Zenyatta

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Zenyatta News

Dr. Holder Talks Z

New paddock mates! Photo by Alys Emson/Lane's End
Look, new paddock mates! Photo by Alys Emson/Lane’s End

Happy Thursday!

Zenyatta and her Tapit colt have new paddock mates at Lane’s End. Alys snapped the first photo of the group, and we’ll post some more once the little ones get to know each other.

We have an video interview to share today. Dr. Holder, who was present at the April 1st foaling, met up with us at Lane’s End the following day to talk about Zenyatta. You’ll also see a sneak peak of our footage from the night of the foaling—there’s more of that to come along with our next round of video interviews!

Photo by Alys Emson
Photo by Alys Emson

Enjoy!
-Team Z

Reader Interactions

1,025 Comments

  1. / Reply

    RIP Mr. Eric Kronfeld
    Thank-you for your astute mating that gave us the lovely Vertigineux, as well as the brilliant Street Cry/Vetigineux mating that produced the much loved Zenyatta.

    May your lovely Ebby be another gem from Vertigineux to carry on your legacy.

    Sending my prayers and strength to your family during this very difficult time.

    • / Reply

      Dear Janet:

      What a feisty little thing. She never stops. Couldn’t help noticing the mare and foal in the other pasture. That little foal just walking with it’s Mom and this little terror just loving to run. I thought her Mom seemed a little uneasy watching her wild child run. Thank you for sharing. Love and Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        I have seen videos from this farm and they always have the moms on a lead for the first outing. They were extra careful with this mare since she has had difficult deliveries in the past and foaled at the vet clinic/hospital. They just got home today. This filly was born on Mother’s Day and is 3 days old. If I remember correctly her sire is Afleet Alex.

        • Thank you Janet, that makes perfect sense. I promise I wasn’t criticizing, I was just curious. Mom is definitely going to have her hands full!

        • Dear Janet:

          I love her sire Afleet Alex. He was a tremendous athlete keeping himself upright after that awful stumble and going on to win the 2005 Preakness. I think this little one inherited his athletic genes. Hugs, JB

        • Afleet Alex was a very underrated horse as a runner. Don’t know his stats as a sire.

        • I will never forget how Afleet Alex avoided tragedy by pulling himself up after almost coming to his knees in the Preakness. In my opinion he should have been a triple crown winner…he was just that good.

      • / Reply

        Louise,

        Your question made perfect sense to me and I did not take your comment as anything but honest curiosity. As Judy B commented she is a feisty little thing.

    • / Reply

      Janet
      What a glorious happy video!
      Love the squeals of joy.
      Good luck Mom–all this at 3 days!
      Hugs, Keta

    • / Reply

      What a lovely video, this filly is going to be a terror on the track.

      Mom wanted to run with her foal; she was not uneasy.

      Great idea to have the foal run and get energy out and
      then let mom and little one graze together.

    • / Reply

      This was terrific Janet – thank you so much. Those squeals were just too cute, and I guess this is the epitome of the “born to run” notion. And she was only 3 days old????

    • / Reply

      Dear Janet
      With the losses we had this week: Judy Glore and Eric Kronfeld, I so needed this happy video. Thank you for the smiles. I’m sharing the video on FB and I’m going to email to friends.
      ♥ Auntie Judy

    • / Reply

      Janet This video is so cute. I showed one of the classes. How can you not love that little guy. Thank you for posting. Mrs. Voltz and Homerrom 215-217

    • / Reply

      I love how she seems to play “chicken” with the photographer. She’s really giving those three-day old legs a workout. Her mom is lovely too.

    • / Reply

      This video is just precious. What an adorable little foal! This made my day. Her little squeals of delight were just too cute. Aww, to be young and innocent again!

  3. / Reply

    Oh, my. I just became aware that Eric Kronfeld passed away today. What very sad news this is. It seems to me that I remember reading that he was at HP for Ebby’s first race! It doesn’t seem like that was all that long ago.

