Good Morning,
There is always so much going on in our industry! That is what makes it such a fascinating sport! On Sunday evening, Fasig Tipton had their select sale. Horses of quality…both in race record and pedigree sold extremely well.
Then on Monday, the Keeneland November Sale began. The first 2 days have been amazing. If you want to review all of the prices and horses sold, please go to KEENELAND website. Click on SALES….and then the heading for CURRENT SALE. You will be able to see the results. They are also showing the sale as it is taking place live, if you’d like to see that as well. It is all quite interesting.
On a personal note, the TOO CUTE part of the last few days is that MY JOHN got to see 2 of my family members at different stages of their development. In the above photo, my yearling 1/2 sister by Henrythenavigator is just beginning to learn to take direction….to turn to the left…..and then turn to the right. Every single part of this learning process is extremely important. One step builds upon another until a horse is ready to get a rider on it’s back and go to the training track. These detailed steps are all part of the early stages of the ‘breaking process’. Patience is so important and each day a step forward is hopefully taken.
The other family member, my weanling 1/2 sister also by Henrythenavigator, sold on Monday at the Keeneland Sale. She is now several months old….and to quote MY JOHN….quite good looking! Since he knows ME so well and now spends so much time with EBLOUISSANTE, he loves to see how the entire family is developing. I think he sees so many family traits in all of us: strong hind quarters, adorable ‘inquisitive ears’, and good bone structure!
The weanling was HIP 36 and sold to Adena Springs Farm for $1,500,000 Dollars. John tried to capture the video of her selling in the ring for you. Here’s the video.
Hmm! I must say, my family is TOO CUTE! It is great fun keeping up with all of them and their progress! I wonder what these 2 fillies will be named by their owners?
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Oh, by the way, so many of you asked about my poster of the Jaime Corum painting. The final details for my new SHOP are just getting completed. The link to purchase this poster will be available by the end of the week. It is really very special…if I say so myself! (Blush, Blush!)
The Kennedys in San Diego
Wonderful diary post. Love to see photos/videos of your family. Hopefully, YOUR JOHN will train them. Your weanling half-sister was so mature through the auction. Loved the inquisitive ears rotating back and forth and the auctioneer starting the bidding with, “Here’s the Bentley!” Thank you for posting the video.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Z, Dottie and Z Fans:
Thank you Z and Dottie for the wonderful photo and video of your half-sisters. They are beautiful girls. Hope you are all well. Love you and love to all of you, Judy and Russ
Shari Voltzfrom Ohio
Dear Zenyatta That was Unbelievable. She is so pretty. I like the black on her legs. That is so different. Thank you for showing us. My mouth would be dropping open to think someone could spend that much. God Bless them. Well sweet girl it’s back to work for this teacher. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the sunshine. I love you. Hugs and Kisses, Shari XXXOOO
Chris H / Colorado
Just saw that Hickstead’s necropsy revealed the cause of death to be an acture aortic rupture. Poor boy RIP.
Chris H / Colorado
oops — acute aortic rupture.
Margaret
Oh goodie Jaime’s fabulous outstanding painting will be available for us!!!! Thank you Team Z and Jaime!!!!! Definitely will want one for my home.
Slow steps, steady quiet hands, lots of encouragement–will definitely rule the day with the youngsters. It’s so easy to get someone off track with a moment of harsh hands, voice and other things.
I’ll have to go watch the video Z. Best to all the TEAM and you too!
Margaret
March 9…
Might be too soon for the baby. But who knows????
Pregnancies go from approximately 330-360 days. With an average of 342 days.
However, I’ve read one vet who had a client who swore he had a mare that always delivered between 310-320 days.
And then I know of a twin who stayed inside mom til he was about 13 1/2 months.
Point here is we just don’t know. It’s Z first baby and there is no telling.
Personally I think March 9 (although I also happen to think its a pretty darn good date myself)might be too soon. But we all shall see in a few months.
I’m still going with March 17th myself. Not because of St. Paddy but because of timing.
