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
Kelly J. /ND
Hope you had a nice day so far Zenny XOXO!
MK
Star Billing is gorgeous! Thank you for all the great information.
Abigail from Montreal
What did Cozi Rosie go for?
Abigail from Montreal
Whoops! Just checked @ Pedigree Query. According to them, she went for $52,500…..
Abigail from Montreal
…but they were wrong. She went to Shadai Farm (Japan) for $525,000
Doreen in CT
It looks like Cozi Rosie will be heading over to Japan. She was sold to Shadai Farm.
suew/Va
May she have a wonderful life over there.
Abigail from Montreal
Actually, Shadai is where Workforce (UK) ended up as well. Wouldn’t it be something if Rozi were to visit him? (Sorry about all these stream-of-consciousness posts!!!!)
Keta
Rags to Riches Sister Sale
Magnificent Honour, a full sister to champion and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Rags to Riches, set the bar for the second day of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale when she sold for $600,000 during early bidding on Tuesday.
Tom Goff, chairman of Blandford Bloodstock, signed the ticket on the ten-year-old A.P. Indy mare, who was purchased for an undisclosed “European-based commercial breeder.” Goff said the mare would remain in Kentucky.
Keta
IBonnie Castaneda
Jockey Bonnie Castaneda remained in the intensive care unit at University of Cincinnati Hospital Jan. 3 and is scheduled to undergo surgery Jan. 4 for two broken vertebrae in her back.
The 50-year-old rider also sustained a neck injury when her mount clipped heels with another horse during the fourth race at Turfway Park Jan. 1. Castaneda was aboard Jolinda in the $5,000 claiming race when Vicki L., who eventually finished third under Rafael Mojica Jr., came out and caused the accident. Vicki L. was later disqualified and placed 10th in the 11-horse field for the interference.
Castaneda’s husband, Marco Castaneda, who trains Jolinda, said his wife apparently hit her head when she fell to the track.
“It was a pretty nasty spill,” said Marco Castaneda, a former jockey who does not blame Mojica for the incident. “It was just an accident. He feels very bad about it.”
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Keta:
Will light a Zenny candle for Jockey Bonnie Castaneda. Hugs, JB
Lover of horses
Star Billing is so cute! I love the cute mark on her forehead and how glossy her coat is. Love you so much, Zenyatta!
P.S. Thank you, Dottie, for always updating us on the Queen’s life! It is very much appreciated.
Diana Stuart
@Cozi: We will miss you very much! But you brought a great price and Shadai has a great band of mares you’ll get to be friends with. I hope to see you again someday.
diastu in tempe (checking my lotto tickets)
Diana Stuart
@Head Scratchers: A lot of horses sold for $1000 or $1500 0r $2000 – okay, some young and unproven. But here’s one to discuss. Hip #599. A filly born February 2009. She’s just now coming on actual three years old. Okay so far. But she was “mated on Southern Hemisphere time – – – October 20, 2011.” That means she was just 2-1/2 years old when bred, regardless of which calendar you mark time with! I thought breeding fillies this young had fallen out of favor. Guess I was wrong. Must be rednecks in the Southern Hemisphere too.
diastu in tempe (grabbing shotgun)
Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
@diastu — Mebbe they are rednecks of the ‘Deliverance’ kind, but not “our” kind here.
signofthetimes
Here is the link to Garett Gomez and heel surgery;
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/66880/jockey-gomez-set-to-undergo-heel-surgery
JAG ~ Queen Zen's Auntie Judy ~ So. California
JOHN HENRY sends his Love and this………………………………………. March 9th…………. My Queen!
XOXO
Judy G
Brenda S..Ontario, Canada
I’m sure that there are some very fine stables and owners in Japan but I still find it difficult to feel good about our horses going there and I cannot forget Ferdinand. I hope Cozi has a comfortable and long life in her new home.
Sandra Bennington
I have been watching the Keenland sales & I see some pregnant mares are called “cribbers”, Could you please tell me what that means.
Happy Tuesday, Zenyatta!! I am very excited about your upcoming birth. I love & adore you! Thank you for all the information about thourbreds, it is so interesting.
