Happy Thursday, Everyone!
Dottie is totally overwhelmed by all of the kind wishes and birthday greetings she received from all of YOU! She is deeply touched by all of your kindness and asked me to THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The poem by Trina Nagele is forever a keepsake. The countless cards with such memorable messages from all over the country a cherished surprise. Then the facebook wall filled with so many gracious wishes proved to be THE ICING ON HER CAKE! Dottie commented to John last night how all of this truly illustrates the amazing qualities of the ZENYATTA FANS….they really DO CARE ABOUT OTHERS! YOU ARE SO SPECIAL!
On a racing note, I wanted to share a few photos of the barn area at Saratoga. Above is the Phipps barn. Gotta’ love those trees! It looks beautiful!
Then here is the Steve Asmussen barn. Oh, I see David there looking at some horses.
The Oklahoma Training Track also has a turf course for the horses to use. It is really a very nice set-up for training. As I understand it, several trainers do stable horses at Saratoga from April, when it ‘officially’ opens each year…until it closes late fall…about the end of October. At this point, the weather is changing. Several trainers send their babies (2 year olds) there when they come in from the training center…to get them ready…as well as other horses in their divisions. Saratoga is a very important part of the New York Racing program for many reasons.
This weekend is packed with some great races around the country…but a major FOCUS is Arlington Park Race Course in Arlington Heights, Illinois. This venue is hosting the “International Festival” of turf races which includes the Arlington Million-G1 (my pal, Gio Ponti, is pointing for this race), the Beverly D-G1 for fillies and mares, and The Secretariat-G1 for 3 year old colts/geldings. Many top quality horses from our country participate in these races which traditionally draw several major horses from Europe as well. It really becomes an international festival of racing! Good Luck to All!
Enjoy your day…and again, on behalf of Dottie, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS!
I must say, you are all TOO CUTE!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
eastcoastkid
@charlotte…I just noticed the date on the link from Doreen…I got excited about it and jumped too soon…sorry…Zenny has that effect on me…I want to DO something for her!
Kristen from Burnsville, MN
@ Diana S – I live in Dakota county *and* I bought two Powerball tickets last night. Sorry to say I wasn’t the winner, but I did check my tickets before I went to work in case I needed to call in rich!
Margaret
I wonder who is cuter–Dottie or Zenyatta? I think its an absolute tie! They are both beautiful, kind and totally CUTE!
Deborah Richman
Dear Z, please tell Sarah thank you for the beautiful photos of Saratoga. It must be an amazing place to visit.
I’m glad your dear Dottie enjoyed our b-day wishes to her. I hope she knows how much we all love and appreciate her.
Terry…I seem to be laughing harder every day at your jokes!
JAG…on your real birthday I am going to hum the theme from Twilight Zone after Happy Birthday in honor of the coincidence(?) of the date reversal :)
DJ…I like your spelling of Dumplingz, too :)
Susan from TN…glad you are back, and am sending you loving thoughts and hugs during this difficult time you are going through with your brother. Know that you are not alone.
Arlene…I purchased my Z Breyer from Amazon.com Love it! :)
DMCQ…we can sell your blackberry jam at the DEE gift shop :)
Mary Copelin
JAG- I had forgotten you were a devotee of John Henry. So am I. I used to visit him at S.A. and H.P. Since I am originally from Chicago, I went back for the inaugural running of the Arlington Million – perhaps the most incredible win I have ever seen. After John was retired, I went back to Kentucky on three occasions to see him at the Kentucky Horse Park. He and I had connected in Los Angeles, so each time I saw him he knew me immediately. I never once saw his negative side. He was always sweet and loving to me. He was an amazing hero to people across this country; and a wonderful precursor to Queen Z.
Allen
Thanks to Dottie and Team Z for all the posts and information they provide for us. Also , Thanks to Everyone at Lanes End and Sarah and David for taking such good care of our Queen. Z,I hope you and TT have a great afternoon.
