WELL…HOW SPECIAL IS THIS! I AM SO PROUD!!!
Good Morning Everyone! Dottie and I were just reviewing the morning news and GUESS WHAT WE FOUND! The Associated Press did their review of the TOP FEMALE ATHLETES in the world…and for the 2nd year in a row…I AM #2 !
Now this is amazing…as, in reality, I am a thoroughbred race horse, so to be honored in this way is quite special! People often comment that horse achievements do not translate to other sports…or outside of racing…but LOOK! HERE I AM! I think this also means that people recognize the fact that I had to train and work hard to achieve in my sport just as a human would to succeed in his/her sport!
I SO APPRECIATE THIS POLL!
They had 175 people voting for this honor and ranking. Here are the top 4 per the AP:
1…Lindsey Vonn…she is a TOP OLYMPIAN and had a great year. 3 CHEERS for Lindsey! She received 77 votes.
2…ME…ZENYATTA!!!!! YIPPEE, YIPPEE!!!! (To quote the AP press release…”Zenyatta’s 32 votes placed the racehorse No. 2 in the AP Balloting for the second consecutive year. The 6 year old mare retired with a 19-1 career record and a North American earnings record for female horses. Her only loss was a narrow one in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.” (Yikes…as they said ‘narrow one’…it was just a few inches. In my heart, I know I ran a winning race! I must also add that I truly appreciate the fact that everyone makes me feel so good about how hard I tried in the Classic. All of my friends have repeatedly reinforced the fact…EFFORT APPLIED DOES MATTER!)
3. Maya Moore…she is a wonderful college basketball player. I believe she is playing in a big tournament today…and her team is working on a big streak of their own. Good luck today, Maya! (I will have the guys at the farm check the TV Guide to see when her game is scheduled. This way, I can check on how she is doing.) It is important to be supportive of my fellow athletes. She received…29 votes.
4. Serena Williams…a fabulous tennis star…………14 votes.
****Per the AP article…no one else got more than 5 votes.
This is truly a complete HONOR…and I am totally BLESSED to share this recognition with all of these highly talented women. Again, LUCKY ME!
So, as I am standing here in KENTUCKY…I hope you can all see the HUGE SMILE on my face! I am so proud and grateful to all of these voters, my Barn 55 friends, and my wonderful, wonderful FANS who have always honored my work and made me feel so special and LOVED!
Enjoy your day! It is chilly here…and per all reports from CA…totally ‘pouring’ there!
Stay warm and cozy! With love,
HUGS TO ALL~
Z
Mary Alice Kier
Zenyatta – words fail me as you are number #1 period…I think Lindsey wouldn’t mind sharing #1 with you at all! It’s great to see all the wonderful support and great kudos you’ve received from all the responses on this particular post! Everyone loves you and what’s not to love as you are the gift that keeps on giving!
And, Dottie is doing a fantastic job too and really has your dictation down perfectly! Let’s hope it warms up from you in Kentucky and keep up with those baby steps!!
jahlgren
Congratulations, “big girl”! Are we surprised? Nope. You are one-of-a-kind! Lotsa love,
Suzen
Z,
Just so you know, the voters don’t always get it right. You are NUMBER 1 to us. Glad you are so happy in your new home.
julie mack
You’re definitely number 1.Merry christmas Z
Ann M
So proud of you, sweetheart!
We love you, Zenyatta!
Stay warm, you are dearly loved –
Have a very Merry Christmas!
Sunny Boyd
Alright Zenyatta!!!
I hope that Christmas tree is full of carrots, apples, sugar cubes, little hay & mint ornaments, snack size of course!!
Judy Gadwood Loves Zenny/California
Zenyatta ~ it goes without saying that YOU are the #1 athlete this year in the hearts of many fans, but if you don’t mind getting second, then we will accept it graciously, too. I feel your happiness and I’m grateful you have a room with a view. I can’t wait to hear about you going into a paddock by yourself and getting to run & kick your heels if you feel like it :-) XO from California
Susan from Fl
Congrats Z! Always #1 to me. Peace & Happiness to you Z.
