdom to. Love ya, sweety!
Karen Gogue
@Trina Naggele
Darn! I forgot to include all Z’s FB friends too! Would need them too!
Thanks!
Marilu V
Hello Zeny:
How is Tiago? Can you please tell me how he is doing?
I hope the weather improves for the Belmont race. Good Luck and Safe Race to Nehro, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Shackelford, Stay Thirsty and the rest of the 12 horses.
Hope you are doing great! Hugs, Marilu
Pam
I’m all set to watch the Belmont Stakes on TV. Can’t wait. Yes, we’re supposed to get cooler weather this weekend in the East. I remember that race with Tiago. That was the year that another of my favorite horses won–Rags To Riches. Yeah for the girls!
judy berube
Happy Thursday Z,
Hope you are happy and well. Maybe Bernie’s son, Stay Thirsty, will run his best race in the Belmont. Hope so. Love you and love to all of you. Judy and Russ
To Terry Crow:
My nephew pickes Santiva also in the Belmont. I’m still thinking Animal Kingdom, but I hope Stay Thirsty and Mucho Macho Man have good trips and are there at the end. Maybe Santiva or Nehro complete the Superfecta. I’m leaving Shackleford out. But, I did that last time, and look what happened. Hugs, J.B.
Sally (B)
Thank you my sweet Z and your family for such great pictures from being at the Belmont. There is nothing like the thoroughbreds!! Tiago did well then and saw Curlin too. I am tempted to travel to all three tracks; not all in the same year, because we drive. Curiosity I guess. I definitely have a yearning to get back to Kentucky where you are Z!! I will be with my crazy friend watching the Belmont. Wishing all good luck and a safe ride to both horse and rider.
Love with two kisses on your soft nose-one for baby
eastcoastkid
@Susan; If you are lucky enough to see Mrs C. and Ron, please remember my posts today. She is the most amazing woman…an owner with enthusiasm as well as pure love for her “big guy”. She was a successful woman in a man’s world when no one even conceived of women and racing in the same sentence. Ron Turcotte is a remarkable inspiration; the sport took his ability to walk but it never stole his love of horses and racing…GOD bless him…a fearless jockey and an even more courageous man. Zenyatta would truly love them as they would her!!! The 1st Vox Populi Award…so very appropriate for her…only she deserved it.
judy berube
To Sally L. Hopkins:
Happy Birthday. Hugs, J.B.
Shari Voltz
Hi Zenyatta I hope your in the shade today. It is hot out but I will take that over the snow. I love all the information on this site. I showed all three of Secretariat’s races to my class and they saw me tear up and cry. I always cry when I watch his Belmont. He was just something not of this world. Just like our beautiful angel Zenyatta. I am betting on Stay Thirsty for the Belmont. I never was into betting but I think it is fun. I have turned into a horse racing fan all because of You Zenny :) I hope you have a good rest of the day. I am off to get pizza for dinner. To hot to cook :) I love you big girl. Hugs and Kisses from Shari XXXOOO
@ Sally HAPPY BIRTHDAY God bless :)
@ Kristen I would love to see the Hall of Fame Room sounds beautiful :)
@ Hi Dawm :)
@ Susan in Tn Brooke’s mom called me today after I had a really upsetting morning. It was as if God knew I needed the call. We are going out to see Dusty and the other horses (After the 20th). I guess the lady who is keeping them followed the articles that were written about my class and Zenyatta. She wants to meet me and said I can ride whenever I would like. I will get to hug many horses :) Kiss my Rootbeer for me :)
Morgan
Cool to here I love you girl!
Susan
2eastcoastkid: I couldn’t agree more with everything that you say. I’m going to print out this page and your comments for Mrs. Chenery, in fact. I think she will enjoy seeing them. We all know that she certainly loves and admires the great Zenyatta – as we all still love and admire the one and only Secretariat!
Allen
Saturday should be a great day for the Belmont. Animal Kingdom should do well, after the way he closed in the Preakness. But the one I think you need to watch is Nehro. He has been runing well in his last few starts, he is due. Have a great day Z, Love from Tennessee.
beaner
I wish you had run in the Belmont…you’d have won by a country mile! I’ll be rooting for Animal Kingdom this year. 4 years til baby Zenyatta takes the triple crown!!!
Lisa g
Ms Zenyatta, Tiago is such a handsome man. So shiny and muscular, ummm, handsome man.
