Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #419

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE 2011 ECLIPSE AWARD WINNERS! Photo by Sarah Campion


Good Morning,

Last night, the 2011 Eclipse Award Winners were honored and recognized for their “Achievements in Racing” during an awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, California. Jeannine Edwards, who covers various sporting events for ESPN, hosted the ceremony. A HIGH HOOF to Jeannine on a job well done!

At this time, I would personally like to extend my sincere CONGRATULATIONS to each of the winners!

Numerous humans and horses performed at such a high level during the 2011 Racing Season. I’m sure it was a very difficult choice on so many levels in the various categories. At this time, I’d like to compliment each of the winners, nominees, and all others on a year of hard work, dedication, and achievement!

It is now 3 years in a row that the HORSE OF THE YEAR is a female. This is a very special and marvelous accomplishment:

2009—RACHEL ALEXANDRA,
2010—ME, ZENYATTA,
and in
2011 HAVRE de GRACE.

It is also the 6th time overall that a filly / mare has received this honor with the others being ALL ALONG, AZERI, and LADIES SECRET! What an impressive list this is! I am so proud to be a part of this elite group of honored athletes!

It is interesting to note that HAVRE de GRACE’S sire, Saint Liam, won the HOTY Award in 2005. He had just one crop of foals…and she is one of them. Another time a sire and one of his foals won this honor was A.P. INDY in 1992 and his ‘son’ MINESHAFT in 2003. Again, my deepest congratulations to everyone connected with HAVRE de GRACE. They must be SO VERY PROUD of her!

In reading over the list of winners, it seems this year having a name beginning with the letter “A” also seemed to be very lucky: ACCLAMATION, AMAZOMBIE, ANIMAL KINGDOM, My Miss “AURELIA”, and ADENA SPRINGS.

Again, a big HIGH HOOF to these humans / horses and all of the other winners of a 2011 ECLIPSE AWARD: HANSEN, ROYAL DELTA, MUSICAL ROMANCE, CAPE BLANCO, STACELITA, BLACK JACK BLUES, KEN AND SARAH RAMSEY, BILL MOTT, RAMON DOMINGUEZ, AND KYLE FREY.

This is truly an honor and achievement to take great PRIDE IN for a LIFETIME!

With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z

Reader Interactions

247 Comments

  1. / Reply

    Dear Zenyatta hi sweet girl. I hope you and Tasty stayed dry today. We had some wild weather. I did not get to see the award show but now know how it turned out thanks to my family. I had to tell the children about one of Mistletoe’s stablemates getting claimed. I had to explain it to my 5th Graders who were very upset. I tried to focus on Mistletoe’s third place win. They asked all kinds of questions and even about you sweet girl. It was hard to hold it together. I wish Madame M did not have to run in those claiming races but I explained it as gently as I could. I had to tell them that not every horse is a Zenyatta. I could just see some of them starting to cry. They really love that Mistletoe and I want them to keep loving the sport. This part is hard. Zenny thanks for listening because this was really bothering me. I love you sweet girl. Hugs and Many Kisses, Shari XXXOOO
    @ Karen Happy Birthday!!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful day.
    @ Happy Birthday Katie!!!! May God Bless You and Keep You Safe :)

    • / Reply

      Shari – I missed Mistletoe’s race, but I am glad to hear she was third. I hope you keep us posted on when she runs next. Perhaps you could explain to your class that someone really loved Mistletoe’s stablemate and was willing to pay a lot of money to own her and that’s why she was claimed and there’s always a chance the barn she came from might claim her back. I’m sure with your guidance, they will come to understand.

    • / Reply

      Shari – Dear friend, I’m sorry you had a rough day. I know Zenny and all of your Z friends are here for you. Mistletoe’s friend might be going to wonderful new owner’s, but I understand how attached children can get. I’m sure you handled the situation wonderfully!

    • / Reply

      @Shari V-It is so difficult to know just how to handle these moments when children have a loss of innocence. I think the lesson that life is not always fair it one of the hardest lessons to learn. I so admire you Shari and I have complete faith that you handled the situation in a way that will help mold their young mind’s to grow into strong, successful adults…..and horse-racing fans….I was cheering for Mistletoe, proud of the 3rd & very thankful she came back safe.

  2. / Reply

    Wow, the Eclipse Awards were absolutely fantastic and my Deepest Congratulations to all! So many have made 2011 a very special year indeed! So nice too to have a female taking the Horse Of The Year title once again-Girls Rule for sure!
    Hope you are enjoying yourself Zenyatta and are getting enough exercise outside in your paddock. So glad that you have your friend, Tasty Temptations to keep you company on a day to day basis.
    You are in my thoughts each and every day and thanks for making me smile-
    Love & Blessings to you Zenyatta!

