Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #415

STAR BILLING….did you hear the news? Photo by Frances Caron

Hello Everyone,

Wow…yesterday was certainly a great day at the Keeneland Sales for some families of my dear BARN 55 friends. The sales topper—this is the horse who sells for the most money on a particular day—was TOPLINER. She resided at Barn 55 during her time at the race track and then retired to become a broodmare. Her first foal is STAR BILLING!

STAR BILLING has been at BARN 55 since she first began her racing career. She is trained by MY JOHN and has a wonderful, caring groom, Jose Luis. As an inside note of interest, Topliner is currently in foal to Medaglia D’Oro. Jose was Medaglia’s groom throughout his racing career.

STAR BILLING has a very distinguished pedigree. She is by Dynaformer out of the mare TOPLINER (yesterday’s sales topper). Last year, as a 3 year old, she went from breaking her maiden (first win) to becoming a high level stakes performer winning a Grade 3 stakes race and then the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes against older fillies and mares at Hollywood Park in November. During the months in between, she placed 2nd and 3rd in some very prestigious graded stakes always very close at the finish. She is currently nice and cozy at BARN 55…having a few weeks of RNR…and then she will get ready to begin her 4 year old campaign.

A HIGH HOOF to TOPLINER and her first foal STAR BILLING.

When people are looking to purchase a top broodmare or a broodmare prospect, pedigree, conformation, and race record are very important. As mentioned in earlier Diary entries, GRADE 1 racing is the BEST and most PRESTIGIOUS level of competition in our sport! When G1 appears in a horse’s past performances or that of the foals…it always has HIGH REGARD.

Once a mare is already acting in her role as a broodmare, the productivity of her foals on the race track takes on extreme importance. As a producer, TOPLINER is off to a wonderful beginning with her very first foal achieving at the level of STAR BILLING.

This is so much FUN to watch and see how the sale is progressing. Today, Day 2, should be very interesting. I can’t wait to get all of the updates.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

With Love
Hugs to All~
Z

Reader Interactions

182 Comments

  1. / Reply

    I saw Star Billing when she raced a few times, and I was very very impressed.

    I have the great fortune of MAYBE being able to afford tickets to the BC 2012 this year!! I have been working two jobs after school to save enough for a plane ticket, seat in one of the boxes near the winner’s cricle like I did the day we went to Hollywood Park to see Blind Luck win the Vanity, hotel, etc. I didn’t want to burden my parents with having to pay for something really expensive of mine YET again, and I figured that the trip would be my senior graduation present to myself since my parents will be buying my graduation pictures, and all that pomp-and-dazzle.

    I will be watching it as much as I can since I have the whole week off because of my exam exemptions, so excited!!

    Have a lovely, lovely lady Lady Z. March isn’t too far away!! ;)

    • / Reply

      I hope you are the “Pati” of the beautiful post from yesterday. I just wanted to say how touched I was by your words. I hope you might post them again so that more Zensters will have a chance to read your tribute to this remarkable horse. (It was pretty late in the east when I saw it, and I was afraid to comment in case you had already moved on to today).

  10. / Reply

    Good Morning Zenyatta and Tasty T – Thank you and Dottie for all the great information and education. We do love our mares. I have loved Star Billing since I saw her and am glad she is enjoying some R&R at our favorite barn, 55! She is in my Virtual Stable at Equibase as well as most of the thoroughbreds that John has in his stable.
    I see that some work out at HP and some at Santa Anita. ( when I get my workout notifications I see that some SA, some HP) I was wondering do some of the horses stay at Santa Anita full-time or do they go over in a horse trailer, since it’s not very far from HP to Santa Anita. Or does John travel over with Michelle? Do all the horses come back to HP, Barn 55? every night? Your business is just so very interesting and you and Dottie are an encyclopedia of knowledge. I enjoy all the comments and links so much.

    Star Billing’s Mom is very pretty too. I hope there is a clause that when she is done in Japan she comes back to her home in the U. S. of A. Always a permanent home for a beautiful Mama.

  11. / Reply

    I have pictures of No. 541 that just sold for $4000 when he was only a couple months old when I visited Akindale Farm in June of last year. He’s still such a cutie.

      • / Reply

        Thanks LauraJ for the update. If he doesn’t go to or is sold at the upcoming auction in April, I might get to see him again this year when I visit Akindale Farm. I also have pictures of #652 that just sold (if he made his reserve) for $30,000.

        • Meant September, not April’s auction. #652 met his reserve so I won’t be able to see him.

  13. / Reply

    Congrats to Star Billing and everyone at Barn 55! Sure are a lot of lovely and TALL ladies in this family!! Thank you Dottie for all of the education you continue to provide to us non-horse people :) Next August when I go to the track in Saratoga I’ll be seeing these beautiful athletes in a whole new way. Can’t wait!!
    xoxoxoxo to big and little Z :)

  14. / Reply

    Hey Z! I was very excited to hear about Star Billing’s mama doing so well at the sale. It seems most of the people at Keeneland are very optimistic about the sales this year and that makes me happy for the industry!

    I also wrote a little piece on my horse racing blog about who your owners should have you date http://tumblr.com/ZiZmaxEZSZ6N ;) I don’t expect them to take my thoughts too too seriously, but it was fun to write nonetheless! I hope you’re doing well and I can’t wait to see Baby Z!

