Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Ask The Experts

Ask The Experts #1

Q:

Hello! I know everyone will have horse related questions, so my question will be about the barn cats at Lane’s End. Does Zenny have a favorite cat friend?

Kelly Mullin

Allentown, PA

Mr. Scraggles. Photo by Kyle Acebo

A:

Zenny does have a cat friend! This is Mr. Scraggles, who has been her buddy since she moved to the new barn with 12 Zenyatta. He’s pictured here cuddling up with Alys right outside of Z’s paddock.

Fun facts about Mr. Scraggles:

  • He’s the best mouser on the farm, but he doesn’t like to get his feet wet.
  • He’s very social kitty and comes when he’s called.
  • He is partial to a good tummy scratch.
  • On cold days you will find him in the tack room snoozing on the barn laundry.

Our Expert

Alys Emson

Client Management, Lane’s End

Alys has been at Lane’s End for fourteen years. She has worked in every division of the farm and is now in charge of client management, keeping owners up to speed about the lives of their horses.

Reader Interactions

174 Comments

  1. / Reply

    Keta,

    Thanks for posting that video tribute from Lava Man to I’ll Have Another.
    Very touching and special.

    Love the photos of Zenyatta and Rachel and the hearts and the comment about
    if you see my shed rockin don’t come knockin. Too Cute.

  2. / Reply

    Karen G.

    Your video of IHA June 15 is no longer available for viewing on facebook,
    not sure what happened, can you repost ????

    You are such the talented video, QUEEN.

    • / Reply

      Sign. Thanks for this. I am very sad to hear this news because I think of Dynaformer every day and miss hearing about him. Blumin Affair was a beautiful horse. Although some thought otherwise, I think that Dynaformer was also handsome. I loved his character, a horse who demanded and got respect. RIP Dynaformer and Blumin Affair, and run with Barbaro.

      • / Reply

        Horses can still be beautiful creatures, without that flashy, gorgeous look.
        And Dynaformer had that, definately.

        • Barbara Wood. Noble Mission, Frankel’s younger brother, races in the King Edward VII Stakes on June 22 at Ascot.
          There is an American bred and owned horse in the race: Thought Worthy. I would love to see him win. He has vanquished NM once before, and he is a son of Dynaformer. Make Big D proud!

  4. / Reply

    Trisha – congrats on your being named president of the virginia chapter! i think terry made a wonderful selection, as always.

    Pat and 2 Guses – welcome, welcome, welcome! membership in the rnc is growing by leaps and bounds! love the pics of the newest equine members.

    • / Reply

      Thank you thank you! I, and the Guses, are glad to be part of the NC chapter. I am glad that we are growing so quickly!

      • / Reply

        Pati, thanks for sharing the Guses w/ us. God painted rescue Gus w/ the most unique markings. Jumping Gus looks great,how many hands is he?
        With this heat, I am sure both Guses will enjoy their bath times. Stay cool.

        • Jumping Gus is a Holsteiner. He’s tall. I would say that about 17 hands.

        • OK, that does it. The Dunn Holsteiner will be mine. Gus is beautiful Pati.You are sittin way up there honey!!!!!!!

    • / Reply

      Sign. “Very unlikely” and “no” are still two different things. Cecil is leaving it up to Frankel. Who knows what Frankel might say? He might want to see the land of his ancesters and his namesake? It is not over until it is over.

      • / Reply

        Hope is always good, don’t think it is going
        To happen, though. Henry has been saying the
        Same comment for a year.

        • Henry is probably being politically correct
          With his comments. Black Cavier’s team is saying
          The same thing about the July Cup for her.

  7. / Reply

    Awww, such a pretty kittie! Thank you for posting this! I am sure Zenny loves him too!

  9. / Reply

    A Birthday Poem for Arlene Nelson in Vermont
    (June 21, 2012)

