Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #404

Where’s SANTA? Photo by John Shirreffs

Happy December 23rd!

In the midst of all of the pre-holiday rush, it appears that SANTA was so busy and moving about so quickly that his hat flew off. Luckily for him, STELLA and VIOLET found it!

Dottie told ME that Ann and Jerry are going to set it by their tree immediately to be sure DEAR SANTA gets it back as soon as possible! We’re sure he’ll be needing it to complete his CHRISTMAS DELIVERIES!

It has been a very special year for ME and the people who are so, so close to ME. We can’t thank ALL of you enough for the kindness and loving spirit you have shared with EACH of US throughout ‘my countless adventures and racing career’.

We’re all sending you one big HIGH HOOF!

With Love,
Hugs to All~(This is TOO CUTE…Stella, Violet, Ann and Jerry add their HOLIDAY CHEER to ALL!!!!)
Z

Reader Interactions

191 Comments

  1. / Reply

    MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND TASTY AND THE LITTLE ONES….AND TO THE STAFF AT LANE’S END….HO HO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  4. / Reply

    Merry Christmas to one and all! Hope Santa is good to all. If you’re traveling I hope all goes smoothly and safely.

  5. / Reply

    Dear Z and Z Fans:
    Sophie and all Poodles are our next favorite Sweeties after you Z, especially our own Lola Mae.
    Happy Holidays to you, Dottie, John, Ann and Jerry and all the Z’sters. Love you and love to all of you, Judy and Russ

  6. / Reply

    @Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all! May 2012 be a healthy, safe, productive (wink, wink) and happy year for all of us. Special blessings for Team Z who provide this space for our huge “family” to gather and share.
    Love and hugs,
    diastu in tempe

  7. / Reply

    Zenny, so adorable pic. of Sophie, Stella and Violet! Big Christmas Hugs to you and Baby-Z, Bernie and Tasty. Warm Holiday wishes to your human family, all of Team Z, everyone at Lane’s End (2 legged and 4:), the Z-Dumplings and Z-Fans! Hope I didn’t leave anyone out! Happy 2012!

  8. / Reply

    And sending you one big hoof too with lots of Love & Blessings! You are so beautiful Zenyatta and you always shine and sparkle brighter than any star up above-you twinkle!

  12. / Reply

    TO ALL: For anyone who may be interested, Barbaro’s brother Lentenor racing the 23rd. Article in today’s Bloodhorse and I don’t know how to do links, sorry! Merry Christmas to you, Zenyatta, and to everyone.

  14. / Reply

    Dear Zenny:
    Your canine sisters Stella & Violet and cousin Sophie are “Way Too Cute!” Your John takes fantastic pictures and your Dottie is the greatest for sharing them with us and keeping us so well informed about you. I watched your John’s recent video of your sister Ebby and she is a real beauty and has your big, expressive, inquisitive ears and her dark coat and beautiful mane just shine like a new penny and I love her long, huggable neck. I also just love all of the Barn 55 videos because there is so much laughter and comraderie and everyone including the horses seem so happy to be there.
    I want to wish you, Tasty, the Moss’s (human & canine), the Shirreff’s (human & canine), all the staff at Barn 55 and Lane’s End and all your loyal fans the most MERRY & BLESSED CHRISTMAS and the most HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. Hope you and tasty get lots of peppermints, carrots, pears and all the other treats you love.
    Warm hugs & lots of nose kisses.
    Judy :-)

  15. / Reply

    @Family of Barbaro Fans: Lentenor won and set a track record for distance and surface at Tampa Bay Downs! YAY!
    diastu is an FOB in tempe

  16. / Reply

    @All: Oh well. I thought I was first! Fat chance, Diana. Still happy for Lentenor!
    diastu brings up the rear in tempe

  18. / Reply

    @Barn Cats at Barn 55 and SA: Merry Mousemas to you little furries from all of my feline furries in Arizona.
    diastu in tempe

  21. / Reply

    hi Z! Happy December 23rd to YOU and Happy Holidays to Jerry, Ann, Stella and Violet, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!! Love YOU gorgeous mama YOU are so so loved xoxoxo

  23. / Reply

    MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU! I wonder what you are getting for Christmas Beautiful Mama.

    LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!
    XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

  24. / Reply

    Adorable picture of Stella and Violet! Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
    HIGH HOOF to Lentenor! Way to go!
    I left a link at the end of yesterday’s, so will re-post. There are GREAT updates on little Autumn and Hope from Horse and Man.
    http://www.horseandman.com

