Dear Friends,
Wow! I am so deeply, deeply touched with all of your kind comments in relation to my racing retirement. You are so kind! I can’t THANK YOU enough!
I have loved racing and being at the barn. It has been a very special 4 1/2 years now that I have been with John, Mario, Steve, Carmen and the crew at the Shirreffs’ barn every single day. As all of you know…this along with Ann and Jerry Moss…is my family.
The beauty of my going back to Kentucky and Lane’s End…is DAVID lives in Lexington. I’ve also known him since I was a yearling at the September Sale. From that moment when he signed the ticket to purchase me on behalf of the Moss’, I’ve had a blessed life. David is part of Team Zenyatta and is also family. I will be leaving John’s barn…but going to Lane’s End where I will also have family around me. Lane’s End is a beautiful farm where I will be able to graze, stand under gorgeous trees, and enjoy life every single day! And one day, I hope to be a loving and wonderful MOM! What more could one ask!
My dear friend, Life is Sweet is also at Lane’s End! I have not seen her since February. We have so much to catch up on when I get there. This is too much fun!
David’s assistant, Sarah, will be able to take lots of pictures of me to send to CA and to put on the web-site. We will try to keep you posted on everything.
Yeah, here’s some good news! I will be able to visit with fans on Sunday, December 5th, at Hollywood Park. The track is doing a ‘fun farewell get-together’ for me! I am so excited. When I find out other details about this, I will update you. Hope you can attend!
Again…thank you all so much for the loving, tender notes. I am such a fortunate horse to have so many people who truly care so much about me.
Hugs to you all~
With Love,
Z
Elena Erdman
Lovely Zenyatta… it is awesome to get the updates on you, I just love them and you have such a big following and we are all in it together…. what a club… well we got some rain today… bet your stall is cozy though… I just wanted to say hi again… makes me feel good… keep up the blogs… Love you so much and am so grateful you came into my life, wow what a surprise.. you took our attention away from all the crazy world and gave us a ride that we are still spinning from… and we don’t intend to let it subside…
Katie Ziberna
Ohhhhhhhhh, Just the thoght of baby Zennies on the track makes me cry
Jim Kisling
There is something I just have to say, with passion and from the heart. My question is “WHY?” At one point, the unabashed truth was spoken: Zenyatta would tell “The Team” when she would be ready to retire. What happened to that? Has she “told” you as much? I haven’t seen anything that would indicate that she’s either past her prime or doesn’t still love to race. She was on the brink of super stardom. This year’s Classic was her most incredible and amazing race to date. What a heart!!!Captured our souls. She could have been the horse of the century and credited with saving the entire sport–make no mistake, you haven’t just retired a horse, you’ve retired the opportunity to save modern day horseracing from becoming glorified Greyhound Racing. There MUST be stars,and she is the brightest kind that exists, a once in a lifetime rarity, not just another anonymous face that quickly fades after a season or two. You will never have another like her. She is an incredible Ambassador for the sport. The GREATNESS that she exudes, her incredible presence and aura of royalty,has created a stewardship that is sacred, a responsibility that must not be minimized or worse, arbitrarily abandoned. Why take her away from the stage she so loves? Throw out your rule book, the human reason, and let Zenyatta have the final say. She’s done everything you’ve asked; now is not the time to stop listening. I just don’t get it. Is she past her prime? Is she sick or injured? Has she lost her form, her desire to race? Has she truly peaked? Do the risks of keeping her in training truly outweigh the rewards? If your answer is an honest yes, then I am with you wholeheartedly! She is blessed to have you as her family, you are all world class. But PLEASE take a long, hard look at your reasons. Is it really what Zenyatta wants? It IS all about her, right? I think George Bernard Shaw best captures my point: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him. The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Perhaps I am being unreasonable, but I propose a new petition- DON’T RETIRE ZENYATTA (unless SHE wants to!).Is anyone with me?
