HAPPY 4th OF JULY!
I want to wish all of you a fantastic HOLIDAY WEEKEND and a very safe July 4th.
While many people will be off to the races, walking on the sand, and enjoying great barbeques, I’ll be here at Lane’s End having a special time as well. MY JOHN and his crew will be racing.
I’m looking forward to enjoying the sunshine, grazing on the bluegrass, and eating some of my favorite TREATS! As you can see, I’m happily awaiting a few bites from my ST. LEO’S friends in this photo. This is a visit I did to help fund-raise for a local school. I must say, the ladies were so gracious and brought ME the perfect treats!
The holiday weekend is also filled with a large number of fabulous stakes races. One in particular is of great interest to ME. On Monday, my dear, dear friend, HARMONIOUS, is running in the ROYAL HEROINE G-2 at Hollywood Park. It is one mile on the turf. This will be her first start since February when she tried the dirt at Santa Anita. Harmonious has a wonderful past performance record. She is a very accomplished turf filly by Dynaformer out of a mare named Jade Tree! I’m wishing her ALL THE BEST!
Harmonious and I spent a great deal of time together at Barn 55. We not only grazed together each morning and afternoon, but we shared MARIO as our groom. He is truly one terrific guy! As we would often be outside at the exact same time, Mario would be with ME and Frank would be with Harmonious. It worked out perfectly for everyone.
I believe this is one of the reasons why it was such a smooth transition for ME to share a paddock with other horses once I acclimated to life at Lane’s End. It was such a familiar and comfortable situation as I have literally spent years outside grazing at Barn 55 with other horses close by: Tiago, Life Is Sweet, Zardana, After Market and Harmonious to name a few. We always respected each other’s space, which is so important, and simply enjoyed sharing our time outdoors with each other. We could literally stand there and look around for hours and hours. We weren’t necessarily ‘eating anything’…we were just enjoying the time outdoors! Hmmmm, I still do that!
I’d personally like to wish HARMONIOUS and VALERIA (one of my Moss pals) GOOD LUCK in their races. They are both running on Monday, the 4th! Such FUN!
Enjoy your Holiday!
Please be safe!
With love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Signofthetimes
@Trina
Tooo Cute!!!!
Mykelah Ames
hey z happy 4th of july you rock the red white and blue look i have a ex racehorse of own to play with see you later
Signofthetimes
@Judy B
Thanks for article and slideshow on Azeri. She is
Gorgeous and sweet photo of her and Arienza.
Selling a National Treasure is sad. Horseracing is a business
But we should cherish and enjoy our champions forever.
Money is money. That’s why Rachel was sold for retirement
Money. Oh well!!!
The Kennedys in San Diego
@judy berube — Yes, we were at Lone Star for the Breeders’ Cup races. We have photos of Azeri straining to see her cheering fans.
Alex Bowdoin
Sadly Rachel Alexandra was no longer owned by Harold McCormick. He would have
run her where she should have run, not where her new owner wanted her to run. Yes, JJ wanted a Super Horse and decided RA should be bred to Curlin. We shall see what happens. I miss watching Zenyatta’s war dance and her races….
judy berube
Dear Kennedy’s in SD:
Wow, so you got to see Azeri, Zenyatta and Eblouissante up close. How lucky. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Signofthetimes and Alex Bowdoin:
Yes, sometimes sadly for the horses, it is a business. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Trina Nagele:
Thank you for the link. What adorable little critters. I received your e-mail. Thanks. Hugs, J.B.
Alex Bowdoin
Harmomonius ran a gallant 2nd! From back in the pack she ran like our Z to pass those in front of her, so close….
judy berube
To Alex Bowdoin and Z Fans:
Yes, Harmonious really flew from the back to finish second. She made up a lot of ground. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Z Fans:
I just checked. Valeria finished 5th in her MSW race. She was up close the whole race, so maybe next time. Hugs, J.B.
PeggyOne
Signofthetimes: Sorry I wasn’t more specific. The man who was hurt was Carl. The man who grabbed the horse when he was loose in front of the gate was the starter, Gary Brinson. He’s also the one who said things he shouldn’t have. As far as him “hitting the horse” and “shanking” him……He merely slapped him high on the neck so he didn’t run over him and jerked on a bridle rein to get his attention and let him know someone was on the end of it. This horse was wired and silly after trying to flip and Gary did a great job in preventing him from being a loose horse on the racetrack. He’s a great starter and doesn’t abuse any horse. DianaS: I wasn’t being insulting at all. Some people know about some things and others know about other things. The people who posted some of the comments certainly showed they didn’t really know a thing about the gate, the people who work there, their job, or even how horses can sometimes act. That’s OK. They probably know about some other things that I don’t have a clue about. As far as what Goodnite Charlie will remember about the gate? It won’t be a slap on the neck, for sure! Might be that even if he throws a fit, he still won’t get away. He’ll be on the starter’s list and have to go for schooling before he’s allowed to enter again. Hopefully, he’ll learn something. You sound like you think this is the fault of the crew and I hope you remember it was the fault of the horse. I agree the language wasn’t fit to listen to. This probably ends ‘all access’ by TVG, or they’ll have to have a 5 second delay like some other live shows do.
Barb France
Congrats to Harmonious on your second place!!!
Linda in NJ
Hi Zenny:
Happy 4th of July. I hope you had a wonderful time picnicking with your BBFs.
@ Diane S: I agree with you! I can remember watching the BIG fuss Quality Road put up at the 2009 Breeder’s Cup with not wanting to go into the gate. None of those handlers hit him and they had their hands full that day with him.
