Happy Monday Everyone!
I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by. It is the beginning of another week! Everyone is so busy getting ready for the holidays and all of the upcoming festivities that this time of the year brings.
On this day, though, I’d like to take a moment and wish MY JOHN and DOTTIE…Happy Anniversary #8! At one o’clock in the afternoon on December 19, 2003…they were married! As Dottie was commenting to MY JOHN this morning…and “WHAT A FABULOUS 8 YEARS IT HAS BEEN! WE ARE SO, SO FORTUNATE AND BLESSED!”
Needless to say, I agree! I have been around for most of this time…and enjoying every moment with them. Since they both spend a great deal of time doing HORSE ACTIVITIES and at BARN 55…it is as though WE ARE ALL ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY!
The “adorable SOPHIE SHIRREFFS” asked that I extend her special greetings to them on this day as well.
Cheers and Blessings to all!
I must say, this is such a FUN way to begin a holiday week of celebration…wishing MY JOHN and DOTTIE all the best on their special day!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Linda in NJ
Zenny: I don’t mean to seem unrealistic, but are these pictures of the flower garden current? It can’t be that warm in CA at this time of the year. We are freezing here in NJ.
Barbara Grimaldi and Little Juliet from NJ
TRINA, LINDA AND CAROL: I heard about the blind filly on Deputy Broad’s FB page–one of the best FB pages you can visit. Deputy’s voice and I tried to locate the person who posted the notice on Craig’s List…I researched every angle, but neither of us found anything more. And, the listing was taken off Craig’s List. The proximity to Mexico is the second reason I tried to trace her, but the first is to find her and rescue her. Freedom the Stallion on FB is blind and has a new life now, so there IS hope for blind horses. Wherever this little one is now, I hope to heaven she is safe. Sorry this one got away.
Love
Skip
nancy in nj
To John and Dottie – Happy Anniversary! May you have many more years of joy and blessings! As always, thank you so much for being such a wonderful voice of “the big mare”.
Kari Bussell/sending prayers & love from Tn.
@Dawn Conrad- I won’t clutter up your beautiful words with my awkward words… except to say that what you wrote today was beyond beautiful.
Alene
Dear John and Dottie. May you spend many more years together. You are a wonderful team! The two girls, actually 2and a 1/2 are just too cute. Good luck to you both. Love you Zenny!!! Alene
maryann lane
Happy Anniversary Joh and Dottie. I hope you have many more years together.
Smoochies to you Dear Zenyatta. You are so sweet to let us know about this special day for YOUR JOHN and DOTTIE. Peppermint kisses to you and Tasty. Stay safe and warm.
Kari Bussell/sending prayers & love from Tn.
@Abigail in Montreal- & my Nicco…I hope you both had very Happy Birthday’s yesterday!!..
@Cynthia H- It was my pleasure. 12th-heart. Get Well!!
@Terry Crow- Great jokes on #399-400!
Joan Ludlow
A very happy anniversary to John and Dottie!! Thank you, Zenyatta, for letting us know about this special day. And Sophie is simply adorable in her basket.
Kimberly
Yeah!! Happy Anniversary John and Dottie! Many more wonderful years ahead!!
signofthetimes
Dear Zenny,
Thanks so much for sharing the Aniversary of Dottie and John.
This event is so very special and Sophie is, too. Love the beautiful flowers, from their backyard???. Hope you and TT had a wonderful day, grazing, relaxing and chillin’ growin’ those winter coats. Used to really love it when they were shaved off the the spring, wild TB’s. I know you will keep yours and you don’t need to be wild anymore. Sweet Dreams XXXXXOOOO
signofthetimes
@Terry Crow
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Trina Nagele in So Cal
My third post of the day:
@Georgia Harper—Thank you for visiting little Autumn at Hope for Horses and letting us know she is up and kicking! It was touch and go for her for so long.
@Janet Cutting—Darling post! Thanks for sharing!
@Dawn Conrad—Beautiful post—love those quilts!
