Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Z's Diary

Diary Post #457

Here WE are! All of today’s photos…Courtesy of Mathea Kelley and Team Zenyatta

Dear Beloved Friends,

Wouldn’t you know those EARS anywhere? I love looking at THEM and every single part of MY adorable colt! This entire experience is very precious to ME and to my entire TEAM!

On this day, I wanted to share a few more of my favorite photos with YOU. After all, I think this fortunate foal is blessed to have the most GODPARENTS of anyone in history. I truly can’t THANK YOU enough for the way you have embraced both of US….ME for so many years….and now my ‘Dumpling’.

Many of you have asked about HIS NAME. At this time, my colt does not have an official name. Per the standard practice in our industry, he is referred to as “12 Zenyatta”. His halter tag reads this way indicating year born…and Mom’s name. I know Ann and Jerry so well and can only imagine how many countless hours they will spend discussing this to make sure he has the perfect name. I trust their judgment completely!

The most fun he and I’ve shared so far is when he ‘takes off’ to run in the paddock. Just like in MY RACING CAREER, I give him a head start (on purpose)…and then I catch him in a FLASH! This is one FUN GAME we play…and I’m loving every single stride.


I must say, having been a MOM now for a few days, I’m already applying some of the basics of MOM 101. (A HIGH HOOF to my Lane’s End pals for tutoring ME with some special GREAT MOM TIPS.) I’m really doing very well at ‘my new career’ and am rather proud of myself. (Blush, Blush)

My baby is by my side every moment….and I am loving it! We walk together, eat together, cuddle together, and learn together. I’m getting a daily education on all of the right things to do for him…and I’m hoping in return he is learning to be ONE FINE COLT from ME!


In life, things go FULL CIRCLE. I have gone from being a foal…to now having one of my very own to care for each day. In between these 2 stages of life, I have been incredibly blessed to achieve countless amazing accomplishments, a great deal of success in my profession, and to meet and share MY LIFE with some of the finest people one could ever hope to call her FRIENDS!

I do feel at this time, it is extremely important for ME to take some time off from my daily DIARY writing and allow myself the opportunity to BOND EVEN MORE to MY NEW FOAL and FOCUS on being his MOM. (I think in human terms, this is called a child-rearing leave!)

From the bottom of MY HEART, I want to THANK YOU for the joy, support, and love you have brought to ME over these past years. As I’m putting my “writing hooves on the shelf for a bit,” I also want to thank the countless people who have submitted photos (Sarah, you have been so kind) and written so many treasured responses in relation to the Diary entries.

Dottie and I wrote the very first Diary entry on November 1, 2010. We have cherished every single moment of sharing all of these experiences and memories with you….OUR DEAR and TREASURED FRIENDS!

Again, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! I will think of you often during my time off…and I hope you will do the same of ME….especially when you see the letter “Z” or hear any of my favorite sayings as ….”Too cute…Blush, Blush…It’s ME…Wink, Wink, BARN 55, High Hoof and I’m a MOM.”

WHAT A RIDE WE’VE ALL SHARED!

Until next time…

With Love,
Hugs to All~ (I so mean this from the bottom of MY HEART!)
Z

I’d respectfully like to add a SPECIAL NOTE OF THANKS and a HUGE GROUP HUG to all of the people who have done so much to orchestrate and guide my racing career…and now my life as a broodmare. It is such a large and loving group which would include but not be limited to: all of my dear pals at BARN 55, LANE’S END, MY ANN and JERRY, MY JOHN, MY MIKIE, MARIO, FRANK, CHEVA, MICHELLE, DAWN, STEVE, and so many others!

Then, of course, I’d like to send a very special HIGH HOOF and one very BIG HUG to my writing partner, DOTTIE!

Reader Interactions

1,307 Comments

  1. Dearest Zenyatta,

    Every mother needs privacy as she learns to be a ‘mother’ and bond with her baby. I’ll miss you so much and look forward to when you can talk to us again.