Sharon Call
Jim, you are so very right! To send her away now would be to take the newly attained heart of racing away from the world. I’ve watched the racing world for about 40 years and haven’t seen the interest in it since Secretariat and even then, not the quality of heart that Zenyatta has created. There are people in love with this horse that have never seen her up close. She means so many different things to so many different people from all walks of life and all ages including people that don’t care a thing about racing. Our world is, at best, difficult to live in right now for so many people and Zenyatta has given them back the heart to look forward. I don’t mean that Z is supposed to be raced to death. Anyone that has seen the injuries on the track like Eight Bells, Barbaro, Ruffian and all the others, would never want that for Zenyatta. What I do mean is don’t take her away from the people that she means so much to. Don’t retire her and take her out of the public eye. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO GO TO A BREEDING FARM!! Give her a year or two of being an ambassador to and for the general public. Keep her where people can see her and visit her. Keep her where she’s happy and loved. Good grief, Mr. and Mrs. Moss, what are you thinking? How many people have to write to this web site and say how much they’re going to miss her and tear up at the idea of her going away before you understand what she means to us? Please, please think long and hard before you do this.
Deneen
Zenny honey, the Light that radiates from within you is absolutely magnificent and breathtaking!! It is so spiritual in nature — none other than God shining His Light through you. I wish you and your family members peace, prosperity and happiness always!! I have complete faith that you will have a beautiful, bright future!! Please know that we (the fans) love and appreciate you so very much!! Thanks for all the wonderful memories!!!!!!
Tory in Georgia
When you get to be a mom, I hope you name your babies Curlatta and Zenlin because I am sure you will agree when you see him: Curlin is one handsome and worthy stud! He has the same heart you do – to pull out of traffic and scramble to the front. I know you will love him at first sight!
Alyssa
You people bashing the Moss family and Lane’s End farm should be ASHAMED of yourselves!
First of all, you’re completely selfish for wanting Zenyatta to keep racing, while the Moss family is being totally UNSELFISH by retiring her. They could continue to parade her, continue to race her, and continue to make money off of her but they are choosing to retire her SOUND and ALIVE. How would you feel if they raced her next year and she ended up like Barbaro, Eight Belles, or Pine Island? Every single time a horse goes onto the track it’s a risk. Zenyatta got to race for 3 years, whereas most horses only race for 1 or 2. Or how about if the just sold her right now for $10+ million, like what happened with Rachel Alexandra?
Her team – HER WHOLE TEAM – has done their best to keep this mare safe and sound, and it would be a CRIME to not allow her to produce and pass on her amazing qualities; Barbaro and Eight Belles never got the chance to do that. Yes, there are some breeding farms that may do cruel things – just like there are owners (and by this I mean regular horse people, such as you or I) who do cruel things as well. Lane’s End is not one of them, and DOTTIE’S SON works there, so it’s not like she’s just being shipped off to some random farm where no one will keep track of her.
Yes, she might be quarantined from the public for the most part, but that’s how almost ALL racehorses are treated; the MOSS FAMILY is who allowed people to get close to her. That is NOT the norm, and Zenyatta will be just fine with having normal contact. Do you have any idea how many people work at a breeder farm? A lot. And they’ll all be interacting with her. And believe it or not, she will bond with someone just the way she did with Mario. As much as you want to give her human qualities she is NOT a human; she’s a horse with HERD INSTINCTS, meaning she will eventually latch onto someone else, just like when you buy a new horse it buddies up with one of your current horses – it doesn’t sit there for months on end pining over one of its barnmates from it’s old home. That’s not to say she won’t recognize Mario or any of the other Zenyatta team members when she sees them; a horse that boarded at my house for years still pricks his ears and nickers at me when I see him out and about, but he’s perfectly content with his family.
All I’m saying is it that’s a pity that you are bashing on one of the few TRULY kind-hearted racehorse owners. I hope that the Moss family never reads the awful things that you people have been saying. It just goes to prove that you can do everything right – skipping the TRIPLE CROWN RACES to let the horse grow, not traveling great distances all the time because it stresses her out, allowing her to run on the tracks she likes no matter what everyone else is telling you to do, letting the public get close to your multi-million dollar horse even though that means you’re putting her/their safety at risk, and retiring her instead of just working more money out of her – and people will still hate you for it.
SAHIN
ZENYATTA harika bir at.very very good.