@Cheryl Y—Interesting to hear about the little Zenyatta at the Castleton Ranch Horse Rescue Inc.in Lancaster, CA. I may be able to make a day trip to visit there.
@Celeste—Here’s a post where you can “stop to smell the roses” in more ways than one!
@Carol in Utah and Susan in TN—I’m so sorry we couldn’t get any more info to post on Equi-Army about the little blind filly. We all hope she is already safe and sound. THANK YOU for looking!
To ALL—The Horse and Man blog today has a great article on the horse who stars in WAR HORSE (written by David Gardner in Acton, CA): “MEET THE HORSE ACTOR AND TRAINER FROM WAR HORSE!” http://horseandman.com/
Barbara Wood (Texas)
@Kari Bussell- THANK YOU so much for watching our dear Lady Bears. We gave Geno a standing ovation when he entered, and the announcers said, “That is unheard of!” That’s because the Lady Bear fans are the best! Just like Zenyatta fans! I will admit, that game wasn’t for the faint of heart. We just watched the replay that we had recorded–much less stressful.
@Linda in NJ–good idea about transferring the video of Autumn.
@Georgia Harper–you said you were going to do it, and you did! I am so proud of you. I can’t wait to see more footage of little Autumn! Zenny-dom’s arms reach far and wide for good. What an amzing group we are part of. Wow–just wow!
I have to admit that I couldn’t find the story of the blind filly on the DB page either.
Marty R / Colorado
Happy Anniversary John and Dottie. At least today the “groom” didn’t have to hurry away to be a trainer and saddle a horse for a race like he did the day he was the “groom”. I wish I could remember how I know that story. I’m sure flexibility has been a recurring theme in your life together professionally and has made for a strong partnership in your marriage. Congratulations on eight years and may you have many more.
Michelle Cross
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO A VERY SPECIAL COUPLE!!! I hope you have many more wonderful years together.
Mary
Happy Anniversary John and Dottie!!! You two are very special and kind people. God Bless you both and may you have many more wonderful and happy years together!!! Your Sophie is so cute and fits in perfectly with the family…and the team Zenyatta.
Hugs to you Z….and to Dottie and John.
Irene Caty
Happy Anniversary John and Dottie. Thank you both for keeping us in touch with Zenyatta whom we love so much. We hope your special day was full of love and joy. Wishing you both the very best for the future. Sending bunches of love.
candi carter
Happy anniversary john,and dottie.Sophie is so adorable and so cute.Greetings to Zenny good evening and goodnight.We love ya always.xoxoxo!!!!.
Peggy (N)
@John & Dottie, Happy Anniversary and hope you have many more.
@Sis Dawn, hope your doing well also, its just so busy this time of year isn’t it. I’m looking forward to next week going to take a little time off. Yippee
I have had a little bit of a scare lately, have to go back to the Dr. on Wednesday, Hope everything is O.K. I think it is. Keep me in your prayers.
Love to everyone.
Mary Copelin
IT IS SO INCREDIBLE THAT TWO SUCH AWESOME INDIVIDUALS COULD FIND ONE ANOTHER. DOTTIE AND JOHN, YOU ARE SUCH SPECIAL PEOPLE. HORSE RACING AND THE WORLD ARE
BLESSED BY YOUR PRESENCE AS ARE ALL OF THE Z’STERS EVERYWHERE.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. MARY
jackie feinberg
Good evening Queen Z. Wishing your John and Dottie a Happy Anniversary. May they have years of joy and happiness.
Hugs and kisses
jackie
Marshall (older girl in NC)
Thank you so much, Zenny, for the anniversary announcement! Happy Anniversary to you, Dottie and John! You are The Best!
Best Wishes for many, many more! Thank you for all you do for our beautiful equines AND for the special canines, too. All the Best, Always!
@Sharon Call: Great to hear from you! Thanks so much for the e-card link — I adore the “May all your Christmas dreams come true” card! I actually had that one and accidentally lost it when I changed internet providers. Great to get it back!
It always makes me smile!! Merry Christmas!