    Your life has come full circle, dear Queen, but you will never be simply a broodmare. You represent the hopes and dreams of all of us. Enjoy your darling son. God bless you both and hopefully we will see you again soon!

    With much, much love,
    Stel

  2. Oh my gosh, Zenyatta! I guess I understand and I thank you and Dottie so much! But this is kind of breaking my heart!!! I know this is a huge job, but I can’t imagine not having this wonderful place to come to. This is probably too much of my life, but I love talking here and reading here. It has helped me so much! I’m just in shock right now and need to digest this news. I love you and will miss you all terribly.

  3. Congratulations!!!….you have given us “the ride of a lifetime” i will never forget the moment i laid eyes on the most beautiful creature on God’s green earth……YOU ALL WERE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN…& I THANK YOU FROM THE VERY DEPTHS OF MY SOUL FOR SHARING ZENYATTA : ) : ) GOD BLESS……

  4. Wow…I hope this is just a “break” and not a complete goodbye…it’s sounds so, final…
    Please post from time to time, just to keep us updated on the baby & Tasty’s foaling. I realize it’s alot to ask, to do a daily update, but we are all so devoted to you, it would be a shame to just go away & we hear about you occasionally elsewhere…

    Thanks to Dottie & to all of your people for all they do for you & your baby, and for us in the Z “cloud” watching from afar.
    XOXO

  5. Thank you for making our days so very much brighter with you daily news. Team Z
    is so special in so many ways. This was so evident in the Zenyatta Celebration event. Each of you took so much time with so many of us. Truly unbelieveable.
    I do hope we find a way of hearing about Tasty also as she has also become part of the Z community.
    Rest up, enjoy all the accomplishments and please come back soon.

  6. I can only say thank you for the memories…It has been a wonderful ride. These post have helped me so much!

    God Bless

  7. Dear Zenyatta, thoughts of you and your extraordinary son will always remain in my heart and in the hearts of your fans throughout the world. You’re an angel on this earth and I know you’ll prove to be the epitome of a loving and caring mom. Continued best wishes to your Team and here’s hoping we can hear from you again in the not too distant future.

  8. Sure gonna miss all the updates, but truly understand the need for a break. Thanks for them all, and can’t wait to read more in the future.

    Aloha for now!

  9. Oh no! I am so happy for you and your wonderful happy life so take the time you need. I will say that it makes me sad. I will miss the diary updates that we all have been waiting for daily but understand you and Dottie have a lot going on. I hope you cam update us on Tasty when she has her foal though. She is also a big part of us fans. We love you Zenny and Baby Z. May life bring you much more happiness and joy. Dottie thank you for doing this for the last year and may you also be blessed with a great year. To the Mosses. I can’t imagine two nicer people and what a blessing you have been to us all and horse racing. May God bless you all. Until we meet or hear again Zenny love you the greatest race horse of ALL time!

  10. Dottie, thank for all the work you put into the posts. I cried when baby was born and now when saying so long for awhile. I hope there will be pictures of Zennie and son. I shall miss all of these good times. GOD BLESS, LOVE TO ALL, SHERRY

  11. You go with Love Zen,,You have gave us so much joy reading your post,I know it’s time to be a mom,,so enjoy that cute little thing and know you are always in our prayers,,,1000 peppermints to U and ur baby,,,

  12. I will miss your posts dear Zenny and your photos. You are always a shining light in my day. Take care of yourself and your baby sweet girl. Hope you will be back after some time off. Continued good luck!

  13. Hey!!! wonderful Queen you have been the best I ever see in my life. Your son with your love and your knowledge will be a big runner. God Bless both forever.

    Loving you always

  14. Hi Zenny, your little one definitely has your ears. I’m going to miss you and my Zenny-family terribly. I’ll be checking daily to see when you come back. Thank you so much for this lovely diary.

  15. 12Z does have his mom’s ears! So cute!