    Our dear Arlene
    Used to ride,
    Most serene,
    Through the green countryside
    On her Appaloosa mare,
    Ladybug by name.
    Later Arlene
    Could be seen
    Riding a horse just a little less tame,
    A chestnut pastured in their field
    For whom she did care.
    As she him galloped down country roads for fun,
    The long locks of her own curly mane
    Out behind her did stream.
    Trouble was, Charlie sometimes was keen
    There on the roads of Vermont
    To make their routine
    A shade more piquant—
    He the bit would take in his teeth
    And no one him then could beseech
    To his rider to yield.
    Arlene did prefer of course
    To be in control of her horse,
    But once started on a galloping run,
    Charlie was wont
    Not to listen.
    Soon his neck
    Wet with sweat
    Would glisten
    And gleam
    As he at top speed
    Careened with Arlene,
    But did her not heed
    As he raced o’er the ground.
    I imagine her heart did pound
    ’Till he finally came ’round
    And his pace did abate.
    Can anyone else to that relate?
    I don’t hesitate
    To state
    ’Twould make me quake!
    But our dear Arlene
    Is made of sterner stuff—
    She’s Yankee tough
    When she has to be,
    Like when things got really rough
    With Hurricane Irene.
    ‘Twas the end of August a year ago
    When every Vermont river and stream
    Began from the rain to overflow–
    Even creeks
    Did swell and rage.
    Electricity was lost,
    In some places for days
    And in others for weeks,
    Bridges by dozens were swept away
    And roads destroyed,
    To replace at great cost.
    The newscasts did relate
    How National Guards from eight states
    To help in Vermont were deployed.
    Arlene’s home did flood
    And filled with mud–
    What a task it was to clean
    And repair
    From the ravages of Irene,
    But through thick and thin,
    Never did Arlene despair!
    What a true heroine!
    I hope our dear Arlene
    Still has there
    Her Breyer figurine
    Of the Queen
    And her Dumpling name tag
    Which made her heart so glad
    Just before Irene came on the scene.
    Dearest Arlene, whatever family and friends
    Have for you planned,
    We hope this birthday is extra grand!

    Happy birthday, Arlene, and many, many happy returns!

  10. / Reply

    Lovely poem Trina for a special person.

    Happy B-day Arlene from Vermont.

    • / Reply

      Sounds like Trisha is the go to person on recycling tips. Yes,” the fabric of our lives”,coming to the rescue. Congrats. Trisha.

      I am curious….how many states are now represented?

  13. / Reply

    Happy Birthday Arlene.
    Trina,magical Trina keeping us in smiles!

    Mr.Scraggles,you are very handsome.Thanks for being the mouser to our Queen.

    TC, I put the RN hose to use yesterday and sprayed the joggers going by…at their request of course….hehe! Jogging w/ 98 degrees? I was waiting ti dial 911 for some.

    Little Cloud,welcome,and a sorrel. Oh my,I bet you are gorgeous. I know someone that loves a sorrel!!!

    Wonder how Black Caviar is doing,can’t wait to see her run.
    Stay cool everyone,it is slam you down on the sidewalk HOT!!!! Have a good one.

    Sign, I hope you saw the story of Jay Trump. Thought of you w/ his training.

    Oh and TC,what can you tell me about the Lucky Debonair?

    • / Reply

      Lucky Debonair was a horse who got very good after he was shipped to Santa Anita in 1965. He didn’t have much of a reputation when he arrived, and few people paid attention to him. He became a serious contender for the Kentucky Derby when he won the Santa Anita Derby in record time. His connections thought little of his chances when he first came to SA and, as a result, had to be a supplemental entry for that race. He then went on to win the Blue Grass Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. He was injured in the Preakness and did not compete in the Belmont. He won the Santa Anita Handicap in 1966 beating one of my favorite all-time horses, Native Diver. He kind of snuck up on people here and I don’t remember much about him. Shoemaker rode him. I think that some town in the midwest has a square named after him but I don’t recall which one. I must be getting old. What specifically did you want to know about him?

  14. / Reply

    Karen Gogue

    I loved your video. Had to LOL when IHA would not hold his legs where they wanted for the photos. Lava Man looked bored. Like he was thinking “Dont we have a race to go to? Haha. Thank you Karen.

    • / Reply

      Darlene
      Where did you find the video?
      I could not open the one KG posted
      On I phone or home computer.

      Am workIng on getting the Redneck Games
      Posted 2012 from Houston, they have not come
      Up yet.

      • / Reply

        Sign,

        I clicked on the link Karen has posted above, then click on wall, and there it was. Hope you find it.

        Cant wait to see the RN games, haha.

        Have a great day!

  15. / Reply

    Belmont Cancels Racing Due to Extreme Heat
    by Claire Novak The Blood-Horse
    Last Updated: 6/21/2012 9:47:51 AM
    Belmont Park cancelled racing June 21 as Elmont, N.Y. and the surrounding areas in Nassau County on Long Island came under a heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service.
    A heat advisory is issued when the combination of heat and humidity is expected to make it feel like it is 100 to 104 degrees for two or more consecutive hours.
    The forecast for June 21 called for temperatures rising toward 98 to 102 degrees, with the height of the heatwave expected to hit around 2 p.m.
    The advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. EDT June 21.
    Aqueduct Racetrack and the Belmont Café will remain open for simulcasting.

