Photo taken by John Shirreffs
Hello Everyone!
It sounds like all of you are off to a busy 2011! Mine has started out wonderfully.
Dottie has been telling me about all of the questions you have. We will do our best to address as many of them as possible often in the Diary. We’ll start with these:
1) YES, Mario does know I’m playing in the MUD…and he is so happy for me. He knows I’ve wanted to roll in the mud for quite sometime. NOW I CAN REALLY GET PLAYFUL OUTSIDE! Very cute! Also, thanks for letting me know Mario has his own Facebook page now. I can’t wait to tell him! SURPRISE!
2) Steve is fine. He is working away at the barn and all is A-OK with him. Obviously, he misses me a whole bunch…as does Mario and the rest of Barn 55…but they are so happy for me. John does his best to keep them posted on my activities. All videos and photos are shared with them constantly!
3) John’s watch…is the IPOD Nano. It is a great tool and also a fun new ‘toy’ for John. Lucky guy, I can still be with him 24/7!
4) My future breeding plans. The Moss’ will announce them soon. Many different things will go into this decision. Everything will be finalized sometime in January. With the holiday, many people have been out of town. It is also fun for ME to ponder who my first date will be. Gotta’ love it!
5) Other breeding questions will be addressed when breeding season begins. The breeding sheds in KY do not open until mid-February. I probably will not be bred until late February. Believe me, I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED!
6) A Jockey question was asked…what does ‘throwing a cross mean’? Dottie has called my guy, MIKE SMITH, for this answer. Mike’s quotes will be used for this answer. They are touching base later today. FYI…Many have asked…and Mike is doing very well. Dottie and John saw him last night at dinner. He is planning a trip to come see me soon. Can’t wait!
7) Video of an interview…John did an interview with Susan Ashbrook of Equine Vip. She granted permission for Dottie to mention it in the Diary. You may find this interview by going to www.equinevip.com. It is the first interview that comes up. My JOHN will be standing there with Susan. (He says so many fabulous things about me and my heritage. He also notes how amazing the entire thoroughbred breed is and his love for the HORSE.) Very special! Please enjoy!
8) Rhonda pointed out that I was recognized as the #1 Female Race Horse of All Time…in a recent Sports Illustrated Article. You may find this piece by: 1) going to my web-page 2) clicking on the Facebook symbol in the right corner 3) that will take you directly to the page you need 4) scroll down the left hand column until you see the term LINKS 5) approximately 3 down is the story TOP FEMALE RACE HORSES OF ALL TIME. 6) Click on this title and YIPPEE…there I am with my owners! What an honor! There are some really amazing historical horses being honored in this piece….and they recognized me with the distinction of being #1! I can’t tell you how PROUD this makes me feel!
9) P.Q…many have asked about her breeding plans and things relating to her. From the beginning, I did ask permission to discuss her name in the Diary. Her owners were so gracious and said of course! Any other additional information, I will need to be polite and ask if I can discuss it. As she is not owned by my owners, we must respect her privacy at this time.
P.Q. and I are great friends…and we do get along beautifully. We have BONDED nicely!
Oh, I’m getting a phone call! Someone in my family is calling to TANGO with me! (Gotta’ get ready for my close-up!) Sending BIG HUGS!
With Love,
Z
Linda / NJ
Hi Dani:
How did you order the Zenyatta ornament? Thanks, Linda
Carol (U.S. Virgin Islands)
I love staying in contact with you Z! I’m learning so many new things from you about thoroughbred horses. I hope they make the right decision about your first date but like many have said none are worthy of you. Have fun with PQ and rolling on the ground!
Christine
Zenyatta: please come to Germany. MONSUN – the best stallion we’ve ever had here – is waiting for you! Maybe you heart about him?
Love
emmy
@jim…is the tongue tie to keep them from getting their tongue over the bit or from swallowing the tongue as they gasp for air from the exertion? Thanks for answering our questions!!!
suemar
Hi Z. I hope your “peeps” let you look over Lemon Drop Kid. He is very handsome and nice. Maybe take a stroll over to visit him across the farm would be possible.
JJV
@Karey: For an answer to your question, please see my post to Zen’s diary #47.
On a different subject, I tried several days ago to get Ensign to back off a bit, obviously without success. Those of you that are supporting him now, I assume are horsewomen. I must respectfully say you all miss the point. I’m not going to repeat my previous posts here, but suffice it to say that Ensign, like all writers and speakers, need to consider their audience. One more time: The new group of horse lovers that the magic of Zenyatta has created are romantics, lovers and just plain beautiful people. They are not professionals as many of us are and the LAST THING they want to hear is that their beloved Queen, may be twitched during the breeding process!! Wether there is any pain involved or not is irrelevent! Having said all that, let’s not ruin this wonderful site with bickering. If people want to know more about the breeding process, there are many places on the net they can visit. We don’t need it here.
