Happy Friday to ALL!
It is another wonderful time for our sport this weekend. The programs in our country are highly contested. Then at Ascot, their weekend card features the inaugural British Champions Day. The race which will truly create a great deal attention is the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes–G1. FRANKEL is entered to run in this one mile turf event. He is going for his 9th straight victory while remaining undefeated! The feeling of anticipation and excitement surrounding this wonderful 3 year old colt is something to be enjoyed and embraced by all of racing.
FRANKEL…by Galileo (GB) out of Kind…is owned and bred by Juddmonte Farms. As a 2 year old, he performed beautifully in his races…so much so that he was awarded the honor of being the 2010 European Champion 2 year old colt.
As a 3 year old, he has continued to develop and mature at a very high level. As of August 5, 2011, he was ranked #1 in the World Thoroughbred Rankings!
This is truly an achievement of great pride and respect!
Other 3 year old stakes will be running this weekend in our country. In California, the Oak Tree Derby runs on Saturday and the Harold C. Ramser, Sr. (fillies) on Sunday! Then at Keeneland, we have the Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup on Saturday for 3 year old fillies. This is one FUN TIME of the year to be 3!
HERE’S WISHING THE VERY BEST TO ALL OF THE HORSES AND THEIR CONNECTIONS!
Enjoy your handicapping and your weekend!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
PS. I know what MY JOHN did yesterday! I’ll share it with YOU next week! He said it was VERY SPECIAL and I’D BE SO PROUD!
kelly
Love you Zenyatta! ^-^
JAG / California :-)
TGIF Zenny! :-)
Judy G
JAG / California :-)
@ ALL ~ I shared this link on the previous diary:
Successful Surgery for Here Comes Frazier
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/65550/successful-surgery-for-here-comes-frazier
Judy G
Cheryl Smith
Happy Friday Zenyatta! Love you!
Kendra
Thanks for keeping us abreast of the races, Zenyatta. I will be pulling for Nereid and Star Billing. Have a great weekend, which I hope includes a visit from John.
JAG / California :-)
Queen Z ~ I can’t wait for the news from YOUR JOHN! Everything you do, and continue to do, makes us all PROUD!!
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A friend shared this video link of GIACOMO with me and I thought I’d share it on here:
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/videos/watch-video/0396D2E3-56A3-4107-ACDF-DC27E98D7206
Seeing him running is my vision of what Heaven looks like (without the fences).
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I will be at SA tomorrow and I hope to see more Z Dumplings :-) SAFE RACING TO ALL!
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Hugs & Kisses to Mamma Z and Baby B/Z XOXOXO
Linda M
Dear Zenny – Let’s kcik off this Sunday’s activities with Brunch!! I hear that pears are in season. Cannot wait to hear what John has in store for you, I wish you were not so good at keeping secrects :) Just lover the photo of Nereid that you included in you Diary yesterday – she is precious. by the way, do you have any news on dear Violet Rose? Wishing everyone a great weekend and let the countdown begin! Love and hugs, Linda & George
MLV
Just got back from So Cal and a couple of wonderful days at Santa Anita. We were there for the photo day a week ago. I got a really nice photo of Dottie and Sophie.
I also had the honor of meeting Turkoman at E. A. Ranches in Ramona. We were allowed to go into his paddock with him and spend quite a bit of time with him as the manager, Marguerite Eliasson let us roam the ranch on our own (she gave us permission to go into his paddock). Turk was very sweet and after we’d been with him for a few minutes he really started to come alive. He became very playful and started pulling our arms with his mouth but never bit. It was hard saying goodbye and leaving him. He reminds me so much of Alydar.
There was another stallion there, Game Plan, and one look at him and I knew he was a Danzig baby. The vet was there to x-ray his foot and my sister and I were “put to work” (we got to hold stuff) while Marguerite assisted the vet.
The car and buggy collection is incredible. I’ve never seen so many in one place and they had every kind you could imagine.
We were there over two hours and had a fantastic time.
Mary
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Fall.