Allen
@Susan in TN, my prayers and thoughts are with you.
Trina Nagele
THANK YOU, Zendottie, and ALL the wonderful Z-sters for your kind comments on my poem for Dottie’s birthday! I was truly so hoping you all would like it! It lacks the ethereal beauty of a Sunny Boyd poem or the prose poetry of Dawn Conrad, Cynthia Holt, Karen Gogue, Amanda Gilliland, Kathryn Cogswell, and so many, many others, but with Zenyatta and Dottie to inspire me, I was able “to put a few words together” in honor of Dottie the Great, and I am so, so delighted that Z-fans found it worthy of the occasion. THANK YOU ALL for your comments!
@Dottie—I am so glad if my poem added to your special day, and I hope it truly was a happy day for you though I know it must be a difficult time too with your dear John’s mom not feeling well. Please let her know she is in our prayers and has our unending gratitude for giving the world, and Z and Z’s fans in particular, your marvelous husband, John Shirreffs.
@JANE WADE—Happy belated 38th anniversary to you and JAMES! WOW! Hope you had a great day.
@Debbie G—Multiple blessings on your dear friend Vivian for thinking of getting a shelter dog when the time comes! (Good things come in pound packages.) Hugs to her and to her beloved Winston.
@Especially Horses—Loved your words of appreciation for Dottie.
@Doreen—Thanks for sharing that touching story of your mom and her mischievous pony Dotty Dimples. And I was glad to be of service in getting you into “the annex.”
@BETH ALEXANDER—Happy, happy birthday today and many happy returns!
Celeste
Thank you for sharing with us how happy Dottie is to have been remembered by us for her birthday!! Thank you for sharing all the great photos too. This web-site is such a special place – thank you.
JAG from California :-)
@ Deborah Richman
Twilight Zone music is in order LOL… I got more:
My middle name is ANN (as in Ann Moss);
—
I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah (as was Ann)
—
My maiden name is Maass, pronounced MOSS
—
My late husband is JOHN
—
Dottie is a LEO, as was my husband
—
John Shirreffs is the same age as my brother
—
My very FIRST visit to Kentucky (to visit John Henry) was in 2005 – ZENNY was a yearling…
—
John Henry passed away on my birthday 10/8/2007 (I was there to kiss him good-bye) ~ Zenyatta ran her FIRST RACE on 11/7/2007…
—
Talk about God sent! John Henry sent her to me and has been with her all the way… He brought back the smiles I had lost the day I lost him :-)
—
One last thing #8 ~ Zenny ran in the BC Classic in 2010 from post 8… coincidence? I think not! :-D
Laura
Awww thanks for the awesome pics like normall:)
Trina Nagele
A shoutout to our dear, dear KARI BUSSELL, whose birthday is tomorrow! Happy birthday in advance and many, many happy returns to you, Kari!
@Chris H—Loved your post about letters to Smarty Jones, and the comparison to Z. I have the book “Letters to Seabiscuit.” I’m sure there will some day be a book “Letters to Zenyatta”–and soon I hope!
@Terry Crow—Too funny!
@JAG—Loved all your “connections”—it couldn’t happen to a nicer person!
JAG from California :-)
CORRECTION: Before someone else notices! Zenyatta’s first race was 11/22/2007. I guess I got too excited typing LOL
JAG from California :-)
“ZENYATTA…. A FAREWELL KISS”
If you didn’t see this
http://www.hobrecht.com/featured_horseracing_ZENYATTA.html
JAG from California :-)
“Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms” ~ George Eliot
Deborah Richman
JAG…wow girlfriend! Your post has sent me from the Twilight Zone into the Outer Limits. You are certainly interconnected with Z and her connections and to John Henry who sent you to Z! Very cool in a spine tingling kind of way.
cue the announcer…”I now return control of the TV set…”
JAG from California :-)
ON LAST THING – I won’t take up more room on today’s diary!