  15. / Reply

    I’m also shocked that St. Trinians only brought $80,000. I was there when she gave Zenyatta a run for her money. She can run, and her British pedigree is something some bloodlines could use.

    • / Reply

      I just read a tweet from Joe Talamo
      On my way to visit fellow jockey Garrett Gomez at his house.
      He will undergo surgery on Thursday, and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.
      Will keep him in my thoughts & prayers.

      • / Reply

        Hi Keta~ I hope that 4-6 weeks is all it takes for his recovery. Being an athlete will surely help him.

        Thanks for sharing Joe’s tweet. :)

        • Kimberley–just so Joe doesn’t get misquoted.
          The last line about Thoughts & prayers was mine.
          If I get any more info, I will share.

  18. / Reply

    Well Z the sales are on again and once again we see our lovely broodmares going overseas. Topliner is beautiful and a good producer, such a shame. I’m sure glad you are here to stay, that would be heartbreaking. St Trinians $80,000 what’s up with that…..she was a good runner.
    Wonder how Terry C is doing at jury duty, somehow I can’t picture him being serious and not cracking one of his one-liners. He is certainly a real trip. Will miss him if this case drags on or they sequester the jury!
    Lov you Zen and kisses on your nose

    • / Reply

      Dear Sue Frederick:

      He’ll probably have all the other jurors laughing the whole time. Hugs, JB

  19. / Reply

    Somebody managed to pick up a Medaglia d”Oro filly (#531) for $4000! And she sold, too, not an RNA. Her breeders must have been fairly desperate to sell at that price. That’s 4% of Md’O’s stud fee.

    St. Trinians was also sold, not RNA’d. Sold to Sierra Farms.

    • / Reply

      do you know anything about Sierra Farms? I’m like an overprotective mom when it comes to St Trinians. I just love her.

      • / Reply

        I did a search on Sierra Farms. There is one in Kentucky and it is a Missouri Fox Trotting Farm. Can anyone say, does it sound right for St. Trinians to go to a Fox Trotting Farm?

        • I was just searching for Sierra Farm too, and that’s all I could come up with. That’s odd, I am going to ask some other people in KY. Just think, if most of Zenyatt’s fb friends had put a dollar in, we could have bought St Trinians! Unfortunately, there isn’t room for her in my back yard though.

  20. / Reply

    Dear Z and Z Fans.
    Happy Tuesday to you. Star Billing is gorgeous. Can understand why her Mama, Topliner, was the Sales Topper yesterday. Wonderful to see the results of such great Pedigrees.
    Love you Z and love to all of you, Judy and Russ

  21. / Reply

    Has anyone else noticed that if they can possibly work in a reference to Zenyatta, they will?

    # 592 a Street Cry filly out of a black-type Dynaformer mare went for $200K.

  23. / Reply

    Hello My Queen: thanks for the info on Star Billing. She is gorgeous and talented. I’ll keep my eye on her. As I mentioned before, I ordered my Plushie which will be my Valentine’s Day present from my husband (so I told my husband after I ordered it). He just laughed and told me to let you know that he’s setting up a fund called “Ida’s Zenyatta Fund” so I can get all the great Zenyatta merchandise as it comes available. Yippee!!! (I hope he’s not kidding)

    • / Reply

      Ida~ I ordered mine too! Not money that I would normally spend on myself….but I just had to have it. :) I hope he is “not kidding” either!!!

  25. / Reply

    Sorry, Guys – non-horse comment. ROLL TIDE!!! I’m such a happy person today. Another championship for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

    • / Reply

      Congratulations! Bama sure looked good last night. And to shut out LSU?! Wow! That’s six straight national championships for the SEC. Roll Tide!

  27. / Reply

    Hi Z!

    Love your new site and all the pictures it has. Happy New Year to you and all your connections as well. I’m just back from visiting my family in Vancouver and had to share! My good friend at work gave me your Christmas tree ornanment for a present and then, my Mom gave me your Dancing Queen print! I was completely and totally shocked! I had sent the life size picture version from BC day to my family and titled the email “I wouldn’t mind this at all…just sayin’!” Then, I went back a few days later and found they were sold out so never would have guessed my Mom snagged one. She said she pretty much ordered it when I sent the email!

    My poor husband is slowing losing any wall space for any art he’d like to you Z. I love your Dancing Queen print – just lovely (we just won’t tell my mare that b/c, according to her she is the only mare that matters lol!).

    Thanks! All the best to everyone this 2012!

    Jenn

  28. / Reply

    Wow…..Z…. I think of all you accomplished …. to see you when up for sale….and think what a “huge” surprised you turned out to be. You had those eyes cut around staring even when standing there so little. Your baby will have a lot to live up to….the Queen Zenyatta…..but as we all know….. all animal or human have their own personalities and own qualities…… your baby might not even want to race…..just like children….who have to be their own person. Love your post every day….looked forward to them…..check every day…..hugs to you Z…..

      • / Reply

        There isn’t anything as a silly question, other than not asking a question at all. Consignors usually set a reserve (the lowest price a seller will take for their horse). The reserve isn’t revealed to the buyers. At the conclusion of the auction, the seller is obligated to sell the horse to the last bid above the reserve price.

        • Thanks Doreen, much appreciated for the information I learn so much from all of our wonderful folks out there in Zennyland

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