Hugs and Prayers
Susan in TN
Zenny- I’m looking forward to this weekend’s races. I know Frankel is special to your family and I wish him the best of luck! Also pulling for Nereid and Star Billing! I guess John knows by now that you can keep a secret but I can’t wait! Today is beautiful here in Tennessee- I hope you are getting blue sky and sunshine in Kentucky. Love you, Z <3
Theresa Buck
Love you Zenyatta muuah
Susan in TN
@JAG: Thanks for links!
@MLV: What a fantastic experience you had!
Glad to hear about Here Comes Frazier’s surgery-best wishes!
Pat Beck
I met Turkoman in Mira Loma! What a neat guy!
Love you always, Z.
ZENYATTALOVERAMY!!
Thanks for the update zeny! FROM YOUR BIGGEST FAN AMY.
JAG / California :-)
@ ALL SANTA ANITA CARD ~ SATURDAY
http://www.santaanita.com/sites/default/files/live_racing/programs/full/2011-10/fullprog-2011-10-15.pdf
Race 9 – OAK TREE II @ 5:01 p.m.
CLOUD MAN / Mosses / Shirreffs / Mikey Post 12 :-)
Judy G
Rosemary McCauley
Zenyatta – I’m sure that what YOUR JOHN whispered in your ear has something to do with recognizing how special and unique you are. Can’t wait to hear.
@Diana S. – great California redneck jokes.
@Laura J. – I thought your comments about why visiting Zenyatta is not in the best interests of her or of Lane’s End and its employees were very well put. Not too long after Zenyatta retired and was sent to Lane’s End, there were a lot of posts asking about when people could come to visit her. One of the posts (and I don’t remember who posted it) was exactly on point. The poster wrote that these broodmares are not animals in a zoo where people can just come and walk around and look at them (or words to that effect). I believe that statement and the rest of the post painted a very clear picture of the reality. And everyone should remember, HER JOHN and the Mosses made Zenyatta available to the public to come and visit her when she was racing.
@Terry Crow – Great redneck jokes, and also good about the “Virginians.”
Good luck Harmonious – met her at Barn 55 and fed her carrots. She’s beautiful. Frank takes care of her and he does an excellent job, as he does with all of his charges.
Rosemary McCauley
Oh, I didn’t mention Best Wishes to Here Comes Frazier. Thank you JAG for posting the article on him. I hope he goes on to live a happy and healthy life, whatever his connections decide that will be.
SHERRY D. WV.
OH ZENYATTA WE CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THE SURPRISE JOHN HAS FOR YOU. THIS IS AS GOOD AS CHRISTMAS. LOVE TO ALL..SHERRY D. WV
JAG / California :-)
Top British rider Hughes turns in license to protest whip rule
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2011/10/13/hughes-gives-up-license-over-whip-rule.aspx
QUOTE: “The rule limits flat jockeys to no more than seven strikes of the whip in a race and no more than five strikes within the final furlong. Jumps riders are afforded eight strikes.”
Sharon call
@All. I FINALLY got to watch the movie, Secretariet last night, thanks to U-Verse. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a movie so much. I realize that some of it is dramatization but I’m enough of a dreamer to want to believe all of it as it was shown. It took me back to 1973 when Secretariet won the Belmont. What a thrilling race that was. I saw it on TV and was jumping around the room, shouting and waving my arms around. To me, Secretariet won by that distance just because he wanted to.
—————————————–
The next most thrilling race I’ve ever seen was Z’s loss in the 2010 BC Classic. Now before you call the paramedics to me with a suggestion that I should be institutionized, let me explain. Yes, she lost by a nose. But in rewatching Youtube video of that race, about a hundred times, I know I’ve never seen a horse race like that ever. To come from 25 lengths behind the entire field, running with her eyes closed at times, cut through one pack and get bumped, swing to the outside and pass a total of 18 horses and come within 3 inches of passing Blame is one of the most humbling things I’ve ever witnessed. She never quit, she trusted her very life to Mike’s hands to keep her safe and ran like a firestorm down the stretch. It truly embodies the phrase “heart of a thoroughbred, heart of a lion”.