  3. / Reply

    And, let’s not forget, sweet sweet Zenyatta……your daddy was Horse Of The Year in Dubai, AND won the Dubai World Cup. ( I think you get the best bragging rights between the other Daddy/offspring HOTY dual winners) :)

  4. / Reply

    Dear Karen G,
    Thanks so much for posting the video of “E” and Mike (#418) having a spin around the track; guess he was teaching her some of his racing secrets. Jackie is so very sweet;
    love the talk about her new helmet; “E” is such a beauty; that Bernie sure “polishes” his foals off. She is so very shiney and curious. I am getting used to looking at her dark brown face now; missed that white blaze of Zenny’s. Look forward to seeing her on
    the track.

    • / Reply

      Ahhh, how sweet of you, BUT the credit for posting that one of Eblouissante goes to our Abigail! Thank you anyway – I did post one several posts back though! And thank you Abigail for that one, it was too cute!

  5. / Reply

    Dear Zenny,
    So glad that Have de Grace won the HOY for her, her connections and Larry Jones.
    Larry so loves his filly’s and he has finally gotten the reward. Good luck to Larry and
    HDG next year; and to all of her connections.

    Love all of those A winners; Amazombie, Acclimation, My Miss Aurelia and Adena
    Springs. The beginning to the alphabet was tough last year; hope it continues
    for 2012. Good luck to all those talented 2 year olds; hope your 2012 racing year
    is safe, sound and winning for all of you.

    XXXXXOOOOO

  6. / Reply

    One year ago today (January 17, 2010) Zenyatta was named Horse of the Year. I recorded that awards show and when I want to make my day, I watch it. It was a great moment in history.

  8. / Reply

    OOP’s sorry wrong NY Times article; dated for Breeders Cup.

    Have to have a subscription to get the NY time HDG and HOY article.

  10. / Reply

    Hi Zenyatta – First, you look so beautiful and regal in your picture – just gorgeous. Last night’s awards ceremony was wonderful but it did not have the great climax of last year – hearing your name last year made me scream, cry and throw my hands into the air. Also, I truly love Blind Luck and thought she should have received older mare – she won that memorable race at Delaware but, it was so nice to have horses running on the west coast recognized!!! I also love Hansen and am so happy he won two year old champion. What a wonderful evening. My lovely Zenyatta, you and Tasty stay toasty, weather is getting a little wintry, eat well for two and I know you and Tasty are counting off the days on the celandar before you become mommies. Love you, angels.

  11. / Reply

    Zenyatta. No matter who takes your picture, you look beautiful.
    Congratulations to Havre de Grace on being named HOTY. I was happy to hear that she won, but nothing matches how happy I was and am that you won last year. You deserved that award so much because you are magnificent in every way. Best wishes to you and TT.

  13. / Reply

    First of all, I want to congratulate all the Eclipse Award Winners for 2011. For the last three years GIRLS RULE!!!!
    As most of you know, I love researching everything about Thoroughbreds, especially pedigrees:

    I did a bit of researching on previous HOTYs as far as sires and their get:

    War Admiral (37) sired Busher (45)
    Count Fleet (43) sired Counterpoint (51) and One Count (52)
    Tom Fool (53) sired Buckpasser (66)
    Bold Ruler (57) sired Secretariat (72, 73)
    Sword Dancer (59) sired Damascus (67)
    Secretariat (72, 73) sired Lady’s Secret (86)
    Seattle Slew (77) sired A.P. Indy (92)
    A.P. Indy (92) sired Mineshaft (03)
    Saint Liam (05) sired Havre de Grace (11)

    Here’s some other info that I came up with off the top of my head – HOTY bred to HOTY (I’m sure I’m missing some). If anyone else knows of more breedings of HOTY to HOTY, feel free to add to the list.

    Lady’s Secret (86) was bred to Skip Away (98)
    Azeri (02) was bred to Ghostzapper (04)
    Rachel Alexandra (09) was bred to Curlin (07, 08)

    This is a list of Sires (Non HOTY) who sired more than one HOTY:

    Bull Lea sired the most HOTYs: Twilight Tear (44), Armed (47), and Citation (48)
    Princequillo sired two HOTYs: Hill Prince (50) and Round Table (58)
    Menow sired two HOTYs: Capot (49) and Tom Fool (53)
    Nasrullah sired two HOTYs: Nashua (55) and Bold Ruler (57)

    This is a list of horses that won more than one HOTY:

    Kelso won the most HOTYs: (5) 1960 – 1964
    Forego won the second most HOTYs: (3) 1974 – 1976
    Seven horses won HOTY twice: Challedon (39, 40), Whirlaway (41, 42), Secretariat (72, 73), Affirmed (78, 79), John Henry (81, 84), Cigar (95, 96), and Curlin (07, 08)

    • / Reply

      Azeri also has a son by A.P. Indy, Take Control. He is now 5 years old. He won his first start by lengths, but was injured shortly thereafter. He has been struggluing to get back to the races.