Thanks Dottie for keeping all of us informed. God Bless both of you!!!
Doreen in CT
Cribbers are horses that grab on to a fence or stall door with their teeth and inhale air. It’s a vice that some horses have. A lot of them do it because they are bored or as a stress reliever.
signofthetimes
Cribbing creates endorphins which get the horses
“high”, usually crib from boredom so it makes them
Feel good. It is very hard to break, hard on teeth, stall
And anything wood.
JAG ~ Queen Zen's Auntie Judy ~ So. California
Much LOVE to COZI ROSIE and ST. TRINIANS ~ Health and Happiness and Joy………. Thank you so much for the chills and thrills!!! :-(
XOXOXO
Celeste in TX
Thank you for sharing the wonderful photo of the beautiful Star Billing! I’ve seen her races (on tv) and enjoyed knowing she is trained by your John. I am so eager to learn all the new things you are teaching us about not only horse racing but the sales activities as well. I am hopeful that all the horses sold will find success and happiness in their new homes. Thank you, Zenyatta and Dottie for this wonderful blog!
Carol Taylor
Sorry but I have to say that I am extremely disappointed and saddened to learn that the Moss’s entered Cozi Rosie in the January Keeneland Sale and even more shocked to hear that she has been sold to Japan. Why would they do this? I certainly have lost some respect for them as owner/breeders. I thought they cared more aboout their horses than to put them for auction.
signofthetimes
Maybe getting ready for Zenny’s foals. The Mosses
Are the most kind and caring owners and people, but
Racing is a business and selling Cozi Rosi was a
Business decision, which is objective and not emotional.
Sandy (Northeast Ohio)
@Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
I had to smile when I read your post yesterday about referring to Zenny as “your horse.” People also look at me strangely when I start talking about “my horse” (especially as I live where no one has horses!). I have the little wallet sized picture of her portrait (that came with the Christmas ornament) in my wallet and will use any excuse to drag it out :-) I imagine that many of us have had the same experience. I can’t wait to hear the reaction when her “plushie” shows up in my living room!
Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
Thanks, @Sandy (Northeast Ohio), I hoped someone here felt similarly. I have the wallet-size Zenyatta’s head that came with Jaime Corum’s print, and ordered her plushie yesterday. I already have the Wells Fargo white Rose Parade Horse plushie I inherited from my mom when she passed on, which I love, partly because even at 94 she was so possessive of that horse, my brother tried to wheedle it out of her, and she refused, so he had to get his own brown one — and then she told him she was giving it to me (he laughed at that)! But that’s not the one and only Zenyatta. So they will keep each other company in my “stable”.
Darlene Daniels
@Sandy, I have actually had people ask me “whats a Zenyatta?” That just blows me away. That is one reason this website is so precious to me because my family, friends and coworkers just dont get it. Darlene Daniels
Paul
Zenyatta, you answered my question perfectly. The question was “Is any horse you know being sold at this week’s Keeneland sale?” You answered me with a yes. Congratulations to Star Billing for all of her accomplishments over time as well as for her lineage. She sounds very impressive. Your John, who trains her at Barn 55, should be very proud. I hope the sales continue to go well.
Shari Voltz from Ohio
Dear Zenyatta so many interesting things going on with the sale. I wish I had more time to watch. I just have so many students this year. I wanted to mention to my Z Family Mistletoe posted a new post and video to my Homeroom 215. I hope who stops to see enjoys it. The children are all horse racing fans :)
Zenyatta you and tasty have a good night. i love you so much Zenny. Hugs and Kisses, Shari XXXOOO
@ Please visit http://www.peppermintpal.com
@ Thank you Z Family
Sally B. (cherish Z- Wi.)
Hi my special angel Z; I am attempting a note to you for the second time. Topliner sure has a pretty filly. John will enjoy training Star Billing, but not as much as you Z!!