Alex Bowdoin
To Judy B, Poor RA was hit 31 times I believe in the Woodward. I believe in England Calvin would be in a a bit of trouble for that. I have always felt bad for her, not having the same kind of owners that our beloved Z has had. (Z)has always had the luxury of having a owner and trainer who belive in her and have trained her to be the best she can be as Dottie always says. Sadly, Yes, it comes down to breeding and either getting the most money you can get at the sales or hope your baby turns out to be a super star!! To change the subject, I wish everyone a great July 4th. The Boston Pops are now on TV….Enjoy…..
Barbara Wood
Happy 4th everyone, and God bless our troops, past and present!
Signofthetimes
@PeggyOne
Thanks for the clarification sounds like you know
The gate folks well at HP. Racing is difficult on humans
And horses.
Congratulations to Harmonious on second place!!!!
Janet Cutting
Happy 4th Zenyatta and everyone: Had a little horse fun– went to our town park and they and a $5.00 all you can eat breakfast–by the Lions Club–yummy…and then we had a horse pull contest. I have never been to this event and I am so impressed with the HUGE Belguim horses– I got up close with a few of the pairs and they are very gentle giants. Really a fun time.
Guido
Z – Next 4th of July you’ll be a mom!!!! That’s so exciting. Your postings are the best. They are warm and loving and spread those feelings. Thanks to you and your team.
Cynthia H.
Dearest Zenyatta:
At the time you came dancing onto the equine stage, I thought my personal “fuse” had fritzed. Life was monochromatic, and I suffered in silence with a sadness whiich I could not name. It was YOU who set off the most glorious fireworks in my heart, and caused my world to explode in colors which I could barely recognize, for lack of seeing. You shook your mane, and scattered day into the darkest corners of my soul. The most dazzling fireworks display ever created pale in the wake of your brilliance. You are the Queen of the Sky tonight!
judy berube
Dear Linda in N. J.:
Good point. Hugs, J.B.
LauraJ
@Alex Bowdoin, you needn’t worry about Rachel. She is quite happy, well cared for, lives on a beautiful farm, has a good buddy, and is loved by her caretakers. She is a pleasant horse. She was not mated to Curlin with the intention of breeding a sales foal anyway. I imagine that JJ’s wife Barbara (or his estate) will race the colt as a homebred.
Kathryn Cogswell
Dear Peggy One: Out on a limb, for certain, and due respect for loyalty to track veterans, but it seems to me there are some similarities loading horses into vans &/or trailers, loading chutes and the training that leads them into and out of a race track starting gate; with the clanging, close quarters, proximity of hot horses, some unsettling noises, and surrounding distractions, one single constant for that horse is its relation to the handler. Every time a good handler succeeds in putting a round peg in a square hole, it is a cause for a lot of relief, not just for the present situation, but for the future ones. If, in the midst of loading horses, there is a lack of control of the emotions of that expert, it is a flawed load and anyone watching cringes for horse and man. Putting ourselves into a scene like that doesn`t take expertise, it takes empathy; which, for my money, means empathy for the horse first, since it`s the people who are supposed to be teaching the animal, not just to trap it in that confinement that one time, but to assure that its future steps into such spaces will be done confidently, with safety for the horse & every human in that social contract.
judy berube
Dear Linda from N.J.and Z Fans:
Here’s Quality Road in the Breeders Cup Classic 2009. This is tough to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGfrr8CFuIw
Kathryn Cogswell
Dear Peggy One: Out on a limb, for certain, and due respect for loyalty to track veterans, but it seems there are some similarities loading horses into vans &/or trailers, loading chutes and the training that leads them into and out of a race track starting gate; with the clanging, close quarters, proximity of hot horses, some unsettling noises, and surrounding distractions, one single constant for that horse is its relation to the handler. Every time a handler succeeds in putting a round peg in a square hole, it is a cause for some relief, not just for the present situation, but for its future ones. If, in the midst of loading horses, there is a lack of control of the emotions of that expert, it is a flawed load and anyone watching cringes for horse and man. Putting ourselves into a scene like that doesn`t take expertise — it takes empathy; which, for my money, means empathy for the horse first, since it`s the people who are supposed to be teaching the animal, not just to trap & confine it that one time, but to assure that its future steps into such spaces will be done confidently, in trust, with safety for the horse & every human in that social contract.
Marshall (girl's name)
Happy Fourth of July to All! Hope Zenyatta has had a lovely Independence Day, too!! Stars and Stripes and Peppermints Forever!
@DJ: “I don’t know” is on third? Might I suggest either Judy Berube or Trina Nagele? I love your humor!
@Susan in TN: We love you here and wish the best to you and your mother.
Marshall (girl's name)
@ Terry Crow: Thanks so much for your jokes and keep them coming! Love the information/history you impart, too.
@Ensign: Where are you? Hello??
judy berube
Dear Alex Bowdoin:
I didn’t know that happened to Rachael in the Wood Memorial. As Laura J. says, thankfully her life is peaceful and happy now. Hugs, J.B.
Kim S
Happy 4th Zenny!!!
@Terry Crow–great jokes–still chuckling at all of them on this post.
@Shari Voltz–prayers to your mom and to you, stay strong.
Hope you and your friends are in a quiet place Zenny. I don’t necessarily like fireworks, but sure do appreciate the professional ones over all the amateur noise makers.
Everyone be safe tonight. Lotsa love to all.
judy berube
To Marshall (girl’s name):
Happy 4th of July to you. Hugs, J.B.