  16. / Reply

    Hi there everyone! Geez, I missed out on this blog because I’ve been caught up watching Royal Ascot. I also posted two new articles on THE VAULT about some of the horses who ran (Part One) and who are running (Part Two) from today until Saturday.

    I’m just in awe of Frankel and thrilled for So You Think! Did everyone see trainer Aidan O’Brien’s “confession” about the great So You Think? If not, you can read it here: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70691/so-you-think-atones-in-prince-of-waless

    It really adds an even more compelling dimension to OUR JOHN’s remark about you, Zenny: “If I can just get her right…” Clearly, shy Aidan had his work cut out for him when Coolmore bought its controlling share in SYT. He just feels so badly about tampering with an Australian icon. I mean, could you imagine Zenny going to Canada to a trainer who couldn’t get her right???? We’d all have been devastated & that’s how our Aussie friends feel about Aidan’s handling of SYT. (Not to say that the Mosses would ever have parted with you, Zenny!)

    Also, here’s a really special interview with another member of Team Moody who tells us a lot I never knew about Black Caviar:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFgMTWHd73Y&feature=plcp

    Today, PRINCESS HIGHWAY, by your daddy Zenny, STREET CRY, got up to win the prestigious Ribblesdale. It was TOO CUTE when her trainer confessed that, as YOUR JOHN surely knew awhile back, the Street Cry’s can be slow to develop. But the great Dermot Weld, the filly’s trainer, was prepared to wait. HIGH HOOF to STREET CRY!!!!

    Geez…..I miss all of you so much. It’s wonderful to see you all here and to read your comments & chats. Love & hugs to all

    • / Reply

      Abigail. A big thank you for this. I loved the video of BC, especially her swimming in the pool. She is quite the delightful character. You go, Nelly, and win at Ascot.

      • / Reply

        Dear Max,
        I really like how you said in one of your
        Previous posts the Henry Cecil has talking
        Horse like Doug O Neill. I imagine Frankel
        Has a lot to say in his boyish rock star manner
        So it is impossible to miss.

        • Sign. Frankel seems to talk as does I’ll Have Another and Lava Man. I would love to listen in to their conversations. Something tells me that Lava Man might be the most interesting and fun. Love you, Lava Man with your red nose band.

        • I do think Lava Man of all has the most intersting conversations
          as he is such a clown at heart !!!!

        • Dear Max,

          I am sure Frankel’s chatter is much more serious, to the point
          and rough and tumble like a very adolescent boy.

          It is so interesting that he never goes head to head with
          any one (except for last year at Royal Ascot), he just pulls
          off and wins. A meeting with a tenacious soul such as
          Shakelford might be a nice treat for him, but not realistic.

          Not sure the Euro TB are as tencacious and full of fight
          like our American TB??

      • / Reply

        I wonder why US trainers don’t use the pool for training.
        It would have probably prevented IHA leg issue.

        Maybe just not accepted here ????

        • Sign. Frankel seems to like to get out there and speed off with a huge stride that no one else can match. He does not seem to pay attention to any pacemaker but his brother, and that happened only after a lot of practice to settle him. Shack is a wonderful runner and he too likes to run from the front. I agree that he is tenacious and will not give up as he runs his heart out. The super tenacious may be like the Queen. She did the steamroller effect, which was nerve wracking to watch, as she passed her rivals one by one relentlessly. That 2010 BCC was the most exciting race that I have ever seen, and was lost only because she ran out of real estate, a little longer and it would have been different because she was gaining momentum. She ran so well that day that you could still cry for the sheer beauty of it.

        • Sign. Would love to have seen Z swimming. I bet that she would have set a new standard for bathing beauty. 12Z at the beach might be fun.

        • I believe the pool man was never included in, on the design aspect of training facilities. Maybe will be now! Not just for rehabin anymore!

          Horses love to swim. Nothing like being initiated into your local barns swim team. That is a drop and roll move!

        • Hi Sign, there are a lot of facilities in the US that have pools, also underwater treadmills and salt water treadmills.

    • / Reply

      Thanks Abigail for the repost of the link on
      So You Thinks win. There is some discussion
      About this win on the previous page. Like TC
      Says it is harder to keep up with pages, but better
      Not crash the website.

      Great video about BC, she is built like an
      Aussie girl, kind of a Lonhro body.

  17. / Reply

    DEAR ARLENE – a Very Happy Birthday to you. You live in my favorite state, Vermont!!! I have visited there almost every season, including “Mud” season as some of you so affectionately refer to it. Many happy memories of your beautiful state.

    Trina’s poem is so filled with description that I feel we all know you . How wonderful to have a horse to ride in the countryside.