My godness, how I do run on, to paraphrase Ms. Scarlett. I love pouring it out on this website because I know everyone here understands. Thanks for listening (reading)!
Cheryl Harshall
Love you Zenny! Keep up the updates, I really appreciate them.
Sharon call
Sorry, that should have read “Oh, my goodness…”. That’s what I get for not proof reading.
Brenda S..
Happy Friday Zenny, it’s the end of the week and we’re all looking forward to a great weekend of racing. Two Queen Elizabeth races, I wonder if the Queen will be at Ascot. She likes to visit Lexington and has made private visits, I believe she’s been to Lane’s End Zenny, a place fit for Queens. Hope you and Tasty have fun this weekend. Safe trips to all horses and jockeys on both side of the pond.
@JAG – Thanks for the video of Giacomo, I loved it. He is definitely a friendly horse and he did love his peppermints, I took the round white variety and he seemed to like them, so did Awesome Again. I wish I could have seen him out in his paddock but he’d probably been out all night when we visited Adena.
J Smith
Hmmmm, what could John have done. I’m going to guess it had to do with being charitable, and visiting horses.
MLV, can anyone visit the ranch, by appointment? Are your photo’s posted anywhere that we can see them? Can never see too many horse photo’s! I was at photo day too, it was a really good event, I learned a lot about the settings on my camera, ha, I knew I wouldn’t need to read the instructions! The weather was perfect for photo taking too. I hear they plan to have another photo day in a few months, I recommend it if you like to take photo’s.
Janie (in L.A.)
Fingers crossed for all the darlin’ horses running this weekend. Thanks for keeping us up to date Zenyatta! Love you pretty girl.
JAG / California :-)
@ Sharon call ~ AMEN regarding Z’s 2010 BC Classic run… I was in total AWE of what she did ~ no shame whatsoever!! That gutsy run made me love Z even more ~ if that’s even possible!!!! :-)
Judy G
Margaret
Hay Z I’m still sick with my cold. I know its proper to share but when one has a cold its really a time to be SELFISH! Besides I don’t want you to catch any part of my cold cause that could hurt your baby. Not sure that human colds can transfer to horses but we are both mammals–so it’s just better to be safe!
Thanks for telling us about Frankel. I’m guessing he was named for Bobby Frankel. I read that he lived in Pacific Palisades–which meant I practically lived in his backyard when I was in Brentwwod!
Lots of racing and I’m beginning to understand some of the nuances. I’ve always loved horses because they just seem to speak to me. It’s one of those impossible–there are no words to explain why.
I can hardly wait to hear what John told you. It must be very special cause you’ve been hinting at it for a couple of days now!
I still hope that Your Team will consider letting those of us who can’t be in Kentucky–be a part of your party. Maybe a webcast?, password protected. You get a link to the webcast for a donation to some kind of charity. I know some don’t want to do a horse rescue but maybe any 501c3? Maybe a ten dollar donation–since we’re not actually there and eating food. Just a thought.
Hate to say this Z–but I think my nose could outrace you for running! right now!
JAG / California :-)
p.s. Sharon call – I’ve never refered to Z “losing” ~ I refer to that race as “her close 2nd place” win…. ;-)
Heidi
Z-
I had a birthday two days ago and feel old. Now I’m closer to 60 than 50! Do you have any love life advice to someone of such an advanced age? I do clean up well.
Thanks Z. I love you!
tony and sue
@Sharon call, your post brought tears to our eyes. We were at the BC that night and have NEVER witnessed such a display of raw courage and talent by a horse. She made true believers of many that night by her sheer will to win under the most difficult odds. She did run with her eyes closed as the dirt slung back at her face but she didn’t even think of quitting and almost pulled it off. In our eyes she won that race…a few inches didn’t tell the whole story of the event.
And that , our fellow dumplings, is why she is and will always be THE QUEEN!