Shari Voltz
Braincbrite get off of this site. Your remarks are uncalled for. If Blame who got lucky has a site go there. I could not help saying that. Zenyatta is a gentle, special spirit. Anyone who has animals in their life knows that there is more to it. You must not. I feel pity for you. I love you Zinny. Shari
Gloria Jeanne
JUST STOP! I think everyone’s personal opinions should be kept off of this site. This about Zenyatta’s life PERIOD. If you have something NICE to share great, if NOT… STOP or the site will gone! S T O P
Cheryl
I wanted to let you know that this weekend ESPN facebook page asked everyone to vote on their choice for athlete of the year and my vote went to YOU!!!!!!!!!!
JJV
@Karey: So sorry. I misread your post. You were asking about the tongue tie! For some reason I thought you were asking about the shadow roll! . . . never mind!
@Emmy: I think Jim will agree, the answer to your question is: Both.
Jean Moore
Beautiful Zenyatta, Another lovely photo from John, please tell him thank you. Really an interesting and informative post from Dottie, so thank her as well. We, your fans, are so blessed for this privilege of staying close and in touch with you, and it is being handled by the Best of Show in all categories. Love to all involved.
nancy
The breeding issue will be address for everyone when my mare was in foal everything was explained, although Penny is no longer with me, she passed over 20 years ago.Dont let anything anyone said upset you, this is Z’s site for us the fans. Z will make a wonderful mom. Thank you team z for everything with updates and so forth Dotti your the best, I did try to go see the art. on facebook but it did not come up, will try SI itself.Have another wonderful day Z.
lynn
@Gloria Jeanne
I understand your concern regarding some comments on here being interpreted as negative, but I have to respectively disagree. The only comments that could be misconstrued as negative are from those on here who did not like the detailed description of the breeding process, in which they told others they were not welcome on here. That in and of itself is an opinion. EVERYONE’S comments on here are an opinion and it only turned negative when some posters became unhappy with discussion of breeding. I think (and hope and would be fair to say) that Dottie is neither offended nor shocked by the breeding discussion. She does come from the horse racing world. And as far as some mentioning grandchildren reading post, I would suggest, like in any form of internet/tv usage, that perhaps reading should be limited to Dottie’s/Z’s post if you find conversion offensive. To demand this type of intellectual conversation to desist because it may offend some (don’t want THAT picture in their head/kids/grandchildren) is an unreasonable demand. And I personally do not believe that this “site will be gone” because of this interchange. I feel this site has been very informative, both from Z/Dottie and other more knowledgeable posters. It has sparked my interest in horse racing, and thoroughbred training. It is no different from the panic demonstrated from posters who commented on the lip chain being used. We all discovered that it had been used in the past on Z and that it was being used initially on Z at LE for her safety. I think we all need to take a step back, take a deep breath and look at the positive of these conversations. Z has bestowed this beautiful gift to us…..our interest and love for her has sparked an interest in horses and racing in general. For that I am grateful. Again, my love to Z, Dottie, LE, and for everyone else in Z’s life that brought out her beauty.
Carolyn Caswell-Brown
Zenny – Good for you – finding some green this time of year! Elena, Thank you for the parade float info. I saw the Mustang float (barely) but there was no explanation about it. What an excellent opportunity was missed here to inform a large viewing audience about the plight of the Mustang. The coverage this year was IMO bad on both networks. Dottie, Please forgive some of us today for not having good party manners in the home of the host. All baggage should be checked at the door. TIME NOW FOR THAT BIG GROUP Z HUG . . . . .aaahh, that’s better.
Andrea from Germany
Can hardly wait to hear of your breeding plans. Stay healthy Zenny.
Mariel
So happy that YOU are happy! Please ask someone to post a video of said roll because I LOVE to watch horses play! I especially loved the way you were squealing with delight on your first day of freedom from the shank – delightful!!!!
Give PQ hugs & kisses for me & you girls have fun!
Gloria Jeanne
I will only read Zenny and Dottie have to say from now on… It’s really the only thing I am interested in reading anyway.
Maria
Wow! you’re definitely the top female race horses of all time. That is a great recognition by SI. I love you sooooo much Queen Z.
Elena Erdman
Good Morning Z. Are you having fun today again? I bet you are. Now with your permission I will give Carolyn Casewell-Brown a little information on the Mustang float. Madeleine Pickens started Savingamericasmustangs.com. You can go to her website and also go to facebook and type in her name and you can see the video of the float and hear Amazing Grace (the float’s music). The six Mustangs at the front of the float were wild at one time. More info and better description go to: http://media.roseparade.net/mediaGuideFloat.asp?id=781. Look for numbers 82 (the Mustangs) and 83 (the float). You will get all the information. Join us, we need all the people we can, several round ups scheduled. Not much info is given because we have to comply with the television stations on time. Thanks for asking.
I did not post more or earlier because this is Z’s website but sure wanted to.
Barbara Wood
Hi Big Z–
My family tells me I have a late Christmas present coming in the mail. It’s not here yet, but I hope it has something to do with you!
Unlike an earlier poster, I am interested in everyone’s comments. There is so much to be learned. And we have a GREAT teacher.
Sheri
Thanks for that Z! Thats awesome! Aw I can’t wait to hear your breeding news! Love you Zenyatta! Keep going strong! :D
Fran
Hi Z-this is my second email to you in the last couple of days. Z, please kindly advise the ladies not to make this blog a place for people to respond to each other. This is a blog for Z’s fans. If we ask you a question, you and Dottie will respond. I don’t want a few people to ruin it for the rest of us. It is not an opinion place and lets not ruin it. PLEASE!