    Great job again Trina!

    and Zenny’s barn cat is very handsome. I just love barn cats…..

    Thanks to Lane’s End and a great question from Kelly. Looking forward to the next one.

  18. / Reply

    Good morning, all: We are so glad to meet Mr. Scraggles. He is a doll! Would love to pet and hold him.

    @Karen Gogue–went back and found your message–thanks. And I did get the video.
    I never did see the ones from Pati about the Guses, however.

    @Arlene–Happy Birthday–hope it is a wonderful day for you. Enjoy every minute of it.

    @Trina–you are popping poems like popcorn, and we are all simply amazied. And you have many other jobs as well. You are a Wonder Woman!

    @sign–looking forward to the redneck video

  19. / Reply

    Dear Zenny,
    How nice to meet your Mr. Scraggles. He looks . . well . . . sort of “fluffy” for a barn cat. I’m wondering if you work on rearranging his fur? Now we know another fine member of your “team” at L.E. (and thanks to Team Z for embarking on this new feature). I’m a little confused though – are there still going to be “News” posts given this was added as a parallel thread to News and Z’s Diary? Hope you are staying cool there in KY and the flies aren’t too much of a bother.
    Love from your Ohio friend, Sandy

    Happy Birthday to Arlene – hope mother nature leaves Vermont alone this year. Had a great vacation there once – must have seen (and photographed) a zillion covered bridges :-) Have a wonderful year!

    Trina – I join those who are out of adjectives about your poems (good that YOU never run out though :-). Another masterpiece!

    Terry Crow – glad you’re back and anxiously awaiting the return of the talking horse jokes. Speaking of jokes, it’s not fair to ignore one that was sent to YOU!

  20. / Reply

    Thanks, LE, for answering the question about Z’s barn cat. I wonder if this feline knows he is in the company of true royalty when he sees the Queen.

    • / Reply

      Oh, thank you so much, Ann, for this wonderful site! I love the poems–my favorite is the third one on the page, entitled just “The Race”. I hope everyone checks it out! Thanks again for thinking of me (blush, blush), Ann!

  23. / Reply

    @Arlene ..have a great birthday…
    ……
    I think Zenny is running a spa….mud bathes around…maybe that’s why Mr Scraggles is so fluffy ..checking some photos and seems to be grooming NotWeeAnymoreZee
    …
    Kisses for all soft noses

      • / Reply

        TT had a boy weeks after Zenny….and being slightly different …did not take to motherhood …foal was placed with nursemare….who had lost her own …they bonded we think ….TT was placed with a group of mares…heard she was bred to Unbridled Song….but not verified ….hoping for more info via questiion link here…I asked about her and TT12 and stepmom…

  28. / Reply

    Happy birthdays–high hoof ones— to Sharon in Seattle and Arlene!
    Mr. Scraggles, pleased to make your acquaintance! :-)
    I enjoyed watching Frankel’s race–and the hoopla beforehand–in real time. Found it to be
    fun. Much needed of late. Speaking of which, welcome back, Terry Crow! :-)
    Also good to learn Dawn Conrad is okay.

    Will continue to catch up….

  29. / Reply

    Arlene,
    Love your poem by Trina, she always does a great job……..Have a very Happy Birthday and many more. Hugs

    Sign,
    I left you a message at the end of page one in reference to your hospital patient the Prince.

    Go Note Worthy in the King Edward Stakes, lets get another US win over there!

    Safe racing to all horses and jockeys!

  30. / Reply

    Friends, I need some help in wishing my sister the best. She’s been ill off and on for 4 years with no Doctor able to figure out what’s wrong so, they put her on several meds. Well, her my oldest nephew and my niece made a train trip from Sac, Ca to Washington State for my other nephews graduation. Well, to make a long story short, my mom had to rush her to the hospital and then, my sister had to make the 15hr trip back and when she got back, was back in the hospital. I didn’t know about this until Tuesday and they got back on Sunday. I’ve tried to call but, no answer. That means, the phone is off the hook and there’s no other way to get ahold of her. I try on fb through my nephew and niece but, nothing there either. I’ll try again tomorrow and I’ll call to see if Mom has heard anything.
    Pesonal note. If my mom panicked, that means that this is very serious! She never panics! Not even when I had my horse accident that left me temporarily paralyzed!
    Thank you

    • / Reply

      Heidi, will keep all of you in my prayers today.
      Concerning your horse accident…Moms have to put on their “game faces ” for the children. I sure she was panicking inside but remained rock solid for YOU,so you would remain calm. That is a Mom at her best!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.