Cheryl Denton
Congrats dear Zenyatta! I love you so much. I cherish the brief time I spent with you at your barn the day after the Breeders’ Cup. How kind of your family to allow your fans to visit you. Maybe I can see you again soon. I hope you love Kentucky as much as I do!
Samantha, Lilly & Peanut
Oh Z, don’t you see, they are looking past the real STAR – YOU BABY. And trying to make some human better. Not in our eyes Queen Z, YOU ARE #1, THE BEST, UMERO NUMERO NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! TOP OF THE LINE!!!!!!!!!
Love ya big girl,
From the gals in the CARIBOO!!!!!!!!!!
Nancy
Hooray!!!! Hooray !!!! You are actually the number
one female AP horse athlete as the number one female athlete is human. Yeah!!!! You have such a huge heart for
racing and people of all kinds. I am so tired of the
politics behind HOY. They say you have to win the breeders
Cup classic and you did then they say you have to race more
against the boys. If you did that they would make up another
“rule”. You will always be known for the more than maximal effort
and heart to come from behind 20 lengths behind
in a photo finish. You are the HORSE OF THE DECADE and that
is soooo much better than HOY. We all love and appreciate your
drive and athleticism. Have a cozy warm night in your beautiful
barn at Lanes End.
Mariel
Congratulations Zenyatta!
What a beautiful honor it is to be recognized two years in a row for your truly incredible achievements! We are all so proud of you & I know that your success is a team effort, or should I say family effort. So three cheers for everyone in your lovely family. You are all heroes to me.
Yvonne and Maurice Kirby
Hi – I just love reading your daily diary. You will always be #1 in our hearts; what a great honor though for the second year in a row to be honored by the AP. You are the Queen and Ambassador of Horse Racing. You have done so much good for horse racing. Friends of mine that have never really followed horse racing know your name and know just how beautiful you are. You are an angel in disguise. Love you. Please put on extra blankets and stay warm. Love you more.
Lynne
From your friend lynne in Surrey, B.C.
Way to go, Zenyatta. You are so deserving of this honour by the AP.
The 2010 Breeder’s Cup Classic was ( by a nose hair, girl )
Lots of love
Lynne
Darlene Johnson
Congrats!We are saying our prayers every night that you will win HOY title this year. You certainly deserve it. Please ask Sarah and Charles to take some more videos of you at your new home. We are dying out here in the rain without you!I love the one of you digging for grass to eat.Stay warm baby girl.
Elliott Mellichamp
Zenyatta, You are The Top Athlete of the Century!!!
Sheri
You must be so honored Z! #2 isnt bad! but I still think you are #1! Congrats Zenyatta! you deserved it! I’m gonna miss seeing you race and have so much fun doing it! But its ok! I’m happy that you’re safe, happy, and are surrounded by people who love you with all they have! :D
Linda Henderson
Your AP news made my day! Congratulations Zenyatta and all of your wonderful team.
Stephanie Lambert
You will be number 1 in my heart forever, I love you xoxoxo
Pamela J Hebert
Congratulations Queen Z!!! You are number 1. Glad you’re happy in your new home. Great news I read about it yesterday. What an honor has been given to you. The Hanging with Haskel’s last article about you & your mystic says it all. How fantastic you truely are. One of a kind. Stay warm gorgeous girl.
Barbara Wood
Good night, sweet girl. Have a good night. And again, congratulations on your latest honor. I just realized something. If Blame didn’t win Male Athlete of the Year, and you are he #2 female, then that makes YOU top Horse of the Year. Of course you are. We knew it all along. Love you always.
RuKi
You are tops with me.