Harriett Vaughn
Let’s hope Mucho Macho Man can keep his shoes on and run well. He has had some terrible racing luck. Do you suppose he holds the record as the horse who threw the most shoes during Triple Crown races?
Celeste
Thank you, Zenyatta and Dottie, for sharing the photos of Belmont with Tiago. I had forgotten what a gorgeous boy he is! I am glad NY has changed their policy on the detention barn. Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing the link to Eblouissante’s first breeze – she looked great to my untrained eyes.
judy berube
Dear Z,
Just watched the video of your sister E. She’s beautiful, though I do think she most favors her Dad in overall looks. Oh Boy, that was some burst of speed she has. Can’t wait to see her first race. Hugs, J.B.
Doreen
For those who are interested, the Zenyatta marketing campaign for the Breeder’s Cup last year garners an award:http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2011/06/09/zenyatta-marketing-campaign-garners-award.aspx
judy berube
To Dottie:
Thank you for all the great Diary Posts and for always sharing with the Fans. Hugs, J.B.
Arlene
@Kari Bussell, Thank you very much for the link to Zenyatta ” When You’ve Been Blessed” . BEAUTIFUL – almost life size – Could imagine reaching out and touching her. We surely have been blessed. I would never have known about her if she had not been on the 60 minute program last fall. I am sure God directly arranged it that I heard about it and saw it, because I don’t always see the show! Thank you Lord!!!!
judy berube
To Doreen:
Thanks for the link on Z’s marketing campaign award. She and her Team have done more good for horses and racing than anyone. Hugs, J.B.
Kim
Hey Z! I think I’m going with Animal Kingdom to win….he’s got a lot of lung capacity like you, so I think he’s going to LOVE going longer!
Glad to see Ebby’s out breezing now….which made me wonder–How is your big sister BALANCE doing?
Mary Copelin
@Karen Gogue I am interested to hear your plan re. DDay. How can we contact you with our contact information??
suew
Ah, Zenny, In my opinion your hooves were made for Belmont. That distance would have been just a breeze for you…it would have been great to see you run there but you gave us so many thrills during your time on the track that we really shouldn’t even ask for more. The important thing is you are happy and healthy with a little Z on the way. I love all the photos Dottie provides for us here. It gives us another glimpse into the life at the barn and track that we would otherwise miss. I’m not sure who I’m rooting for on Sat. Guess I’ll have to ponder it a bit more. ;-)
Judy (Maass) Gadwood ~ CA
Zenny ~ look what I found on the Internet:
“June 13, 2010: Zenyatta scored her 17th win without a loss in the Grade I Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. The victory moved Zenyatta past Citation, Cigar and Mister Frisky among horses with win streaks in open company races.” TOO CUTE!!!! :-D
Arlene
@Casey Phillip – You mentioned a leap year date for Zenny’s foal. Cool – perhaps a name could be Zeeleap!
@Doreen, Thanks for the link on Z’s marketing campaign award article.
Doreen
Speaking of the 2007 Belmont, I was there to see it in person. I placed a win bet on Rags to Riches, being a girl, I just had to. I also had placed an exacta with her and Tiago, oh well!!! The roar of the crowd was so unbelievable when she crossed the finish line. I was in a sea of orange – there were a lot of students from Syracuse (“The Orangemen”) near the winner’s circle. It was so fitting to be there, since she wore the number 7, which is also orange in color. I found an article about Rags to Riches first filly (she looks so much like her mother. She injured herself while training and is now recuperating. She won’t be racing this year, but her connections are optimistic about next year. Here’s hoping for a full and speedy recovery. http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2011/06/09/rags-to-riches-first-foal-nursing-sesamoid-industry.aspx
The Kennedys in San Diego
Great post and photos of Tiago. We certainly remember that race with the Rags to Riches/Curlin stretch duel. She was a beautiful filly with an interesting personality — let’s just say she was nobody’s pet. We understand there was a barn rule that no one was to enter her stall alone. Two were required to ensure safety.
J Smith
Terry Crow, Santiva is a good horse, I’m not sure at a mile n 1/2, but u never know. I get jet lag just thinking of Master Of The Hounds going back & forth. I wonder why they didn’t keep him here, must cost a fortune to keep flying. I’m going to guess it has something to do with quarantine. R u going to H.P. on Saturday? I am.
The Kennedys in San Diego
BloodHorse.com has a great tour of Belmont Park with historical commentary on some of the greats including Secretariat and a visit to Ruffian’s gravesite. It appears in “And They’re Off” with Steve Haskin and Lenny Shulman. Well worth watching.