    • / Reply

      Wow, Doreen! Incredible amount of info. Thanks so much for doing the research and letting us know. Lots of fun to read and remember all those great horses.

  14. / Reply

    Congratulations to all the Eclipse Award winners last night. I didn’t get to see the program on television but I have read several of the articles today and I think it is so cool that Havre De Grace joined you and Rachel Alexandra to add another filly/mare name to the list of Horses of the Year!! Fillies rule!!! My Blood-Horse magazine of 25 Most Intriguing came in the mail today and I so loved the articles about you, dear Zenyatta! Such lovely photos, too. Thank you, Dottie for sharing the voice of Zenyatta with those of us who love her from afar. Thanks!!

  16. / Reply

    Queen Z….you look beautiful! Soon to be a mom! Congrats to all the winners, what a great group of champions. I, too, would have loved to see Blind Luck at least get Champion Older Mare. That mare is all heart and never gave up, even with criss crossing the country to compete at many different tracks. Bernie and Blind Luck should have a exceptional foal. I was so happy to hear that Dr. D continued to own her, he is a true sportsman and a gentleman. She should have a great life with this kind owner. Much like the Mosses who do the right thing for their horses. God Bless owners like Jerry and Ann and Dr. D.

  17. / Reply

    Dear Zenny, I have to tell you that Vic has a teacher who is expecting her first child at about the same time as you. Vic has let her know that it would be just the greatest thing if she could deliver on the same day as you and she has no problem at all being known as a maiden mare in company with Queen Zenyatta.

  18. / Reply

    I, before the awards began, went and wrote down my guess for who would win in each of the horse divisions (2-year old of the year, and so on… for the ones I knew anyway, steeplechase I would need to do some research on) and I got all but one right!! I picked Plum Pretty for best 3-year old over Royal Delta. Blonde moment!! I had it through my head she was older than 3 for some reason…?

    My writing piece is finished but because it is almost novel length, I am forced to post it in sections, as I am sure no one wants to spend an hour reading the post, so it will arrive in sections, and those are going to be long too. LOL I’m sorry, I just got carried away writing it!

    I hope all goes well for you Lady Z! We are all anxiously waiting the arrival of fellow HOTY winner Rachel Alexandra’s bambino!!! So exciting, I think he will take after Curlin for height and color, but will have his mother’s graceful movements and calm demeanor. Talent wise, I truely wish he aquires both parent’s talents. As I wish for your foal, Zenyatta. I can see the headline now:

    Queen Z’s Little Monster is the Triple Crown Winner!!!! One can wish, can’t I? ;)

    Do we know when Big E will be making her debut? Or Mr. Besilu? I saw him at the auction, and fell in love. I would love to watch him and your little sister race for the first time. She is my background on my computer and pictures of you and your team and your horse family are my screensavers…You are my icon every time I sign in.

    On a completely off-topic subject, my cousin read my post from Diary entry #414, and says I should seriously consider journalism as a minor, aside from my major in Equine Business. I would love to work and give back to the Sport of Queens (and Kings) as much as it has given me, though I believe a large part of that positive impact was your magic touch. ;)

    Watching you and seeing the joy you gave to people around the world, that joy, convinced me to change my major choice to race track business. My dream is to own my Zenyatta, and I hope one day to have her, so I can be ever so generous like your amazing owners, and share her with others, just as they did you for 3 amazing, roller-coaster ride years.

    Lovely days, and happy romping out there in pasture!

    • / Reply

      Pati
      DREAMS DO COME TRUE – NEVER FAIL TO KEEP THAT IN SIGHT. Your Zenyatta is just a little dust of a dream … dreamers and believers are what makes star dust, and into that star dust, through the haze of rainbows, your dream will never be far away …. we will follow you on that journey and your dreams to come true …..

    • / Reply

      Pati, I sent a reply to you, but it ended up below as a post. Dont know what happened. I hope you catch it in posts below here. Have a nice day.

    • / Reply

      Pati-I was a journalism major back in the dark ages when I was going to college. Wanted to be a sportswriter. I often regret that I did not pursue it as a career. Don’t let go of your dream.

  19. / Reply

    Hi Zenyatta – for the very first time, I watched the Eclipse Awards live, on the
    RTN website. How exciting and marvelous it was. Some of the humans and horses that I voted for won. What a great idea to have the fan involvement. The speeches were great, and everyone looked fantastic in their tuxedos and fancy dresses. I was honoured to be a part of the celebration.