Ann Maree
Hey, Z-girl, congratulations! One writer said of the picture at the end of the race to look at the ears: your ears were pricked and you were having fun, Blame’s ears were back and he definitely wasn’t having any fun! I loved it that after the race, you were fully recovered within an hour and back outside doing your “meet and greet” with the fans and grazing on that parched KY bluegrass. Now that is total class, my girl! They don’t get any classier than you! Hugs. Your friend, Ann Maree
Ann Maree
P.S. Just for the record, you have nearly 200 comments here, but there are an additional 112 comments at Facebook, and 540 “Likes”. That happens every time you have a diary posting. Stay warm! Ann Maree
Dani
Well Zen – you’ve outdone yourself again. Number two top female athlete of the year per the Associated Press. You’ve every right to be proud. That is a huge honor and of course indication of just how incredibly talented and special an athlete you are. And an AP poll is a big deal and reaches across mainstream America. So you are talking yet more fantastic publicity which means more people fascinated enough to Google and You Tube to find out more about you. That of course translates into more admirers. Zenyatta, even in retirement you are still the talk of the town.
So, I’ve been reading about this pure white thoroughbred horse, Arctic Bright. He is absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous. Definitely worth a couple of long nickers (wouldn’t that be the equine equivelant of the human wolf whistle?). Anyway, he didn’t do so well at the track, but because his coloring is so rare, Hollywood got wind of him and now he is being trained for a career in the movies. And as you probably know, the little horse that could, Mine That Bird, is having a movie made about his life next year. So of course I went back to my dreaming of a movie about your life. And you could play yourself, except of course in the race scenes where you would have stand-ins. Let’s face it, you are a natural born actress and comedienne and you already know all your ‘lines’ – dancing, prancing, highstepping and grazing; hat stealing, beer guzzling and grazing; daily bubble baths and grooming, and grazing; long gazes into the distance with that intellegent and curious look you have, and grazing; long periods of time standing quietly still while fans pet you and kiss you and hug you and cheer you, and grazing….well you get the picture. Of course the movie would have to be done in between stints of your primary career as a mother (no doubt constant chasing down of your precocious foals will be part of that). But it could be done. Listen, I’m just saying, don’t be suprised if the William Morris Agency comes knocking on your barn door one day. Imagine, “Zenyatta”, in IMAX and 3D. Well, one can dream….
Mary
Dearest Zenyatta
I don’t know who voted for who ever was number one but as you can see you are number one to a “LOT” of people…We love you so, and you are Champion Race Horse, had to share that with you :):) I saw a picture of your mother today on facebook…what a beautiful mom you have, I’d seen your dad many times, hes had lots of race horse babies, but I had never seen your mom til today, I shed a tear cuz i finally got to meet your Mother. How proud she must be of her beautiful daughter…and your daddy, I wish they could tell us how proud they are. I wonder if you ever see them. Well my friend its almost my bed time but I couldn’t go to bed without writting you. I do everyday. “Zenyatta I love you”
Cathleen
Congratulations Zenyatta! I think you’re #1! As for your Classic race, it was an unbelieveable effort and I believe it will go down as one of your finest hours. You ran your heart out. And it was your heart, talent and your sheer will to win and never give up that drove you to that finish line. You know Z, a championship performance is not always about the horse who crosses the finish line first. A championship performance can be judged as the most significant performance in a championship match. That is what we saw from you on Classic Night 2010. So Zenyatta you will always be the Classic champion in my book and number 1 in the hearts of all your fans! Love ya Queen Z!
Shannon
Real nice Lindsey but YOU didn’t have to compete against the BOYS. ZENYATTA DID and finished a fabulous career that has left thousands of fans longing for more which makes ZENYATTA Numero Uno in our books.
Jan
I have never experienced such passion for any specific athlete of amy sport in my lifetime. It is quite clear the ‘good ole boy’ racing mentality is rearing its ugly head after pretending to be progressive with the emergence of Rachel A. and Zenyatta.So hipocritical. I guess dominate male racing press can’t tolerate another female HOY. Blame in no way comes close to such a deserving honor. He is ok but not exceptional enough to qualify if we are to be totally fair and accurate as to whicj horse has made more of a positive impact on horse racing. Quite simple really.
Dani
You know Z, I should correct something I said. AP doesn’t just go out across America – it goes out across the entire world!!