    Thank you Z and Dottie for taking the time to share this adventure with us. I will miss your posts! :(

    Please don’t be gone too long, aferall, we all now have 12Z to watch too! :)

  16. Will miss your diary postings, but enjoy every minute with the little one, time goes by so quickly.

  17. Oh, Zenny!
    How do I type when my eyes are full of tears…………

    First of all, the tears because of the B E A U T I F U L photos of you and Prince!!! I want to squeal with JOY!! Yes, he looks just like YOU!

    Secondly, signing off from your diary is bittersweet – YES, you deserve time off to be a Full Time Mother!

    @ DOTTIE – Thank you from the bottom of my ♥ !! You are such a generous and kind woman! I truly mean it! Thank you for sharing Zenyatta with us over the years… we got spoiled, that’s for sure!

    @ John and Barn 55 – Thank you for all that you do, too!

    @ Ann & Jerry – Thank you for giving us such a Glorious Creature to love and cherish!! I will continue to support any horses you enter. Hopefully, I will live long enough to see Zen’s offspring race, and Mike on their back :D

    @ Mikey – We will always support you at the track!

    @ ALL – I love you all for being so supportive on the diary/blog. I’ve made new friendships, and I look forward to that continued friendship ♥ Without Zen there would be no “us”!

    Peppermint Kisses Mommy Zen & Prince!!! XOXOXOXO {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

    Sending love to ♥ BERNARDINI, too. He did very good (wink wink)

    Auntie Judy (crying on her keyboard!)

    p.s. My employer will be happy that I won’t be on here day after day LOL

    • You wrote:
      “Too cute…Blush, Blush…It’s ME…Wink, Wink, BARN 55, High Hoof and I’m a MOM.”

      Two more phrases I will associate with YOU: “MY JOHN” and “HUGS!!!

      Judy G

    • JAG – there may be an email from me stuck in your “junk mail box” – I’ve had trouble in the past with sending things to your specific internet service provider. I would wait longer to say this but now am not sure I’ll get the chance.
      Sandy

      • @ SANDY
        Yes, I did receive your email. I’m so sorry I haven’t replied. I will asap, I promise!!
        Judy G

    • JAG — I never had enough time to read everyone’s posts, but I always looked for yours because of “March 9” !!

      Is there somewhere that Zenyatta lovers gather at Santa Anita? I’m still hoping to get out to LA on a business trip. I have been to Hollywood Park (we saw Z in the 2010 Vanity Handicap # 17 SOOO exciting!!!) so I know to find Z lovers at Barn 55.

      I’m not sure how I can live without Z’s diary…

      *** DOTTIE *** and Zenyatta:
      I can’t thank you enough for everything you did to brighten my days while I was going through treatment last summer. Reading about Z and horse racing/people was the highlight of many days (and still is!). Doing great now, even back to work, but there will be an empty spot w/out reading Z’s diary. I’ve said this before, but…

      THANK YOU FOR MAKING EVERY DAY A “Z” DAY !!!

  18. I understand how busy you are being a new mom, but PLEASE hire a “ghost writer,” and keep the diary going!!! Now that your gorgeous baby is here, more than ever your fans want to hear about you and the colt!

    Please reconsider hanging up your “writing hooves”!!!!

    Much love to you and your darling baby,
    Cheryl

    • I have to Ditto that! I was so looking forward to seeing regular (not daily) new pics of Zenny & Z-Prince, as he grows. I’m sad that won’t happen. Even without the educational and informative posts, the pictures alone just feel so important to me. Of course I hope that the “community” of Zennyland can continue, but I guess that without new posts, most regular participants won’t want to come here, even to talk to each other. It feels like Zenyatta brought us together, and since she’s going away, we won’t be together here, anymore, either. I did not think it would all end abruptly.

      I will keep coming back here for at least awhile, and see who else does the same.

      • I will for sure. I think we will all be able to connect as we were, just without the daily updates and photos. I hope everyone else does the same.

    • I think the powers that be haveade the decision
      To let Zenny be a fulltime MOM, just like many
      Of you did with your children.

