HAPPY DEL MAR 2011 EVERYONE!
Today is the beginning of the WEST COAST SUMMER RACING SEASON at Del Mar. It is a race track that is also known by the phrase….”Where the turf meets the surf”.
When you are sitting in the grandstand watching the races, the Pacific Ocean is directly to your left. The ocean breezes are always surrounding you…and the environment is breathtaking. You literally get to see the waves roll into the shore and later watch the sunset while you are enjoying each race!
I remember Del Mar very well. I won the Clement Hirsch G1 there on 3 different occasions. They use the TRAKKUS system to monitor how fast the horses are moving while running…and they noted that I was closing in the 2009 Hirsch at over 40 miles per hour. NOT BAD…if I say so myself!
Dress is totally California Casual. Nice Walking Shorts, T-shirts and sandals are A-OK for most parts of the track. You do need to dress ‘up’ a bit if going to the Club House or Turf Club….but it is still summer casual and very relaxed.
MY TEAM tells Me the restaurants are fabulous down there. One can drive down to San Diego and eat on the water or stay in and around Del Mar and enjoy the local restaurants. I’ll share some of those with you as the season goes on.
Overall, it is a wonderful change in scenery and pace for all of my friends.
I truly hope that you get the opportunity to go RACING AT DEL MAR!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Kathy Baldwin
Yes Zenny, Dottie, John and gang, Del Mar
is alot of fun and very lovely. I live
about a 15 or 20 minute drive from the track. But I usually don’t go on opening
day. Very crowded! But I do go lots of
other days. Del Mar has so much wonderful
history and is a beautiful track! I have
been going there all my life. Sometimes
when the breeze blows you can smell the
ocean air and it is very nice. And yes,
there are some beautiful sunsets over
the beach. Looking forward to the meet!
Peace, Love & Blessings,
Kathy from SoCal :)
jeanne from vista
I live close to Del Mar and was thinking of you this AM. So I emailed the track and suggested a Z Appreciation Day. They got right back and said they would like to honor the Mosses (AND you, of course) later in the meet! I’ll be there!!!!
Sue Fredrick
Hi Big Mama, well you sold me on seeing Del Mar it certainly sounds like a little bit of heaven for “horse crazies”, of which I consider myself a card carrying member. Some day I’ll get there but is it a long way from Wisconsin.
@Judy Berube, thanks for the horse color post, it sure reminded me of my childhood when I fell in love with TRIGGER – palomino, BUTTERMILK- buckskin, The Black Stallion – black etc. I had plastic horse statues I used to play in the dirt with in all these neat colors. Boy it sure would be fun to go back to those days even for just a day!
Luv you Z and kisses on your nose
Mary Margaret fm Georgia
Hope all is well with you and baby Zenyatta. The article on Evening Attire and his half brother was wonderful. The pictures in the snow were beautiful. Looking at all that snow helps on these very hot days. Make sure you drink plenty of water Big Mama. You look wonderful. I’m sending lots of hugs & kisses to you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Mary
Del Mar sounds wonderful…but I am in Virginia so I will just have to wish I was there. :) Wow Z….40 miles an hour….you were the best race horse ever!!! Hugs to you Z…..
Jamie
Good luck to all of the Dumplings during the Del Mar meet. I hope to get there this year (I live in Nor Cal). Kisses and hugs to you Zenny and Dottie too.
Sharon Call
@Judy Berube. Re your post on 300 regarding the poem on Barbaro’s facebook page. I can’t even think about that poem without tearing up. Thanks for the link to Shadow Mountain Stables. That’s really interesting and I didn’t know there were so many true white TBs. The oddest color I’ve ever seen was at a Paso Fino show several years back and there was a stallion in the championship class that was a gray pinto! I could hardly believe my eyes – he was beautiful. If you can picture it, he had several large patches of light gray over his body and they looked like shadows. Very striking.
@Sarah Powell. LOL about the black snake hiding in the hay bales. I had a couple of black snakes and a king snake that hung out in my boarding barn. I really wanted to kill them but didn’t because I knew they would keep the rats and mice down.
