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
Alex Bowdoin
Speaking of Great Mares, a Hanovarian by the name of Brentina. She is a Dressage horse that was on the US Olympic Team. She is now retired but was one of the best ever!! If you do not know her, google and watch one of her freestyle dressage test…She is Beautiful….
judy berube
Dear Kathryn Cogswell:
I think the way the gate crew handled Quality Road in the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic proves your point. QR really put up a fight. They showed empathy for the horse as well as concern for the safety of the humans involved. Hugs, J.B.
Alex Bowdoin
@Laura J, Thank you for letting me know that RA is doing well…I have always worried about her. I have always liked her and have a soft spot in my heart for her.
judy berube
Dear Alex Bowdoin:
Thank you so much for mentioning Brentina. Just watched her retirement video. What a beauty. She left the ring strutting to the song Respect with MS. McDonald holding the reigns. Just beautiful. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Kari Bussell:
Thinking of you. Miss your posts. Hugs, J.B.
Signofthetimes
The whole starting gate issue is a big one. Schooling
Schooling schooling schooling. Even Zenny did not want to
Go in. Just stress for all at the beginning of a big race.
Signofthetimes
@Laura J
Not quite clear on why Curlin was only $55,000. Surprised
Me too. Smart Strike was already a proven sire?
Shari Voltz
Happy 4th Zenyatta the Queen of our Hearts. I know you and the other horses are in quiet places. I can’t imagine LE having noise and fireworks close. I love you so much sweet girl. I am so greatful to the Z family of giving and caring family members.(Dottie bless you for all you have done for us) God knew we needed each other. I believe he works through people and furbabies. Sweet dreams Zenyatta. Hugs and many Kisses, Shari XXXOOO
@ Sarah thank you.
@ Amanda thank you.
@ Brenda thank you.
@ Kim thank you.
@ PeggyOne please forgive my ignorance. I spoke out of feelings. I don’t know a lot about racing and I am learning from all of you. I need to think before I speak. Thank you for the education about the gate. God Bless :)
Quarterhossgal
Zenny…hope you are having a great 4th with all the fireworks a long distance from the farm!
Amanda G. just love your thoughts and posts.
Charlotte F. you are a real horseperson in every way.
Kathryn C. you are so right about horses and humans.
Alex Bowdoin
@Judy B, I bought the DVD “From Idaho to Athens” after seeing a special on TV before the Olympics..I fell in love with Brentina…Another great personality. What a great mover, a truly special horse!!
Jo
Hope you’ve had a fabulous July 4th week-end, Z!! Harmonious did really well today and looks like good things ahead for her. Love and hugs to Z and Tean Zenyatta.
Alex Bowdoin
@Has anyone watched racing from England on either TVG or HRT early on Saturday mornings? I love they way they load the horses in the gate, no whips, they are very calm and don’t upset the horse….
suew
Sweet dreams, Zenny.
Charlotte Farmer
@Dirt from Golden Gate – Yes, I am still in need of 4 Tablespoons of dirt.
@Judy Berube – Thank you. I have that article about “. . . things-that-go-bump-in-the-night.”
@Heidi Kruckenberg – Oh, I would so appreciate it if you could get the dirt. It is my understanding that you have spoken with Trina Nagela. She has my phone number and I could better explain it to you.
@Trina Nagela – Your e-mail did not come through. I sent you an e-mail asking that you confirm that you received it. I also posted to Haskin’s site today.
@Happy Fourth of July to everyone and to all our servicemen and women, God keep you safe.
signofthetimes
@Alex Bowdoin
Did you also notice they warm up galloping down the backstrech before the go to the gate in europe so they get the jitters out. Master of Hounds and Shakelford did that in the Belmont and Shakelford was much better at gate. For Master of Hounds it was just to keep things the same for him. The post parade it quite a hype in the US and seems to stress out the horses. Even Zenny when you look at her all that dancing is a big stress release for her.
DJ
Thank you Marshall: You got it! I don’t know! Let’s forget Why. :)
DJ
A Prayer For the Courage and Safety of Our Soldiers in the Time of Battle:
O Prince of Peace, we humbly ask your protection for all our military men and women in service as they discharge their duties. Give them unflinching courage to defend with honor, dignity and devotion, the rights of all who are imperiled by injustice and evil. Be their rock, their shield, and their stronghold and let them draw their strength from you.
…………………………………..
Goodnight Sweet “Z” and little “z”. Happy Fourth of July
Marshall (girl's name)
Oops! Please forgive my name mix-up! I meant to say:
@Susan in Tn: We love you here and wish you and your charges at River Edge happy times.
@Shari Voltz: All the best to you and your mother. You have love and support here. Take care!
Karen Gogue
@DJ
Amen!
Trina Nagele
@Heidi Kruckenberg—A lady named Ariadne has a connection at Golden Gate Fields, and I think she will be able to get the dirt from the winner’s circle to go with Noor to his final resting place. I was using an incorrect e-mail address for Charlotte, so our communication was delayed. If you would like to e-mail me at trinambn@yahoo.com, I can keep you abreast of developments. Thanks always for offering to help.