      May god be with you Zenny and your lovely goal
      And another safe and sucessful pregnancy #2. Your
      Ann and Your Jerry are the tops. It is time for them to
      Get their life back along with The Sherriffs and everyone
      At Lanes End. The Stallions are up and breeding again.
      May their be many healthy and happy TB foals on 2012
      To all compete against each other !!!!!

  19. Many many thanks to you and Dottie for supplying Zenyatta fans with daily news. I check Facebook every day for your posts. We will all miss the daily diary posts. Hopefully, we can still visit once in a while to find pictures of your precious one and updates about your lives while he is growing up. LOVE YOU!!!

  20. Oh no! I will miss your diary posts. It was always the first thing I look for every day. I do know how busy a new mother can be. Thank you Dottie and Zenny for putting some joy in my life with each post. Please return soon.

  21. Such beautiful pictures of Z and Baby Z! My heart is filled with such JOY when I see these. Wishing you and the little one the very best as you focus on these precious times together. Will miss the Diary Entries so much and hope we have some updates time permitting now and then (Tasty’s arrival!), but this has been such a remarkable journey. I cannot thank you enough for the amazing generosity and warmth and love you have shown everyone. Thank you so much, Team Zenyatta!

  22. Ms Zenyatta, I will be totally lost without you. Please do not stay away long. I hope to hear the news of Tasty, the name Ann & Jerry & YOU pick for The Prince, who you are going to go out on a ‘date’ with in the near future???? Will you have a live CAM like Cigar? Will Sarah post the pictures? Or will the page remain just as it is, until you come back? I cannot image life without you. I do not know what to do!

    Zenyatta/Dottie, thank you so much for everything you have given thru this daily post and more. The entire Zenyatta Team, thank you for sharing this Special Life with us…I love you all. Please Ms Zenyatta, come back to us soon…Lisa g

  23. Oh Zenyatta, 12 Zenyatta is absolutely precious!!! I noticed your ears right away. I can hardly wait to hear more about him and you in the future. I am very sad that I will not hear about you as much I have in the last few years. Yet, I do understand COMPLETELY. Thank you soooooo much Dottie for shearing, well beyond anything we could have dreamed of, of Zenyatta’s life. I know it was a constant job, which you did wonderfully. May all go excellent for all of TEAM ZENYATTA! I will never forget you! Wow Zenny, how is it you provoke such strong feelings…..dang it Dottie! :D OXOXOXO

  25. I, too, am crying. It’s like ending a friendship except I didn’t choose it. Never has a horse moved me like Zenyatta since Secretariat. I suppose this little diary has served its purpose but for me it has been a connection to something big in a way I could not touch or afford. I will truly miss the updates and the pictures. Goodbye my grand lady – there will never be another like you.

  26. Beautiful Z (and Dottie)….Thanks for sharing your life with us; your everso grateful fans! We have learned so much about racing from you. And what a gorgeous baby boy you have! It’s very plain to see how smitten you are with him :-) I know that we (all of your fans) are totally in love with him and will be cheering him on when his time comes to start his career! Take good care of that remarkable little boy of yours and be sure to tell your people to please keep us updated on Facebook so we can watch “our” baby boy grow :-)

    Lotsa love and hugs always to you and your Mini Z :-)……..from one of your most dedicated fans in Maryland!

  27. Thank you for sharing your life. I will miss the posts and pictures. You brought so many smiles to my life. Thanks again :))

  28. Zenny, you and your Team (Dottie, thanks soooo much!) have always gone The Extra Mile. You are all so classy, and deserve some time to just cherish and enjoy your incredible colt! I don’t need your daily diary to think of you daily! With much love, Edie

  30. I can certainly understand the importance of having some private time now. Not only for the Zenyatta Diary but for the whole staff. This has been an incredible opportunity for all of us to see inside the life of a thoroughbred life. Thank you, for this opportunity.

    I speak for myself, and I am certain many more, how much your presence will be missed. I am looking forward to seeing how Zenyatta’s foal does once he starts his own career.

    Best wishes,

    D’Arcy