Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #416

THANK YOU! Photo from John Shirreffs' files

Good Morning, Dear Friends!

Last night, Dottie and MY JOHN’S copy of THE BLOODHORSE’S magazine…..The 25 MOST INTRIGUING Horses and People of 2011 arrived. When they opened the package…and saw ME…as the #1 HORSE of 2011…they were so, so proud.

WOW…ME….#1. I truly believe, as do they, that ALL OF YOU helped to make this possible. I can’t THANK YOU enough.

Then…to see that MY JOHN was #5 on the list of INTRIGUING PEOPLE for the year…was also very special. AGAIN…THANK YOU! We so appreciate all of your support, love, and kindness on so many levels!

The photos, the various highlights illustrated for 2011, and the stories about Rachael Alexandra and I now that we are MOMS-to-BE are all beautifully done and written.

I must say, both Rachel Alexandra and I look quite fabulous enjoying our ‘new looks’ for our current careers. ‘BEING IN FOAL’ rather becomes US! (Blush, Blush)

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone on each of these lists for their accomplishments and hard work throughout 2011.

***HORSES listed in the order presented in the magazine:

Zenyatta, Havre de Grace, Goldikova, Frankel, Animal Kindgom, Blind Luck, Shackleford, Drosselmeyer, Uncle Mo, Royal Delta, Black Caviar, Rapid Redux, Caleb’s Posse, Hansen, Cape Blanco, Flat Out, Union Rags, My Miss Aurelia, Stay Thirsty, Bernardini (MY BERNIE), Acclamation, Amazombie, Winter Memories, Ruler On Ice, and The Factor.

***People also mentioned in the order they appeared in the magazine:

Mike Smith, Bill Mott, Graham Motion, Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs (MY JOHN), Chantal Sutherland, Rosie Napravnik, Scooter Dickey, Steve Asmussen, John Velazquez, Mike Repole, Todd Pletcher, Jerry Hollendorfer, Aidan and Joseph O’Brien, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Bobby Flay, Dale Romans, Corey Nakatani, Barry Irwin, Kathy Ritvo, Marylou Whitney, Rick Dutrow Jr., Benjamin Leon Jr., Bo Derek, and George Strawbridge.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS to ALL! Here’s hoping the year 2012 is memorable and successful for all of these individuals/horses…and EVERYONE else (both horse and human) who works so hard each day helping to make this a very special and wonderful sport!

With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z

Reader Interactions

300 Comments

  1. / Reply

    hi Z! Congratulations to YOU and John and all!!! YOU have and always will be my #1!!!
    I hope my copy is waiting for me at the post office, I’ll check today;) I can’t wait to see YOU in it! Have a wonderful day with Tasty! Love YOU gorgeous mama xoxoxo

  4. / Reply

    to quote Gloria Jeanne – DOTTIE, you ROCK!! congratulations to all who made the lists — Zenny will always be #1 because she IS the QUEEN, of racing, of hearts and of broodmares. Many of my favorites made the list — high hoofs to all.

  6. / Reply

    I lost my great big beautiful Thoroughbred yesterday at age 15. So sad to say good bye to him. Now YOU are the main TB in my life.

    • / Reply

      Shannon~ So very sorry to hear you lost your TB….You are in my thoughts and prayers. May you find comfort here in Zen Nation. Hugz

    • / Reply

      Shannon, Condolences on your loss. Just think about all the wonderful friends your loved is joining.

    • / Reply

      Shannon………heart felt condolences………….and ((((hugs))))…….I lost my 26 year old Saddlebred mare in October (had her for 21 years) and it STILL upsets me on a daily basis. We love them SO much and it HURTS so much to let them go but I truly believe there is life beyond for them (Rainbow Bridge or something else) and you have to take the love you had and one day (when you are ready) give it to another deserving warm muzzle.

      My thoughts are with you…………………..

