Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #132


Hello Everyone,

As you can see in this photo, I am out walking with Charles and enjoying myself. Everyone at the farm is teasing Charles about how many new friends he is getting on FACEBOOK now that he and I are pals. It is very cute! Such fun!

I am so glad you enjoyed yesterday’s Diary on SHOES. I do hope as you read these Diary Pages you are learning things about race horses and the horse industry. All breeds of horses are very special and unique. As I am a THOROUGHBRED, my Diary will be directed to this breed. Thoroughbred race horses are very special. John used to always tell me that when I was at the barn! It is a breed to be cherished and the history of the pedigree lines is fascinating.

I’m going to take a couple moments and answer a few of your questions this morning.

So here goes…

1) 60 MINUTES…from what they told Dottie, they will air my original segment during the summer and then add the updates to it. They often do this with segments…and mine is one they are planning on using. We’ll let you know when we hear more.

2) MARIO…my adorable, wonderful Mario! He does miss me, for sure, but as he told John, he is SO HAPPY I am happy. He really appreciates and loves the fact that I was able to have such an amazing racing career and then retire so sound and healthy. This makes Mario so proud! This is what is helping make the transition easier for him.

I will always LOVE MARIO and totally and completely remember every single moment that we shared. I could not begin to tell you how many times he brushed me, put on my stall bandages, gave me a bath…and most importantly HUGGED ME! We also spent countless hours outside just relaxing and enjoying the sun together while I was grazing! I will always remember MARIO and LOVE HIM. I know he feels exactly the SAME WAY ABOUT ME!

John is really trying to keep Mario and the entire barn up-to-date on my progress. Dottie sends ALL photos and videos to John for the barn to see. John has lots of computers at the barn…and all of things are shared with my Barn 55 friends. (FYI…John is a real camera buff! He has zillions of photos of me on a constant slide-show on his one computer at the house. He loves taking pictures and has taken lots of photos of me since I was 2. In reality, John has my entire life in photos! It is wonderful to see all of these stages I have gone through during the last several years.)

3) Christmas Tree…yes, I do have a Christmas Tree at the farm. Also, I noticed that one of you put a photo of your ZENYATTA HOLIDAY tree on my FACEBOOK page. It looks fabulous! Love the ornament at the top of the TREE!

4) Guinness…yes, I do have some Guinness here…and sometimes a bit is also put in my feed. Interestingly, the Guinness Company wanted ME to go to Ireland this spring to visit and bring John, Dottie and the Moss’ with me. Great thought…but not sure that would fit into my schedule. Sweet of them to offer, though.

5) My barn friends…yes, we are getting to be more and more acquainted in the barn. For now, I walk around in the paddock by myself. Soon, I will be able to start buddying up with one girlfriend at a time. As this is all new to me, it will be another of those baby-steps we are talking about. I will get introduced to one friend at a time in the paddock. Eventually, I’ll be out there with several friends all at once, but for now, I just see them outside across the fence. They really do seem to like me, though. It is a nice feeling!

6) LIFE IS SWEET…I have not seen her yet as she is in a barn with mares who are IN FOAL and will be foaling at a similar time. At this time, we are at different stages of our lives. I am just settling in at the farm and doing the acclimation process and she is in foal and with mares who are at the similar stage of their lives. Soon, I hope there is a time, though, when we will be able to meet again. During our time at John’s barn, we were very, very good friends. Interesting fact…Mario groomed and took care of BOTH of us!

Dottie, John, Mario and Steve all got to visit with LIFE IS SWEET when they were here last week. They told me she looks fabulous and very happy. She was always so lovely! Isabelle (who was her regular rider…like Steve was for me) and Jenny also went to see her when they were in KY for Breeders’ Cup. It is wonderful how my Barn 55 Family keeps in touch with us even when we are not with them. It is a special bond we ALL SHARE for sure.

Also,I think Life is Sweet’s little sister is here in the barn with me. I’ve asked Dottie to please check this out. If so, she will be one of my paddock friends. Again…amazing how things are so interwoven like this.

Today, in addition to all of my outings in the paddock and visits from friends, I have a few appointments…blacksmith and vet. They are just checking in on me to be sure I’m in perfect shape. Just like you guys, I have to keep myself in tip-top shape and do my regular check-ups. I’ll have to check and see when the Dentist is coming next. Sonny was my Horse Dentist in CA. Wonder who it will be here?

Take Care…and have a wonderful December Day!