Theresa Buck (Texas)
zenny you have a great family line sweetie i am sure they are proud to have you as a relative
Carolyn Caswell-Brown
@ Jenn & all who have carried a heavy heart from the loss of a beloved friend:
I share your grief as we had to put down our beautiful SHEBA, lab-mix, last Thursday. She was only 8 1/2 yrs. old, a victim of cancer, very short term, rapidly developing. It has been more than a little “blurry” for me at home. We have others here who are still in as much need, if not more, of our love & care & I know life goes on. I try to be positive by holding to the thought that death is the end of life as we KNOW it, but remains a transformative mystery that we will never have answers to. I also can take comfort from the knowledge that SHEBA had a caring, loving, good life and, with our help, a loving, peaceful, good death.
Working through our grief one breath and one day at a time.
Being a part of this sharing community of animal friends is now part of my daily routine. The various posts have been a “healing tonic”, like a garden full of blossoms of joy, positive energy, hope & strength. Re-reading some of Terry’s great jokes, you just HAVE TO LAUGH. Looking back through all the pictures & stories, some heart-breaking, others heart-lifting, all contain the message of LOVE that we hold in our hearts for each other & “all creatures great & small”.
Thanks to for being here & to Zenyatta for bringing us all together.
PEACE & LOVE
Gloria Jeanne - The O.C.
Zenyatta – They are both TOO CUTE!!! Can’t wait to see them both develope in champions like you. I heard one of them might be going to YOUR JOHN’s BARN 55 – not sure if this is true or not but it would be look to see JOHN taking on all of your family… that would be TOO CUTE.
LauraJ (Cincinnati, OH)
@Denise in AZ and Shari Voltz, $8.5M for a horse is what happens when two big egos with two massive wallets get into a bidding war. (Anyone remember The Green Monkey?) Royal Delta is a lovely horse, and I am thrilled that they plan to keep her in training another year. However, $8.5M is a lot for an unproven broodmare prospect, no matter how well she is doing on the track. Several proven graded-stakes producers, including her dam, sold for a lot less. At least she is going to a good home.
The Kennedys in San Diego
@LauraJ — Who was the other(losing) bidder on Royal Delta?
Rosemary McCauley - Southern California
@Linda The yearling in the photo carrying a saddle is doing nothing more than walking around with it on her back and becoming accustomed to its weight. No one will get on her for some time. The filly in the photo gets more wear and tear when she’s turned out in the paddock and romping with the other yearlings than she will in these saddling sessions. The most she will do is walk around the round pen with the saddle on. Many race horses are finished with their careers by four because of financial decisions made by their connections, or maybe they have talent in a career other than racing. Most fillies/mares don’t race past four because they their biological clock kicks in and they no longer have that competitive edge, they don’t want to race any longer, they want to be broodmares.
LauraJ (Cincinnati, OH)
@Kennedys, Frank Stronach/Adena Springs.
Susan Romano
Z and D, You make every day a little bit brighter! Susan in SO CAL.
Joanna from TX
Hi, all. I just want to thank everyone who is giving their knowledge on early training to the ‘newbies’ out there. I also want to comment on the power of Zen’s dam in passing on some lovely traits. Seems like she has mostly daughters which is interesting because the sire determines gender of the foal.
FYI…the $8.5 MILL for Royal Delta…I hear that the first opening bid was $2.5 MIL. Where can you go but UP???!!! Amazing.
Bre
Is it common for them to use western saddles when they break them? I have never seen that before
Especially Horses / California
Hi Zenzen. I really enjoyed this post. I love seeing your half-sisters. This photo is just too cute. I love seeing your little sis under tack, with a Western Saddle no less! If I didn’t know better I’d say she’s going to make a great trail horse, haha. If I remember correctly the consignor of your weanling half-sister, still owns this young lady. He commented that he thought the weanling favored your half-sister, Balance, and this girl favors you; maybe in coat color but otherwise hard to tell by seeing photos only. That’s why I can’t wait to see Ebby in person, photos are nice, but nothing like being able to see the real thing. It will be nice when we know the name of these fillies. I hope they get good names. I remember the author/artist C.W. Anderson devoted a whole chapter in one of his books to the importance of giving a good name.
———
Thank you for the news regarding your store. I’ll be out of town starting tomorrow (my Birthday!) and won’t be back to check in until Sunday so save a poster for me!
Marty R / Colorado
Thank you again for another teaching entry. I absolutely love the look of the weanling 1/2 sister. She was so calm while the bidding was going on. The yearling 1/2 sister is also very pretty. I’m very confused, though about the western saddle. At first I thought I was seeing a quarter horse. Is the western saddle used as a tool for getting her used to weight on her back? Is it easier to train “directions” using a western saddle?