      • / Reply

        Thank you for all of your kind thoughts,
        It was a sudden pasture accident and the injury to his foot was too extreme to save him.
        Funny thing was, only five days before one of his buddies had a pasture accident and broke his leg and had to be put down. I guess his buddy decided that “It’s so beautiful over here. Come on Jackson, come join me!!!”
        Thanks so much to the entire Zen Nation for your kind and loving thoughts.
        Shannon

        • So very sad Shannon. Is there any problem in that
          Paddock?

          TB can be on the crazy side; Jethro was
          turned out at night; spooked and impailed his neck
          With a tree branch; could not be turned out with a
          Blanket on; too nutty; would rip it off;

          We were taking him to a weekend show and this
          Idiot put the leather hat/ head protector on him for
          The van ride; well if you could have seen him run
          In circles like a mad lunatic; he got on the van tore
          The hat and halter off and came out of the trailer saying
          ” got that stupid hat off and for good measure the halter
          Too, you dumb humans”. It was so funny, but could
          Have caused an injury.

    • / Reply

      Shannon – I’m so sorry about the loss of your beautiful TB. Just know that we are here to ease your pain. My thoughts and prayers are with you through this difficult time.

    • / Reply

      Let me add my words to condolence to those above. My heart aches for you in the loss of your beautiful Thoroughbred, gone much too soon. I hope he is now frolicking with his pasture buddy at the Rainbow Bridge. RIP to them both.

      • / Reply

        Shannon, so sorry for your loss. It is so difficult when a tragedy happens and you can’t do anything about it except, to stop the suffering! In time, you’re grief will subside and you’ll get an un-explained smile: You’re thinking of you’re lovely TB! There’s always another one waiting in the wings for a forever/loving home! RIP

    • / Reply

      Shannon, please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your dear horse. How tragic — so young. He is running with his buddy now and will be waiting to see you again someday. Take care and know that all here at this site send thoughts and prayers to you. Hugs!

      • / Reply

        Shannon I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I know when I had to put my Walker down I had the biggest hole in my stomach for such a long time and never was able to get another. He was definately irreplaceable. Sending you hugs and prayers to you to help get through this sad time.

    • / Reply

      Shannon, I am so very sorry that you have lost your dear Jackson, and so suddenly. My sincere condolences.

  7. / Reply

    Cant wait to get my copy in the mail! Plus I love my Zenyatta poster “The Queens Dance” I got for Christmas. It was the only thing I asked for. It is spectacular! I am getting it framed to go up on my living room wall. Which will eventually be decorated with all my favorite racehorses. Easy Goer, Man O’war, Alysheba, Curlin, Winning Colors…just to name a few. :) I think Rapid Redux will go up there too!
    Hope you are enjoying the great weather. We are getting ready for snow here in Michigan. :( Someday I will meet you in person and I will have my own photo of you on my wall. love you!

    • / Reply

      Winning Colors was a very finicky filly to train;
      Very very quirky; her trainer really has a gift to deal
      With this type of fully;

  8. / Reply

    You will always be #1 to us! You are an ICON! We love you so much, you have touched us in a way that will remain forever!

  9. / Reply

    Zenny, of course you are NUMBER 1! That will always be your official place in the world of horseracing. We are thrilled you continue to get such noteworthy recognition. There is no doubt you are sorely missed by everyone who enjoys watching your sport. And, congrats to your JOHN for making the list…in our eyes he’s number 1 but being number 5 among the other great folks is outstanding. High Hoofs all around!

  11. / Reply

    Hi Zenyatta. What great news – I always vote for you!!!! You are definitely #1. I was just listening to HRTV and they showed an excerpt of their interview with Trevor D., Santa Anita announcer. He mentioned Zenyatta’s win in the Breeder’s Cup as one of his best calls, the best race he has ever seen in 50 years and that Zenyatta was the closest to human he has ever seen – we all know he loves her, especially in his call when Zenyatta was barely defeated by Blame – you could just tell in his voice how he was so disappointed. Can’t wait to see rest of interview tonight. I have not received my Bloodhorse yet – can’t wait. Congrats to Mikey and John – so well deserved. I still think John should have got Trainer of the Year!! Can’t wait to get my Plushie – yea! My apartment at present doesn’t have any wall space or floor space!! Love you Dottie for bringing Zenyatta’s thoughts to us daily – you are the best. Zenyatta and Tasty, stay toasty, eat well and have loads of fun. Love you, Angels.