@Kate Wheeler. From diary #300. You can make a contribution to River Edge rescue by going to their web site, http://www.riveredgefarmhorses.com and down the right side of the web page, you will see instructions on how to make a donation.
Georgia Harper
This is where I first saw you in person!!! spent the day on the fence in the paddock waiting for you to come along with thousands of others. What a WONDERFUL day. Good luck to Mr. Commons and Mike hope they do well.
love and Hugs
sherry drish
DEL MAR SOUNDS SO LOVELY. THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE OCEAN IT SEEMED LIKE IT WENT ON FOREVER. OUR WV. MOUNTAINS ARE THE SAM EWAY. HERE IN THE EASTERN PANHANDLE YOU ARE CLOSE TO WASHINGTON,DC. AND THE BEAUTIFUL HORSE FARMS OF VA. TOO. THE SUMMER NOW IS HUMID SO HORSES ARE INSIDE WITH FANS GOING. WHEN THEY ARE HAPPY I AM HAPPY. LOVE TO ALL, SHERRY D. WV.
Debbie
hi Z! I’ve actually been trying to plan a trip to Del Mar this year! I hope it works out! I would love to visit YOU more and wanted to make a trip to see YOU but no visitors yet, I hope YOU can have your fans visit YOU very soon!!! I’ll be there when it’s allowed ASAP!!! If I do make it to Del Mar I’ll be dreaming of YOU racing towards the finish line, passing all while everyone cheers YOU on!!! I love you so much gorgeous mama xoxoxo
J Smith
Good luck to your John today with Bobine, Roxanne & Mr. Commons. Safe trip for all the horses running.
judy berube
Dear Sharon Call:
Here’s another link on Sato. Hugs, J.B. http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/07/113.shtml
Poca Hontas
Im on this Unbelievable!
My QueenZangel. you have lit up my life for yrs now and still are Thank you!! I have been flying from East Coast to your last 6 races and 2x I got very close to you I was honored All of your team are extraordinary and unique Thank them
You are looking sweet sister I have photos of you plastered around my place even from Saratoga where the vendors had MANY of you. But these blog photos capture your new and old identities w/ skill and beauty Mama girl Its like youre near again
You make magic Ms.Z World needs more of that
LOVE Ya BIG TIME
SuZenyatta
HBB Mrs. Moss
Gerrie P.
Yes DelMar is a beautiful place and it was oh so much more beautiful when Queen Zenyatta was there to run……
S
Be there Saturday! It is beautiful. Good luck today mr commons !!
Margaret
Greetings Z and all from the mountains of WY. I have had a splendid time visiting family and renewing friendships.
Tomorrow I am headed to Rock Springs where in just a few weeks the Bureau of Land Management will be rounding up all the wild horses. Babies whose feet haven’t toughened yet will be run alongside all the horses in that band. And there will be pregnant mares also run. Sadly this is our government at work spending our tax dollars for all this brutality.
If the idea of rounding up the wild ones doesn’t effect you try this one. It has been documented on video of wranglers kicking wild burros in the back. That poor animal was so exhausted he couldn’t get up. The wrangler was caught pulling on ears and LIFTING the burro by the tail. It is very very graphic video.
How about the idea of hotshotting these exhausted animals? Wranglers have also been caught pinching the nose of wild horses as they were going thru the sorting chute.
The contractors prior to 2009 when Cloud was rounded up didn’t have so many issues with humane observers. Now since Cloud no humane observer can get anywhere near the horses.
All of this frightens me for these horses. I remember the debacle of last year with Owyhee where until Laura Leigh filed ssuit against BLM there was no water shortage. Suddenly there was. Horses were run in brutal heat and then allowed free access to the water trough. For the less experienced fans out there this was way beyond poor horsemanship. One of the very first things you learn is to properly cool your horse out. You do this by slowly walking him and allowing just a few sips of water at a time. Yes, this takes time. If you don’t follow thru on this the horse will drink himself sick. (Years ago I knew an owner that failed to do this and her horse died of colic. That death was absolutely preventable.) In this case 12 horses died of having their brains swell because they drank until they quenched their thirst.