If Zenyatta’s foal is born on MARCH 9th ~ then the love would be FULL CIRCLE! :-)
Vicki B.
Yes, we are all too cute here!
Barbara Wood
@JAG–amazing connections. Thanks for sharing.
Carole #42
@Susan in TN, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your brother.
Zenny have a great day and take of baby Z…XOXOXO
suew
Oh, Zenny…you and your Dottie aree so easy to love. No thanks are necessary but your thoughtfulness is appreciated.
Thanks for the news about upcoming races. When you have Dottie tell us about the races I always feel the need to visit your videos and watch my favorite horse tear down the backstretch with her ears forward!
tony and sue
Zenny, tell Dottie she is “too cute” and it was a pleasure wishing her a happy birthday. You are quite a team, big girl.
Thoughtful, generous and totally loving!
Deborah Richman
Trina…still loving your poem. Thanks for letting us know about Kari B’s b-day tomorrow.
Chris H…thank you for your post about Letters to Smarty Jones..I will look for it! I bought the book of Seabiscuit’s letters after someone here (Trina?) recommended it. The letters are a wonderful reflection not only of the horse, but of the time period.
Ida Lee
Thanks Dear for the pictures of Saratoga. I’m presently ready a very interesting book about Saratoga (Six Weeks in Saratoga) It takes place during the 2009 season and it’s mainly about Rachel and the Woodward. It took me back to such a fantastic year when Queen Zenyatta and the Goddess of Racing Rachel were burning up the tracks on both ends of the country. It was such an exciting year and I was so proud of them. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking how great our two Treasures were and the happiness they brought to all of us. P.S. I see you refer to Gio Ponti as your pal..Wow I wish he was my pal. I can’t see straight when that beautiful and talented boy is around. I come pretty close to swooning…
Barbara Grimaldi
KARI B! Tomorrow is your birthday, isn’t it? Have a wonderful one and know you have my thanks for always posting fascinating videos I enjoy so much. Hope you celebrate yourself tomorrow!!!!
David
Hello I like this page. Coorrl stiff
Jack W.
Hey Dottie….Training here in Saratoga from mid April through mid November it was nice that you posted those photos that Sarah took of our training track and barn area. You fans should know that this natural sand based track is an extremely forgiving surface and is tremendously beneficial in the conditioning program of the critters stabled here especially 2 y.o.’s. The two turf courses are also very useful in exposing future turfers to the surface and sharpening up our veteran runners for their next race!
I was pleased to be part of your B’day “card” and enjoy occasionally posting on the “Z” site.
Sharon Call
@Doreen. Thanks so much for posting the link about Old Friends expanding in NY. I was quite excited to read about the deal with Sackatoga racing syndicate which will donate $10,000 to Old Friends to guarantee a spot for each yearling they buy in 2011. Jack Knowlton, co-founder and managing partner of Sackatoga and who owns Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Derby, said he wanted to do more for the horses owned by the syndicate and that each owner agreed that they need to look at their horses as lifetime investments. Knowlton also said he hopes other syndicates pick up on this.
This is such great news and, hopefully, will spread to other racing partnerships like wildfire. This will so help the future of horses that retire or just don’t quite make it on the track. One brick at a time.
Diana S
@PowerBall Winner (and our newest Dumpling): Please buy a professional grade video camera with sound equipment and send it to Kari for her birthday from all of us. Thank you.
diastu in tempe
Ingrid in MA
Dottie and Zenny, it’s wonderful people like YOU that make it easy to be caring – it just goes to show that you get back what you give. Dottie and John,Jerry and Ann Moss, were all so kind and generous to us,the Zen Fans,and their kind treatment of their horses was just the icing on the cake. You’re all wonderful,wonderful people, and I truly wish there were more like you all in the world – it would be a much better place,that’s for sure! thanks for all you do everyday to make the world a loving,safe place for spectacular animals like Zenyatta.