  13. / Reply

    Zenny, I just order my copy of Bloodhorse today. Thanks for telling us about your latest achievement. You are and always will be number ONE!

  14. / Reply

    You, Z and all your team will always be #1 in our hearts. Thank you for your spirit and the joy you bring to our lives. Well deserved, team.

  15. / Reply

    Oh Zenyatta, Zenyatta there will never be another to come close to you. You will always be number 1, the one and only.
    Congratulations to you and John especially and of course Mike.
    I hope I can find a copy of Blood Horse around somewhere
    Love hugs and kisses

  16. / Reply

    Dear Queen Zenyatta and the much-anticipated little one –
    .
    #1 again! Congratulations! And to Mike and John (and all others on the list). Perhaps your name should be carved in the #1 spot permanently!?!
    .
    Cozi Rosie is on her way to Japan after being sold at Keeneland! ARGH! That reminds us that the horse business is a BUSINESS and that horses are the inventory. I’m happy my inventory in my businesses aren’t living and breathing. I don’t get attached to inanimate objects.
    .
    Warhorse, the movie – another ARGH! I’ll stick to National Velvet reruns.
    .
    Hugs to all who love horses ~~HH

    • / Reply

      Yes, “War Horse” is graphic… however, the point of the movie is about FRIENDSHIPS….. and I can relate! :-)

    • / Reply

      Harriet…….I said it here yesterday………we need to keep our broodmares here on U.S. soil and get our stallions BACK here pronto. Doesn’t anyone remember Exceller and dear Ferdinand??????

      First we let the Saudi’s buy up all of our valuable bloodstock (they are OBSESSED with winning our Kentucky Derby) and we STILL haven’t learned anything selling to Japan. I am so sad every time I hear another Cozi Rosie story which is becoming frequent with this mixed sale taking place at Keeneland.

      I suppose it is a good thing I am not amongst the rich and famous and will never own a truly great race horse — I could never deal with them being “inventory”.

      • / Reply

        Judy, everybody here remembers Exceller and Ferdinand. But horse racing is an international business and has been for, well, centuries. Zenyatta herself is the descendant of horses from Argentina and Great Britain. People from all over the world buy “our” horses, not just the Japanese. Horses from other countries come here. Bad things can happen to old or non-productive horses ANYWHERE, including here. Anywhere in the world, you can find bad owners who don’t care about their animals and will sell them to slaughter or simply stop feeding them. You can also find good owners who pension their retirees or have them retrained for new careers.

        The reason the big Japanese farms are buying horses like Cozi Rosie is because they are committed to improving the quality of their stock. They want Japanese racing to be on a par with racing in Europe, Australia, and North America. The farms are first-class, well run facilities. The horses live very well there. There are Japanese animal-welfare organizations and there are people who look out for the horses. Some of the horses have buy-back clauses.

        The last few years have been rough on Thoroughbred breeders and sellers. Frankly, the big money from Japanese, Saudi, and Emirates interests has helped keep the industry afloat, put food on tables, and kept horses in hay. A lot of that money, especially Emirates money, stays in the U.S. at places like Darley and Shadwell.

        (And if the Saudis or anyone else are obsessed with winning the Kentucky Derby? It’s a common affliction among horsemen.)

      • / Reply

        Judy, I’m with you on this. I was so disappointed that the Mosses are selling so many horses and are selling one to Japan. Our horses should not be going to Japan or anywhere. What folly it is to risk our finest stallions by flying them to Australia or wherever. Does Europe send Galileo here? Why are we doing this, other than for money. Why do we help other nations’ racing industries by giving them access to our best horses? Why do we go to auctions and pay high for good horses and then turn our backs on the thousands of TBs out there who are being abandoned, starved, abused? Why don’t the big owners take a visible hand in helping horses who have fallen upon hard times?