For lots of links and more info please visit http://www.thecloudfoundation.org . There you will also find a ton of links leading you to all kinds of information. The horses need every single one of us. It’s fine we don’t always agree, we can unite for the horses.
When I get home I’ll try to blog my trip with lots of photos. I am a bit limited with my iPad but I love it. I hope many of you will come and visit my site.
Marilu V
Hello Dear Zeny! I hope all the races go well in Del Mar. I hope to go one of these weekends. I have not been there but told by people I met who go to the races regularly that there is a bigger crowd. If I read correctly Mr. Commons is racing today. I wish him all the luck and a safe and successful race today! Hugs and prayers going your way! Marilu
Barbara Wood
@Judy Berube–thanks for the great link on horse colors. You are a walking encyclopedia of where to find info! Hugs.
Barbara Wood
@Margaret–I can hardly bear some of the things “humanity” is doing to our horse friends. I donate to as many rescues as I can (retired and limited funds). Thank you so much for keeping up. Your posts are very welcome.
DelMar looks so lovely. Would love to be there.
Janie
Del Mar sounds delightful and even though I was born and raised in Southern California, I’ve never been to Del Mar. Hard to believe, huh? Now, with the picture you painted of it, Zenyatta, I hope to visit soon!
Sarah Powell
Such a lovely description of Del Mar – makes me wish (for a bit) that I was closer to Cal. Good luck and safe rides to your John’s horses and Mikey today. Take care of yourself and stay cool. (thanks Dottie)
Kathryn Cogswell
Dear Sarah Powell: ‘. .. every book needs a guiding metaphore. [Molly Ivins` Story about the snake in the hen house .. . (parphrased) ~ “Years before his career in radio, John Henry (Faulk) was in law enforcement — a Texas Ranger, a captain in fact. He was seven at the time. His friend Boots Cooper, who was six, was sheriff, and the two of them used to do a lot of heavy law enforcement out behind the Faulk place in south Austin. One day Johnny`s mama asked them to go down to the henhouse and rout out the chicken snake that had been doing some damage there. ~ Johnny and Boots loped down to the henhouse on their trusty brooms and commenced to search for the snake. They went all through the nests on the bottom shelf. I myself have never been nose to nose with a chicken snake, but I always took Johnny`s word for it that it will just scare ___ ______ ____ ___ __ you. Scared those boys so bad that they both tried to exit the henhouse at the same time, doing considerable damage to both themselves and the door. ~ Johnny`s mama was a kindly lady, but watching all this it struck her funny. She was still laughin` when the captain and sheriff trailed back up to the front porch. ‘Boys, boys,’ said Miz Faulk, ‘what is wrong with you? You know perfectly well a chicken snake cannot hurt you.’ ~ That`s when Boots Cooper made his semi-immortal observation. ‘Yes, ma`am,’ he said, ‘but there`s some things`ll scare you so bad, you hurt yourself.'” [Intro. to ‘Bill of Wrongs’ by Molly Ivins, Lou Dubose, 2007].
Gary Moulton
“Ah….DEL MAR” my second favorite track. I remember Del Mar very well too, especially the 08’ Clement Hirsch G1 where you set the track record for a 1 1/16th – 1:41.48.
.
There is only one 2yr old race today and it is for fillies. Race 4. All but three fillies are nominated to the Debutante. The two I like with experience are:
.
#4 – “Lady Fairbanks” & #8 – “Sweet Nothings”
.
First time starter that I like is #7 – “Weemissfrankie”
.
Well that’s my box for a buck, good luck, no guarantees.
Andrea from Germany
Zenny I am going on a holiday, will be back in a week. Stay safe and healthy, LOve you Zenny.