Patricia
@PeggyOne
While I understand a Starter’s job can be dangerous, it’s a danger that comes with the job. No one is forced to be a starter against their will. Anyone who is the least bit familiar with horses knows it’s not the words being said but the tone being used, and it’s naive to believe any horse won’t remember anything done to it in a harsh manner. There is absolutely no place for the kind of treatment exhibited by this handler.
If you watch the video it’s clear to see the reaction by the starter is punitive. When a horse rears in the gate, 99.9% of the time it’s fear driven and it’s NEVER acceptable to respond to that fear with anger and/or force. Never…
Charlotte Farmer
Well, the Fourth is now over and we late night owls are finishing up.
@DJ – I add my voice to your prayer. Well done, DJ!
@Tomorrow will be another day in the sweet life of our Zenyatta. I look forward to it and wonder what new adventures she will be sharing with us.
LauraJ
@Alex Bowdoin, Brentina is beautiful, and talented too! My favorite dressage horse is Fuego XII. He is gorgeous. Plus, he seems to like his job and his rider. I often watch his musical freestyle from WEG on YouTube. (I watch Totilas too, just not as often.) I have a thing for baroque breeds and would love to have a PRE or a Friesian someday. Speaking of Rachel, I don’t know where you live, but if you are within a reasonable distance from Kentucky, keep an eye out for the next “visit Rachel” day. They just had one so probably won’t repeat for a few weeks or months. They are listed on Stonestreet’s website and Facebook page. Both of these are good places to get ongoing news of Rachel, although nothing like Z’s diary. Spaces for “Visit Rachel” go fast, so you have to catch them the day they are posted. I went to the first one back in March. Some of us were locals or close, while some people came hundreds of miles.
—
@Judy Berube, I too am encouraged by Step’s performance, especially so soon after his surgery. I hope he will continue to improve. Once he breaks his maiden I will stop fretting over him so much.
—
@Signofthetimes, I was wrong about Curlin’s yearling sales price. It was $57K, not $55K. Still a bargain! You are right, Smart Strike was already well proven as a sire. I believe Curlin had a badly swollen ankle. I can’t remember why, but obviously it was correctable. I wish I could remember the whole story. He wasn’t in an early book either—he was Hip # 2261. He was spotted by Ken McPeak, who has a reputation for finding bargains at sales. IIRC, he said that other than the ankle, Curlin looked like a “Greek god.” Jess Jackson and his partners paid $3.5 million for an 80% interest in him. KEESEP ’05 was a pretty productive sale, yielding two, maybe three, future hall-of-fame horses in Zenyatta, Curlin, and quite possibly Rags to Riches. Rags was Hip # 423 and sold for $1.9M.
Karen Gogue
@Lola Mae
Happy Birthday!! So happy you give Mom and Dad so much joy!
signofthetimes
Dear Zenny,
Hope you had a restful peaceful weekend and are ready for the short week. Fireworks were beautiful. I am sure it was peaceful and quiet for you no fireworks at your barn, paddock. Have a great week.
@Laura J
Thanks for the scoop on Curlin. He sure does look like a “greekgod”. And races like a business man. Hope he has luck in the shed. And RA and Curlin so glad you think the colt will race as a homebred. That is soo exciting. Glad Step is doing better.
Terry Crow
@signofthetimes and LauraJ-Thanks for the info on the sale of Zenyatta.@Lil from KY-Dreamer is the best horse racing movie since Let It Ride, although they are two completely opposite examples. I have a Kurt Russell story that I will share in the future.@Cynthia H-WOW.@Judy Berube-I am also thin king of Kari Bussell. Hope everything is OK with her. Today’s joke–The Lone Ranger and Tonto walk into a bar and sat down to have a beer. After a few minutes, a cowboy walked in and said “Who owns the big white horse outside?” The Lone Ranger stood up, hitched his gun belt and said “I do. Why?” The cowboy looks at the LR and said “I just thought that you would like to know that your horse is just about dead out there.” The LR and Tonto run outside to find that. indeed, Silver is almost dead from heat exhaustion. The LR got him some water and soon Silver was feeling better. The LR then said to Tonto, “I want you to run around Silver and see if you can create enough of a breeze to make him feel better.” Tonto said “Sure, Kemosabe.” and started to run around the horse. Not able to do anything but wait, the LR went back into the bar to finish his beer. A few minutes later, another cowboy walked into the bar asking who owned the big white horse outside. The LR again got up and said that he did and asked what was wrong this time. The cowboy looked him in the eye and said “Nothing. But you left your injun running.”
Alexandra Bowdoin
@Laura J, I also love Edward Gal and the
horse Moorlands Totilas…Edward is amazing….
judy berube
Dear Terry Crow:
Too cute. Got one for you. Stop me if you’ve heard it before. Why is horse racing so romantic? Because the horse hugs the rail, the jockey puts his arms around the horse and you can kiss your money goodbye.
Lori K
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY !!!!!! I LOVE YOU ZENNY :)
judy berube
Dear Karen Gogue:
Thank you so much. Lola Mae Berube