        On another point, i think it was terrific of Dottie/Zenyatta to speak graciously about Rachel Alexandra, another superb mare who was mishandled her entire career and hopefully will not be mishandled at this phase of her life. She doesn’t get half the acclaim or attention or care that Zenny gets…and she was a great race mare. There is only one Zenyatta, and she will always be number 1, but the racing world seems to have forgotten Rachel, who doesn’t even show up on lists anymore. All I can do is ask why she has been forgotten and why some people in racing make fun of her being bred to Curlin. This very special mare never received the recognition of her greatness, and that makes me sad.

  17. / Reply

    Can’t wait to get home tonight and start reading my Blood Horse. Just wait till they do the article on your baby maybe 60 minutes will come back and see you.

  18. / Reply

    I love that picture of you Zenny, you’re looking fantastic! I was listening to a song called ‘I Am The Queen’ and I thought of you because you’re like the queen of racing. I can’t wait to see pictures of that surely fabulous little baby of yours when he or she makes their grand entrance into the world. Hopefully everything will go smoothly for you and you’ll have a fabulously healthy baby!!

  21. / Reply

    Of course you are #1!! You will ALWAYS be #1 with me! I was thrilled to have another “Zenyatta Christmas” this year when my sister gave me a reproduction of you winning the Breeder’s Cup (we were there to see your magnificent victory!). BTW: I think YOUR DOTTIE should have been listed in Blood Horse along with YOUR JOHN!

    • / Reply

      Thanks for posting the link. I added her to my “virtual stable’ after her win in the Pocahontas. Although she seems to run just the opposite style as my other 2-/3-year old grey I fell in love with (Stardom Bound) several years ago, she definitely has the talent to take on the boys and do extremely well against the girls. I don’t know how Smoke Glackens are as far as being precocious like the Tapits tend to be, so hopefully she’ll be around awhile before retiring to become a broodmare.

    • / Reply

      Delrene; I really like Oaklawn for horse racing. We had a little more freedom to get around and stand by the rail by just purchasing a regular ticket. Of course, we ran there from Wi. to see Zenyatta race in the “Race for the Ages” $5,000,000 purse in 2010. That is when Rachael Alexandria & Zenyatta would race, but Rachel A. had lost a previous race, and for some reason pulled out at Oaklawn. I think she had been over worked.

  24. / Reply

    Thank you to all who expressed that I was missed while I was “serving” on jury duty. I have been called into the box once so far on a child molestation case, The defendant was wearing a checked sport coat. I mention that just as background stuff. I was one of the first 12 called, and I patiently waited for my turn to come to answer the questions that the lawyers pose to potential jurors. Routine questions included whether I knew any of the lawyers, what my occupation was, how old I am, any previous jury duty. etc. I detailed my previous experience as a juror, which proved to be enlightening to the lawyers.Then came the big one. Could I be impartial in judging this case? I told them no, that even though she is grown now, I have a daughter and couldn’t be objective in such a case. I then added that the defendant wouldn’t be there unless there was a good chance that he was guilty. Needless to say, I was excused and sent back to the jury room. excused and sent back to the jury room. I will be party of another panel and am on-call for another week so I don’t know when I will be posting.

    • / Reply

      Terry, I would have honestly said the same thing, couldn’t stand listening to a case like that. Good luck.

      • / Reply

        The District Attorney talked to me later when I was back in the jury room. I told him that I was sure some of the people who kept saying they could be impartial were somewhat fibbing. Why would the defendant want someone like me on a jury? Even I wouldn’t want me on a jury which was trying me.

    • / Reply

      @Terry Crow: A checkered sport coat? The fashion police should fry him even if the jury doesn’t. I couldn’t be impartial on that jury either. Sorry, but animal abuse and child abuse are my hot buttons – they both give me night mares.
      The good news is that biding your time in the jury room will give you ample ammunition for new redneck jokes.
      diastu gnashing teeth in tempe

      • / Reply

        Diana-You should have seen this guy. Even the mountain men in Deliverance looked normal compared to him. You are right. I am reloading.