  25. / Reply

    Dear Zenyatta. How wonderful to see Stella and Violet, they are so kind to worry about Santa losing his hat. It is also very special to receive holiday wishes from Ann and Jerry. After all, Zenny, without your fantastic Mom and Dad, your story would have been completely different. It was Ann and Jerry that hired our beautiful Dottie as their racing manager; a great choice, I must say! Then they followed David Ingordo’s advice and purchased you at the Keenland sale, oh happy day!!! Of course you helped make up their minds when you gave Ann a nuzzle and whispered in her ear, who could resist that! Next, they placed you in the hands of the master, John Shirreffs and the gifted individuals of Barn 55. The talented and caring Mike Smith was chosen as your jockey and from there, history was made!! Ann and Jerry have continued to give you great love, deciding on the amazing Bernardini as your first suitor and moving you to the magnificent Lane’s End as your new home with your own special family there. How sweet that they visit often and keep in touch each day. I know they are waiting with the rest of us for a very special date to come. They give so much to the racing industry and their support of various charities is wonderful. All of this has made you who you are today. It is the story of a lifetime for you and for all of us!! I am sure that Santa will be bringing you a sleigh full of gifts beautiful girl, you are so loved by all!!!! I cannot begin to thank you Zenny, for everything you have given to me. I look at this past year in amazement. So many special things have happened in my life and all because of you. Love to you sweetie and to Tasty too. Sweet dreams, may sugarplums dance in your heads. Hug and peppermint kisses. XXXOOO

  26. / Reply

    @ To my fellow Z-sters and Dumplings, words cannot fully express what you all mean to me. The spirit of Christmas is alive and well at this special site throughout the year! Each day I am inspired by every one of you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything!! Here is a Christmas wish for all of you and for my beloved Zenyatta, Ann and Jerry, John and Mike, everyone at Barn 55, everyone at Lane’s End; especially our wonderful Sarah and all those who have provided great Z gifts at the Zenyatta store!!! What a Christmas gift!!! Above all, my dear, dear Dottie. You are a wonderful friend to me and everyone else on this diary site. Your kindness and generosity know no bounds and the information you share with us on behalf of Zenny is remarkable. As you watch, think of Zenyatta as our angel in disguise and know that each candle lit expresses my hope that each of you are blessed with health, happiness, joy and above all love. Mother, Sassie, Bindi and I wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year.
    http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=2007134554829&source=jl999

  28. / Reply

    @Here is another special message from Three Chimneys. It is a wonderful Christmas story. Enjoy!

    Good morning, Club Three Chimneys and Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

    This week has been full of fun at the farm with lots of client visits and some great racing results, but the icing on the cake (or the topper on the tree :) ) was that our shuttle stallions arrived home safe and sound. They’ll need a good bit of time to re-adjust to life stateside and also need to be kept in quarantine and away from the other stallions for a little while, so they won’t be available to visitors just yet, but they all look fantastic, with sleek, glossy coats and bright eyes.
    Now, earlier this week we told you we’ve got a knock-your-socks-off Christmas story for you. Hopefully we don’t disappoint!

    Many of you may remember that a few years ago Three Chimneys Farm owner Robert Clay had a foal by Smarty Jones out of his prized mare, Santaria, that he decided to keep and race in the Three Chimneys silks. He wanted a special name for the horse – one that would honor all of Smarty’s loyal fans, especially one by the name of Madison Scott, who was dubbed “Smarty’s #1 Fan,” due to her dedicated following of Smarty during his career as a racehorse and then as a sire, as well as the careers of his offspring. Each week, Madison would send Pat Chapman, the team at Three Chimneys, and a list of fellow Smarty-lovers a synopsis of what Smarty’s progeny had done that week (both on the track and during training hours), as well as Smarty’s updated stallion statistics, and any highlights that showed him favorably when compared with his contemporaries. I’m not going to lie – as the person in charge of advertising our stallions, I even used her statistics and info in ads a time or two!

    So, with Madison and the rest of Smarty’s followers in mind, the horse was named Mad For Smarty. He was a beautiful bay with lots of flash, just like his half brothers, Formidable (second photo attached), Woodford Manhattan (third photo attached) and Medallist. He was a big, strong dark bay with a substantial blaze and four sox – a pair of short sox in the front and higher ones on his hind legs. Attached is a photo of him at the track as a two-year-old.

    Over the next few years he won a few races and earned over $100,000. This past fall, Mad For Smarty retired from the track and came back to Three Chimneys to enjoy some R & R at the “green grass spa.”

    Here’s where the story gets good. Since Mad For Smarty wasn’t going back to the track, we needed to find a good home for him. Madison Scott is an avid equestrian, though she’s never actually had her own horse, and she tracked Mad For Smarty through every step of his life. We had some discussions with her parents and the trainer at the stable Madison rides at about whether they thought Madison might like the horse that is named in her honor and that she’s followed since his birth, and this past week a decision was made. This year for Christmas Madison is getting what every girl dreams of – a horse of her very own!

    Madison found out about her Christmas present a few days ago and is THRILLED! She and her family live in Austin, Texas, and Mad For Smarty will be on his way to her in the coming days. We look forward to receiving and sharing updates about their travels and experiences together!

    Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all!!!

  29. / Reply

    @Dawn COnrad–what a perfectly beautiful Christmas card. Thank you so much!
    And HIGH HOOVES to Madison and Mad for Smarty. What a story!
    Christmas blessings to all, and may Heavenly Peace dwell in your hearts.

  30. / Reply

    @Dawn…THANK YOU for sharing that beautiful “True” story.
    WOW…that just made my day!!

    Merry Christmas to all…xoxo

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