Trina Nagele in So Cal
To Dottie and John:
It took me a while,
But I hope these lines
Will make you smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Anniversary Poem for Dottie and John
December 19, 2011
There was no telling
What was to be
The day our dear Dottie
Her dear John first did see.
Dottie was already
Racing manager for her bosses,
The marvelous Mosses,
When in two thousand ought ought
Ann and Jerry
A new trainer did need
For some of their “hosses,”
And John that job sought!
Now I don’t know
If they’d met before,
But when John walked in the door
For his interview,
Dottie soon thought
That he
Would more than do!
And so their mutual history
Started first as “hirer” and “hiree.”
The years passed—one, two, three—
And as time they together spent
They each discovered
The presence of the other
Lent
A certain spice
To life
That was really nice.
One thing to another led,
And in three years,
They were wed!
Imagine their mutual joy when in two years,
Midst the crowd’s thundering cheers,
John’s training skill brought to fruition
What had begun with Dottie’s intuition—
For ’twas Dottie who back in ’92
Had spotted the filly Set Them Free
And judged that she
A good addition
Would be
To the Mosses’ stable
Of thoroughbreds.
And so
It came to be
That in 2002 Set Them Free
Gave the Mosses their new homebred,
The gallant Giacomo,
The colt who at three,
Under John’s tutelage,
Was able
To outrun them all
At the Derby!
The same year that race was won,
In the fall,
David Ingordo, Dottie’s grown son,
As bloodstock agent
Was able to see
The potentiality
Of a yearling
In the Keeneland sales ring,
And so came she
Who in a few short years would be
The incomparable Z,
The horse of an eon,
To the capable hands of John.
And the rest—
With nineteen thrilling victories—
Is history!
Dear Dottie and John,
You are icons
Of all that’s best
In the world of horse racing,
As your fans here attest.
May your union forever with happiness
Be blessed
So that no matter what you’re facing
You each other will be embracing!
HAPPY EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY, AND MANY, MANY MORE!
Cynthia H./Santa Anita Girl
New video from John Shirreffs’ Youtube site, featuring a thrilling gallop by Morning Line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PADsjDzdy0I&feature=colike
Trina Nagele in So Cal
@Peggy N—Praying all will be OK for you with your doctor visit on Wednesday.
Snoprinz
Happy Anniversary to John and Dottie. Happy Monday to Zenny and Sophie.
Darlene Daniels
Congratulations John and Dottie. Best wishes and many more. Dearest Zenyatta, I’m new to posting on your site and feel very blessed to have found this site. I was so hungry for any info on you until I found this site. If Barbara Mandrell was country before country was cool, then I was a Zster before zster’s were around. I have been following and loving you since “Jockeys” was aired. I love you my Queen Zenyatta and wish you all the best. Have a great life in Kentucky. You are not far from my mother in Mt. Sterling. And to the lady who posted about the quilt, I could not have put it in better words. Thank you. Love you Zenyatta, Tasty and Sophie too.
Trina Nagele in So Cal
OOPS–That year ought to be “twenty ought ought”, not “two thosand ought ought”!
monica
big congrats to sweet dottie and john!! one of the classiest and nicest couples you could ever meet – good people – the best – we all wish you the happiest anniversary and blessings for many many years ahead of happy and healthy times together – thank you both for bringing zenyatta to us – we all owe you so much for sharing her and making us feel a part of the happiest story ever in racing!! frankly, the happiest story ever in all of sports – zenyatta is such a joy – on the track and off – we all have been blessed to enjoy ‘knowing’ her – so thank you dear john and dear dottie – wishing you both the best always – and much love to our zenyatta too! monica
Mary Hale
Just imagine if John and Dottie had not met. Both of them are special in their own way but their blended talents and souls have been a true blessing to so many. Thank you John and Dottie – I hope you have many more years of togetherness.
@Cheryl Y – I have been giving to Castleton for two years now. They are doing great work.
@Sue Fredrick — living in Chicago I sometimes have to defend my allegiance to the Packers. Someone at work gave me his condolences and said if I needed grief counseling I could talk to any Bear fan. Too funny.