        • Terry, A checkered jacket sounds worse than a redneck carpet. Have fun in the jury room, hope you’ve got a good book with you.

    • / Reply

      @Terry Crow. Good luck Terry. When I read the checkered sport jacket I started to laugh, then when I realized you were being serious I became nauseous. I have known people like that and they are never remorseful for what they did, only sorry they got caught. Anyway reload your ammo and get back soon. We need you.

    • / Reply

      Hi Terry; good to hear from you!! I have two grown sons now and have 2 granddaughters!! If it were me, I’m sorry, I may not have been an unbiased juror. Good for you. At first when you spoke of this man in a checked sport coat–I thought you were going to give us a redneck joke!

    • / Reply

      Sorry Terry, I missed this earlier today; not only a great
      Jokesters; but great come back to lawyers, that is hard
      To do.

      I had a lawyer that would say; “sayonly yes or no; nothing
      else”; as if I was on the stand all the time; of course I
      Kept on talking; recently I sent him a question very succinct;
      And he says “with only that little bit of information”;
      Go figure!!! Any time you can out smart them; TOUCHÉ!!!

  27. / Reply

    @Darlene Daniels-Since you have requested it, I will again tell my story about Elvis. As I stated, my late sister-in-law went to high school with him in Memphis. She often told me that the first time anyone was familiar with him was when he competed in a talent show at the school. He accompanied himself on guitar and sang Old Shep. He won third prize. She often told me that he never forgot the people who were nice to him when he was nobody. As a result, her sons, my nephews, were able to visit him at Graceland and also visited him out here when he lived in Bel-Air while in retirement. Anyway, once in a while he would go out in his limo and have the chauffeur drive him around. My oldest nephew happened to be with him on this day. Elvis spotted a rather attractive young woman walking along and had the driver stop. He told the driver to go up to her and tell her that Elvis wanted to meet her. he did, and it was observed that the young woman turned around, looked at the limo, and gave the digital salute. The driver came back and Elvis laughed at him for about 10 minutes. He knew what the reaction would be. After all, if someone came up to you and said that Elvis wanted to meet you, what would your reaction be? I have other stuff, if you would like to read them, let me know.

      • / Reply

        Jan S, Darlene Daniels, Sally B and signofthetimes-Most of what I know about Elvis I received second and third hand. But, I will tell the few tales I have. Like I said in another post, I just wish I had picked the brain of my late sister-in-law about Elvis when she (and he) was still alive. When he was living out here in Bel-Air, he was in retirement with no intention of ever performing again. To put things in a time perspective, the Beatles came to see him when they were first getting popular in the U.S. After some consideration, he decided to come back in a TV special to gauge the reaction. The rest is history.

    • / Reply

      Thank you Terry. Yes, do tell more since I am not the only fan. And also, how nice of you to remember this for me while you are so busy with jury duty.

    • / Reply

      Terry, I can not imagine this close connection to ELVIS!! Yes, if you have time, please tell more. The closest I ever got to Elvis was when he was older and performed in Milwaukee. We left our seats down the isle to get as close as possible. I was shoved around by younger rude girls. The hired security requested us to return to our seats, which disappointedly we did. (No scarf)

  29. / Reply

    Hi Zenny: Congratulations! What an honor to be named the #1 most intriguing horse of 2011. Also, congratulations to YOUR John and all who were listed. 2011 was a great year for horse racing. Lots of STARS! I hope I get my Blood Horse magazine soon.

    I am sorry I haven’t written, but my home computer is being serviced. Take care Zenny.

  30. / Reply

    Dear Great One,
    You will always be our No. 1, this year and every year. That is really cool that you were No. 1 on the horse list and YOUR Mikey was No. 1 on the people list, with YOUR JOHN not too far behind. Wow! Team Z is No. 1!

    Your humble J

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