I will also be interested to hear the names of these two fillies.
Have a great day in the paddock with TT. Dottie, thank you seems so inadequate for all you do , but please know you are very much appreciated.
Marty R / Colorado
Wow! An instant answer.
@Rosemary McCauley- Thank you for sharing the information about this phase of training.
The Kennedys in San Diego
Mucho Macho Man won his first race back since the Belmont Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct today.
Sue / Tampa - Fl
Hello Z, When will we get to see Eby race? Your baby sister in the video is a beautiful color and has an outstanding set of ears. I would love to see a photo of your Mom. hugs and kisses on your soft fuzzy nose
Peppermint
Very sorry to hear about Hickstead. He truly was a great horse!
@Carolyn Caswell-Brown Our sympathy in the loss of your SHEBA.
Zenny, your little sisters are TOO CUTE! It will be fun to watch their development and progress.
Can’t wait for your SHOP to be open-as was noted earlier, it will be bad for the wallet, but great fun.
Hope you and all your connections have a wonderful day. Weather is beautiful here in CO.
Rosemary McCauley - Southern California
@Victoria – There is nothing to be sad about regarding the photo of the yearling above. I was part of “starting” the yearlings for many years. See my post @Linda above for further details on this process. You should be well informed before you decide you “dislike” something. One thing I forgot to mention in my post to Linda was that very long long lines, similar to reins are used in this saddling process. The person holding these long lines stands well behind the yearling with a “rein” on each side. The yearling is then encouraged to walk around the round pen in one direction. The long lines are used gently to direct them to stop and then either turn to the right or to the left and continue walking in the opposite direction. The very first time anything is put on the yearling’s back, it isn’t usually a saddle, it’s just a blanket and it’s take off immediately and then put back on. This continues until there is no fear from it. When the yearling is completely comfortable with this process, then and only then is the saddle placed on the blanket. It is not cinched down, and is removed after only a minute or so. This continues in the same manner (maybe over a period of days) until the yearling is completely comfortable and then the saddle is cinched up. Depending on the individual yearling, this process varies in length. When the long lines are attached to the bridle, someone will lead the yearling around with a lead shank, while the second person operates the “reins.” Every precaution is made so that this is not a frightening experience for these future athletes. If you were spending thousands and thousands of dollars (or millions of dollars) wouldn’t you see to it that your future star got the best start possible? This is how Zenyatta was started. She raced well into her six-year-old year and loved doing it. Do not feel anything but hope and best wishes for the yearling in the photo above. Her mind and body is being expanded in ways that will only help her 150% percent in her future.
Elaine
I met your sister EBLOUISSANTE! She is gorgeous and so friendly! She even gave me a kiss!
D Stuart
@Zenny: Your baby sister is barely visible under all that gear, but I am not fearful for her. This will help her to learn that all that “stuff” isn’t trying to eat her and that if her good humans are with her, she will be okay. That sturdy bone structure in all of your Mom’s kids is wonderful. She is in good hands. Another one to watch for a long time.
@Canadian friends: A great loss indeed. My condolences.
diastu in tempe
D Stuart
@Denise in AZ: Please contact me off-blog at diastu46@gmail.com
diastu in tempe
JAG Adores Zenny & John Henry / So. CA
@ The Kennedys
Thanks for posting how MMM did in his race ~ I adore MUCHO MACHO MAN!! :-)
Judy G
suew/Va
Zenny, Thank you for having your team once again honor our requests for things from you. I will definitely order a print when they become available. And thank you to John for providing a link to the sale of your half/sister. I’d know those ears anywhere. I’m quite sure though…you’re the only one in the family who can dance! Hugs right back at ya…
Roseann
Hi “Z” ! When you have a minute could you ask Dottie for me how the insurance works at auction. Are their policy riders that cover such a purchase immediately? Do the bloodstock agents have to actually make a phone call or text their ins agent? Just curious. There is so much money invested in the athletes of this fabulous sport, such as yourself. I’m wondering just how that part of the industry is handled. Thank you for sharing all of the party details and FUN and pictures! Happy Upcoming Holidays to All!