With love,
Hugs to all~
Z

Reader Interactions

258 Comments

  2. / Reply

    Horseshoes on the Christmas tree- you gotta love it- enjoy.

    Zen, I hope you are having a great Thursday- I hear it’s snowing like crazy in Kentucky today…. stay inside and be worm- Love you – G

  3. / Reply

    Ms Zenyatta, Let us know what the doctor says, and Suzanne posted about Rachel looking sad and lonely, I tried to find out something about her and could not find out a thing. I am so glad you have your family and team, we worry about some retired horses. Talk with you later, Lisa g

  4. / Reply

    Good afternoon, sweet girl. Just checking in. I see there’s no new news, but that’s ok. It’s probably because of the weather. I promise you it won’t always be like this. You will get some beautiful days in the spring. Love you always.

  5. / Reply

    Thank you for the update dear, lovely Zenyatta. You are one of the most loved horses of all time and ‘hoofs’ down, you are my favorite.
    You were so lucky to have a trainer like John who treasured you enough to take all those photographs. You were surrounded by people who treasured you–the Zenyatta Team was the best.
    Maybe all those photographs could be put together in a book, a photo chronicle of your life. I know you like to do charity work, so maybe the proceeds of the book could be donated to your Foundation.
    I hope you are happy and someone at Lane’s End is giving you hugs.
    Love and big hugs,
    Mary Ann

  6. / Reply

    Thank you Z and Dottie for all of the informative posts. It is great to see you and Charles so happy. I also was wondering if Zenyatta would ever have someone ride her again now that she is on the farm?

  8. / Reply

    Hi there Beautiful Girl!! Very glad to hear from you and to know that you are enjoying your new home!! Looks like you and Charles are having a great time together walking around in the snow!! Gosh, by the time they do your new segment for 60 minutes, I’m wondering if You, Beautiful Girl, will be in foal then?? I watched your 2009 BCC race today that I recorded on our DVR, and enjoyed every minute of watching you strut your stuff!! Glad to know that soon you will be able to walk around on the farm as you please and with new friends, too! Hope you get to see Life is Sweet soon; maybe you’ll meet her sis? Many Thanks to Mrs. Dottie and John and the Moss’ for sharing you with us!!! I know the rest of the Team – Mario, Steve, Carmen, Mike, Isabelle, and everyone back home misses you, Lil Tige. Do you have any kitty friends like you had in California?? Hope all goes well with your dentist appointment, please keep in touch and stay warm!! I love you!!

  9. / Reply

    Thanks so much for the update. Amazing how detailed a process it is to get her into her new life and surroundings. Is there any front runners as far as stallions she might be breed to?? A top ten or five list yet??

  10. / Reply

    Zenyatta, this photo is depressing. You look like our beautiful Queen who has been banished to the Land of the Frozen Tundra. I don’t know, are you sure you are happy? Starlets belong basking in the warmth of the California sunshine, in castles fit for Queens, where grumpy old stallions can fly in by plane. If you are truly happy ok then I will be too for your happiness and well-being is the utmost concern of your fans.

  12. / Reply

    Hi Z!! HAPPY you liked my tree! It’s really lovely and I get a lot of teasing at work because it’s your colors! Which, by the way, my favorite colors! LOVE you beautiful girl! MUAH!! XOXO

  13. / Reply

    It sounds like you’re settling in very nicely, pretty girl. You and Mario were such a great team (and it looks like you and Charles are having fun, too!). A few weeks ago I won, and received, a poster of your first fourteen wins as a Breeders’ Cup 2010 promotion by Santa Anita park. It shows all fourteen wins through the BC Classic 2009, with a BIG picture of you and Mike winning the Classic! You are so gorgeous! And guess what, Mike and John Sheriffs signed the poster!!! I framed it right away and I’m going to hang it.

  14. / Reply

    Sometimes when I dig with my boot through the layers of old hay discarded on the barn floor I imagine it is like an archaeological dig of decades of dried grasses–this layer from the 80s this from the 50s maybe this from the early 1900s. There is nothing so vulnerable as an empty barn and that is precisely what keeps us going with growing hay year after year to fill it to capacity yet again so it has the inner protection of several thousand bales to keep the winter northeast winds from pushing the structure down.

  17. / Reply

    I really enjoyed hearing from you. I have always wanted to visit you but it seems I won’t. When you won the Breeders I purchased your carry on bag that I love. Hope to hear from you many more times. Love Barbara❤️

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