Quarterhossgal
Does anyone know where I can get an Breyer’s Zenyatta? My usual sources said they sold out almost as soon as they received their shipment? Who knew how many thousands of fans Queen Z would have!! I can’t wait to hear the HOY announcement, this has to be Z’s year(or century). I’m praying that Zen will get the award she so richly deserves. If it were up to her fans she would win by a landslide.
JJV
Hey, do you guys want to have some fun and try to predict Zenyatta’s mate with a little bit of scientific knowledge. Go to equineline.com and click on FREE 5-CROSS PEDIGREES. Click on HYPOTHETICAL FOAL at the bottom left of the dialogue window. Next enter a SIRE’S NAME and click on continue (if there are more than one sire with that name you need to click on the correct one.) Next enter ZENYATTA as the DAM’S NAME (believe it or not, there are 5 TB’s in the world named Zenyatta so be careful to pick the correst one)! on the next screen, just click continue. In a few seconds a five generation pedigree of Zenyatta’s baby will appear. You can look for “Inbreeding” in the pedigree (the number of times a sire appears on either the male side or female side of the pedigree. Some breeders use inbreeding to ensure that certain qualities are passed on to their foals. For example some breeders might like to see Bold Ruler blood on both sides of the pedigree. But the really good stuff is at the bottom of the page. Look at the Dosage Index. Theoretically, this is a number that tells the breeder how much stamina and how much speed a foal will have. The higher the number the more speed, the lower the number the more stamina. So if you want your foal to be a sprinter, you want a high number here. If you want your foal to run at classic distance (1 1/4 miles) or longer you want a lower number here. For example, every Kentucky Derby (1 1/4 miles) winner since 1930 has had a dosage index of 4.0 or lower. But too low a number might not be good, because the foal might be able to run from Churchill Downs all the way to Pimlico but not have any tactical speed! Another interesting thing on page two are the “Nicking” statistics. Nicking is a theory that some breeders use to determine how well foals of other broodmares by the same sire as the proposed broodmare have raced when crossed to the proposed sire (how many have started, how many have won, and most importantly how many have become stakes horses and how many have won stakes races). Several of you have mentioned A.P Indy as a potential mate for Zen (by the way he is 22 years old!). So nicking stats for Zen’s foal would involve how well foals of broodmares by STREET CRY have done when bred to A.P. INDY. Unfortunately no STREET CRY mare has ever been bred to A.P. Indy. This will be a problem in almost every case since STREET CRY only has 41 foals (32 mares). So nicking stats are going to be almost non-existant to help choose a sire for Zen’s foal. In an A.P. INDY/ZENYATTA cross, the dosage index of the foal would be 2.62 an excellent number for a classic horse. Of course many, many other factors are considered when choosing a sire, but this little exercise is fun . . . share your results and predictions with us!
Jack Wolferseder
Quarterhossgal….That item is very HOT right now….I have a couple on “back order” and am told that they will be in sometime in Feb. You may contact me if you like. (888)620-6287.
Carol Luttrall
I have some wonderful photos of Zenyatta that my niece took at the 2010 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn. I would love to forward these to the Zenyatta team for them to enjoy also. How do I go about this? Thank you for your help on this. We are ‘insane’ Zenyatta fans. Carol at Sagebrush Lane Thoroughbreds, Weatherford, Texas
Nancy L
Thank you for this wonderful blog. I hope the bickering is now over. Remember people, the blog is about Zenyatta. It is not about how much any of us knows about the horse business. Let Zenyatta remain the center of attention and find another venue for all the disruptive cross chatter and attention grabbing.
Jack Wolferseder
oops!!!!thats (888)820-6287 Sorry!
Cindy
Ensign, I hope you will continue posting on this site. I have enjoyed reading your knowledge with regard to horses – it’s obvious you are a professional. I personally, would not argue with those who express their opinion otherwise. It only seems to cause problems, and as beautiful as this site is, I’d hate to lose it.
With all due respect to everyone else who feels differently, I and many others on this site are very interested in the many aspects of the equine, and also in the breeding process of such, especially since Zenyatta will be going through it soon. I have visited several farms in KY (I don’t live far) and the process was demonstrated to us at Clairborne. The only part I was uncomfortable with was the lip teather. But now I am hearing that it releases endorphins, and that is a pleasureable thing. Good to know.
I believe those involved in running this site (Dottie, etc) WANT discussion to happen. Most of the posters are not well versed in horseracing, and I feel it’s great that those posters that are “horse people” share their knowledge. For that, I thank them. I was into horseracing and have been to the farms, but I can count on one hand my total knowledge of the sport and of the animal.
So, I say keep the information coming, and thank you Dottie for sharing Zenyatta with us through this site!!
Lisa W.
Hey Z thanks for giving me the joy of knowing what horse racing is all about. I never knew about the sport until I watched you for the first time. I can’t wait to travel to see you. Enjoy life. Can’t wait till your next post.