    Best Regards,

    Lynne from Surrey, BC

  20. / Reply

    Hi Zenny, I want to Congradulate all the winners involved in HOY. What an exciting time for them. When you got HOY i started screaming and crying and giving thanks to God for realizing what a super great horse you are. It was one of the great moments of my life. I love you very much and never for a moment do I forget how incredible you really are. You are truely the Queen of racing. Love you my dearest Zenyatta.

  21. / Reply

    Zenyatta, you are such a goodwill ambassador for the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. It doesn’t matter that you are not actively racing anymore, you still keep up to date on all the others and cheer them on, acknowledge their accomplishments and congratulate them on their awards. You are such a shining example of sportsmanship and a true role model. You are a great teacher to the human species. Thank you, Dottie for being the voice and scribe of these good qualities and deeds.
    There have been so many incredible posts, links, videos, original creations the past few days. (Actually, every day) What a generous community Zenyatta Nation is.
    Happy birthday to all having a January birthday. May this be the start of a great year for you all.
    Re: the Eclipse Awards, I was very happy for Bill Mott winning Trainer of the Year and especially happy that Royal Delta will be staying with him. That duo reminds me of another trainer, filly/mare partnership we’re all partial to.

  22. / Reply

    My Queen,
    I love that photos of YOU. Please thank Sarah for sharing with us!..and YES! GIRL POWER!! …I am so thrilled for Larry & Cindy Jones. they are as kind a people as you will meet. What we here in the south call good people…just like Your people Zenyatta.
    Last night I could not help but think of last year when YOU won your long overdue 2010 Horse of the Year Award!! I screamed , cried, laughed (with tears still streaming down my face)……I floated on clouds for weeks…Just between me and YOU Zenny, I think you should have won HOY three times….so after such a long wait , it filled me with such intense Joy when you finally won, that all I have to do is think about it and it cheers me up when I’m feeling down…..You are so deeply embedded in the hearts of so many. ….You have changed and saved life’s….The world needs to create a special award for you and our President should declare you a National Treasure.
    Congratulations to All of last nights winners!
    @Sunny Boyd- I think if they traced the ears of Z and E they would fit together. I too have high hopes for her. They do have very similar mannerisms.

  23. / Reply

    Congratulations to all the Eclipse award winners, both horse and human! A special high hoof to Havre de Grace who has continued the Girl Power trend!
    Thanks to all who posted information on the Eclipse awards and the history of sires/sons/daughters who were HOTY winners.
    And happy birthday to Katie and to Karen Gogue!!

  24. / Reply

    I’m sooooo glad that Havre de Grace won the Horse of the Year award! She’s a beautiful filly and she’s my favorite active female racehorse this year. I love you, dear girl! Best wishes!

  25. / Reply

    Happy Birthday Katie! I hope this new year is filled with joy and all your dreams come true.. Never give up on your dreams!

  27. / Reply

    Hello my Queen Zenyatta, what a lucky creature you are, your my inspiration get warm and your baby also your bff TT.We love you always candi.

  28. / Reply

    Kari – did many lovely you tube videos but I think my favorite is the one to the song “she” co written by Charles Aznavour (hope I got the spelling correctly) a French singer and songwriter. I first heard the song in French many, many years ago and it haunted me. It is probably my favorite song ever and I love music so much. Much later in life I heard it in a store in New Zealand and went to the shopkeeper and asked him for the CD. Turned out it was from the sound track to Nottinghill by Elvis Costello. Since I have that one in my collection, I have tried to find as many artists renditions to add to my collection. To have it set to a Zenyatta video is priceless. I could watch it 1000 times and never tire of it. The song set to Zenyatta and her beauty and grace is something that brings tears to my eyes each and every time. She is a national treasure. Thanks Kari for putting this video and so many others together.
    If I copied and pasted correctly this is the French songwriter singing in English…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eut0KEa4pBU&feature=related

  29. / Reply

    Dear Queen Zenyatta & the Future HOTY, soon to arrive:
    .
    Congratulations to all winners. I must say, the Awards, as beautiful as they were, could not compare to the excitement of last year’s sizzle because of you and your connections. :)
    .
    ~~HH

  30. / Reply

    Pati, everything you write is so beautiful it will be a pleasure to read, no matter how long. You are a very gifted young lady. As I am sure you know by now, all of us Zsters end up caring very much about each other, you can be forewarned, I think you have a new pack of extended “Mama’s” here in Zdumpling land. You have a very bright future ahead of you I’m sure. I am imagining you as a future TV journalist on HRTV.

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