Christine Coleman
Hello Zenny Coleman! Now that you are retired, it is tough watching races at tracks where you have raced. I’m happy your California family still has the opportunities to frequent beautiful venues like Del Mar. I’m from So. Cal. and I just moved to South Carolina in 2007. (Needed more land for my horses! :) Have a beautiful day Zenny…take good care of your lil mini-Zen who’s chillaxin within you! Love you Zenyatta
Kathryn Cogswell
Dear Margaret: Ever since a billboard appeared that said, ‘Molly Ivins can`t say that, can she? it has been the prerogative of all of us to say it as we see it. My fondness for Paul Newman only grew over the years, as he let it out that he had things to say. At last, his proudest achievement before the dressings and ‘The Hole In The Wall Gang’ retreats they funded, was that he was on Nixon`s Enemies List. “If you don`t have enemies, you don`t have character,” he said. Thank you for the words you write — all of them. Kathryn Cogswell.
Charlotte Farmer
@Zenyatta’s Legion – I know that Diana S has posted about traveling with Noor but I wanted to let everyone know that I will be picking up Kathy Kimber the day before we make it to Kentucky. I invited her to share Noor’s journey by riding with me and my boyfriend in the pickup. She had made a beautiful request regarding Noor, it wasn’t about going with us, which took my breath away and I realized that there was another lady of the Round Table whose passion and love reminded me of me. Everyday each of you posts to this site the love that is left here shines like the sun above, warming our hearts and our spirits. I didn’t realize until I made the offer that it had been a dream of hers to go to Kentucky, well dreams do come true. I look forward to meeting her.
I haven’t spoken with Diana S yet, but there will be one area where there will be NO posting, our locations while we are sleeping. Noor is vulnerable to vandalism and that has been a worry of mine from the beginning. If I could sleep with him I would except my boyfriend would have a cow. Diana’s presence will add another dimension to this that will take the pressure off of me. She will be documenting everything which I consider very important. I love history and this is very historic. I know Mr. Hager, who was the lead person on the Man o’ War dig, has so much video and articles but has yet to put it somewhere so it can be seen by all. I have suggested that he donate it to the Kentucky Horse Park or Keeneland but in the end that is his call.
History should be shared because long after we are gone it will tell of our journeys and the efforts made to get where we are. We are such a young country compared to Europe so our history is limited and on many levels is disappearing with progress, one more strip mall needed you see.
@Terry Crow – Do you remember Bing Crosby’s song about Del Mar?
@Barbaro – Thank you for the link as I will definitely be paying a visit to that site. It is tragic how soon one is forgotten. It seems as if it were yesterday when we watched hoping that he would pull through . . . well he deserves better than the few posts he is getting. Sadly it takes a Barbaro to raise our consciousness about how fragile these beautiful animals our. The least we can do is reciprocate with a post reminding others how much we loved him and miss him.
@Zenyatta – You almost made your post a song. I love what you had to say and congratulations on #301. I wasn’t able to post yesterday but I am here to tell you and Dottie thank you for all the wonderful times you have shared with each and every one of us. Bob Hope use to keep file draws of jokes, you are going to have to start one and boy will it be a doosey. You are amazing Dottie Shirreffs and I am glad, for one, that your path crossed with Zenyatta. What a team. High hooves to you, the Team, and to the people on this site.
Pam Zacek,
wow, that is my kind of place, sounds so peaceful and racing there must have given you a extra , push with just the ocean breeze, Oh wow, I wish i could see that and pick a good winner.. just the ocean would do me good, have a great, day, and Ill think of sitting, at the races, looking at the race and watching the ocean,
Margaret Burlingham
Sounds breathtaking! We’ll be there the end of August and would appreciate some casual, beachfront restaurant recommendations.
Sarah Powell
@Kathryn Cogswell – loved that story and can certainly identify. Whoever said that they are more afraid of you hasn’t met this snake. He just looks at me. Problem is that I also have black hoses in the barn and even through I’m not afraid of him I don’t particularly want to pick him up. He picks different places to jump out at me but his favorite lately seems to be the hay. I have my bales up on pallets and I guess it is dark and cool under there.
@Christine Coleman -what part of SC did you move to? Upstate or near Aiken/Camden or elsewhere? Good to see another South Carolinian posting – I don’t think there are too many of us.