Carole
We will miss visiting you at your Hollywood Park home. But it is so reassuring to learn that David Ingordo lives in Lexington and will be keeping us informed about you and your life there. And how lovely that your old stablemate Life Is Sweet is at Lanes End as well. I can hardly wait to see you in your new home next spring/summer.
Emily
Zenyatta! Wow what a great few years of racing you gave us. You amazed me everytime you ran and took my breath away. I am sad to see you retire, but it is best for you and your owners and Team Zenyatta will take amazing care of you and I can’t wait to see your retirment party! Congrats Big Girl you are amazing and there will never be another horse like you!
sherry drish
thank you Zenyatta your team for giving us so much of your wonderful. We will always want to know how you are doing. GOD bless .
Vicki B.
I have read with interest all the passionate posts pro and con about Zenny’s people, her retirement prospects, breed-mare-ing, etc. All interesting because I have next-to-no real experience with horses, racing, etc. I feel supremely ignorant. Although I have sympathy with all who don’t want Zenyatta to retire (neither do I), I can’t make judgements about the motivations of her people, and the decisions they make — I don’t know them, and imagining what they might be feeling is just too much of a leap. Not to mention none of my business.
Those who are willing to express such judgements may know more than I, in reality, but I suspect it may be that saying goodbye to racing-Zenyatta is just hard, and so it’s easy or convenient to look for someone to blame, for how painful it is — I think that’s human. Zenny’s closest people may know what the heck they are doing, and feeling, after all. I have to allow that. Zenny is “ours”, in a way, but we really aren’t as close to her, as they are.
I just know I love Zenyatta, I love watching her dance, love seeing her run by the other horses, and I never get tired of it. So I’m just trying to get ready to say goodbye to that very emotional attachment to seeing a magnificent animal do what she has done best.
Mary Attwell
Please do let us in california know about Dec. 5 th at Hollywood Park so that we can say Good -Bye to this great horse who has become Our California Girl.. I still wish that she could race again as she loves it so much!! and we all love watching her race.. She is awesome!! to say the least! She will be a great Mom and the little foals she will have.. Look Out Horse Racing World…I cannot ait!!
Linda Bulger
PLEASE PLEASE do not turn the spirit of this horse into a battle field. She was sent here above and beyond her racing gift. I never watched a race but she , this horse, brought my 6 year old grand daughter and me together over the love of her dance, her spirit her eyes. We do not talk about what she won but how she loves life.I send her the pictures of Zen and she laughs with joy. What better gift can a horse bring but a child’s laugh. Thank you ZENYATTA and team for giving me a way to reach out to my grand child.
Lisa
I’m so glad you made it on Sun., I will be there, I haven’t missed any of your appearances in So. Cal. since I “luckily” saw you win first out. Thank you for everything!
LIa
This is all so bittersweet, as racing will just not be the same without Z. on the track. I’ve pretty much lived and died by her the past several years. I am still disappointed in the media coverage of her final race, since, though she didn’t come in first, she ran the race of a lifetime, passing all the other horses except Blame like they were standing still. 5 more feet and she would have been first. It was still an extraordinary performance, more compelling and more exquisite than Blame’s, one of her greatest. I just saw the film “Secretariat,” and I am struck by the similarities between the two. Zenyatta, you are revered. Forever, for always.
Patty Puckett
Love u big girl. Retire and have a couple of colts we can watch grow and be great race horses. ♥ You have touched my heart.♥
Sandy
Dear Zenyatta,
My first post never made it for some reason so I’m going to try again. Honestly, I never heard of you until I saw the “60 Minutes” story, but then I was absolutely captivated. I couldn’t wait to watch the Breeder’s Cup and felt so disappointed for you until I saw how well you managed not winning this one last race. It was a fantastic finish, and I know you gave it your best shot. You have won the hearts of so many, and I was thrilled to learn that you will be moving to Kentucky! I live in Ohio and didn’t think I would ever get to see you, but now . . . well, maybe someday! You are one awesome horse, and I wish you all the best in your retirement. Many thanks to those who have helped you keep in touch with all of your fans. It must be crystal clear to everyone that we’re hoping for continued updates, pictures, etc. Your new friend, Sandy
Sharon Tracy
Zenyatta deserves Horse of the Year honors. I hope she gets it.
I must be out of the loop. What is happening on 12/5/10?
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