It is late, perhaps you are already sleeping. Sweet dreams.
love, 2 kisses on your soft nose, one for baby z
Cynthia H./Santa Anita Girl
I have read that Makoma will be sold on Friday. Good luck to all of our old Moss-owned favorites, as they depart for the retirement pastures. My best hope and wish for them, is that they will be going to homes as caring as that from which they came. Godspeed Cozi Rosi, Wonderful Town, Makoma, Topliner, and any others which I may have missed or am not aware. St. Trinians’ amazingly low price may be due to the fact that she had an ungainly way of going, but her heart was as straight and true as they come, and this intrinsic trait I believe she will pass to her foals. She left the best part of herself on the track the day that she fought so valiantly to defeat Zenyatta. I will never forget how totally spent she looked when she returned to the unsaddling area. Even the announcer, Vic Stouffer, asked for a round of applause for her, which was so willingly given.
Trina Nagele in So Cal
Amen to your beautiful post, Cynthia.
Jan S. / Houston
St. Trinians is a special TB. I believe she didn’t race for the rest of that year or more after the race with Zenyatta.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Cynthia H.:
I wish the same as you that all the horses sold will go to loving, caring owners. They give so much and they deserve as much in return. Hugs, JB
Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
Ditto to all here.
Rosemary McCauley So. Cal.
Cynthia – excellent thoughts. I was there that day and I couldn’t agree more aboutl St. Trinians.
sharon in seattle
well said, Cynthia, well said! What an effort from St. Trinians and thereafter she became one of my favorites. She deserves the best!!
Sunny Boyd
Good evening Zenyatta,
I trust you and Tasty are doing well, and are now all snuggled up in your straw as best as your “big bellies” let ya.
This is all very interesting.
Then all the Triple Crown races are G1 ?& the Breeder’s Cup races?
Have a restful night and dream sweet
Sally B. (cherish Z- Wi.)
@Doreen, I watched the video of First Dude. Wow, is he handsome and quite the mover. (watched it twice) I noticed that he is at the Double Diamond Farm in Ocala. I have to start my research on stallion farms in the Ocala area as well as finding the location of the Ocala sales in March. God willing, I’ll be in Fl. in March and do want to spend a couple days by Ocala. I’d love to visit First Dude!! So he is by Stephen Got Even who is by A.P. Indy, right? Both standing at Lane’s End. I have seen them both twice. If I lived there, I’d be visiting so often even though security would not allow visiting to our love Zenyatta. Thanks so much for the video.
Doreen in CT
@Sue Frederick, Darlene Daniels, Judy Berube, Mary Hale, and Abigail from Montreal: You’re welcome. I followed First Dude as well as Fly Down (both happen to have the initials F.D. and are grandsons to A.P. Indy) in 2010 and First Dude in 2011. Fly Down was sold to the royal family of Saudi Arabia late in 2010, so I only watched him in the Donn Handicap in 2011 before he went over to Saudi Arabia for stud purposes after running in the Dubai World Cup. First Dude is a very handsome and tall horse (over 17 hands). I was on the infield during the running of the 2010 Belmont Stakes cheering on the both of them. My friend that I went with was very fortunate to have bet on Drosselmeyer since he was 13-1. I can be seen along with my friend behind the hedge at the 2:00 minute mark of the video. I barely could see over the hedge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRYDjjqq8bA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLA3CDC2B730B17002
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Doreen:
Thanks for that link to Drosselmyers 2010 Belmont win. Reminded me so much of his BC Classic win this year. Couldn’t spot you behind the hedge, but great that you were there to see this very exciting race. Hugs, JB
Darlene Daniels
I cant imagine ever falling in love with another horse as much I as I have been in love with our angel Zenyatta, but I must say this beauty First Dude is getting real close to my heart.
Doreen in CT
Best wishes for a full, uneventful and speedy recovery to Tiago while he recuperates from colic surgery: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/66896/tiago-might-miss-breeding-season
Trina Nagele in So Cal
Thanks for the info, Doreen, and BEST WISHES to Tiago and the Mosses!
Paula Higgins
Hello Zenny/Dottie! Thank you for the information on Star Billing, a beautiful horse. @Cynthia H., so right about St. Trinians. What a game girl she is. She gave our girl a run for her money, which is no easy thing to do. Hope she has a wonderful retirement.
Vickie A Dana Point
I have always followed Star Billing – My work is in Revenue and BILLING and my staff got STARS so how could I not root for her? Loving it!