    Thank you Mr. Kronfeld for giving us Zenyatta and Ebby! May you rest in peace.

  4. / Reply

    Such sad news about Mr. Kronfeld. What a loss. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Thank you, Mr. K, for Vertigineux, the wonderful Zenyatta, and Eblouisante — such genius. RIP Eric Kronfeld

  5. / Reply

    New TV Video: Judy Glore Memorial Fund
    Diana Stuart shared this comment and link to the second TV news video about Judy Glore’s passing:
    “Judy’s beautiful daughter Terra Contessa Flores is featured in this new news video from Tuesday, her [Judy Glore’s] birthday. Brought more tears, but please share the link far and wide.”

    http://www.kgun9.com/multimedia/videos/?bctid=2382446805001

    Thank you, Diana. Hugz, Trina

    • / Reply

      What a remarkable woman. Trina-I must confess that I do not know what the initials, H.E.A.R.T. stand for. Could you enlighten me?

    • / Reply

      Dear Trina:

      Thank you for the link to this very heartfelt video. Like you, Judy G. was a very special, caring lady. Love and Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      Thank you for sharing this, Trina. What an extraordinary woman. First Judy Glore and then Eric Kronfeld. It’s been a sad week for racing.

    • / Reply

      Dear Trina:

      What a beautiful name Judy G. gave her daughter. It suits her. Hugs, JB

  9. / Reply

    Max,

    Still have not heard where you live in CANADA, Alberta????

    Please do share with your wonderful loving Z family.

        • TracyF aka Sign etc. Strangely fixated on Canada, where people live, official announcements, Keta, twitter etc? Why attack? Why not concentrate on Z and horses like everyone else? You will just be ignored as everyone gets on with all things Z. Love and peace to you. Goodbye.

        • Who (besides you, obviously) cares?
          Stop your bullying and stalking; learn to play nicely, please.
          Hoping your mental state improves soon.

        • TracyF,
          The above post from me was intended for you — just to clarify.
          Max is a positive presence on this site. We don’t need any negatives since the world is sad enough already.
          From this point on, I will try to ignore any toxic posts. Good-bye.

      • / Reply

        Max,
        Shame on you for trying misleading folks
        on this site that you live in the US
        and you don’t. That is hardly in the
        name of love.

        Shame Shame Shame !!!!

        • Max, we don’t care what country you call home. Our Zenny is beloved throughout the world and would be proud to count you as a fan. She and her team are all about inclusion…for everyone, anywhere. We love your posts.

    • / Reply

      TracyF, His loving Z family would not care if he was from Mars. We love him no matter where he is from. I wish you would back off.

  12. / Reply

    Not horse news but good news.
    Today is my Mom’s Birthday.
    My Mom is 80 today. Wow she looks great.
    Happy Birthday Mom.
    May what a great Birthday Month.

  14. / Reply

    dear sue noel am sure sue is getting very excited about her trip I live in the south west of wales nowhere near Holyhead yes we can all dream cant we???? love and hugs sheena love to Barnaby and traveller

  15. / Reply

    morn Zsters, zenny, coz, & red prince

    today is a rainy day. i think the ‘april showers’ are coming a month late. lol

    for today:

    God Cares About Every Detail
    God cares about every detail of your life…
    He collects every tear in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8)
    He numbers every hair on your head. (Luke 12:7)
    He knows every hurt in your heart. (Psalm 34:18)
    The Lord knows all you are going through.
    He loves you, He cares for you,
    and He will make sure not one detail is overlooked.

    Thinking of You and Praying too
    God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
    James 5:11

    thx for all the links :)

    @maureen – glad to help relieve your burden a little.i’ll cont to pray for you. hugs
    @sheena – love your quote “a problem shared is a problem halved” :)
    @Sue FLCPRC – mayyour mom have a wonderful 80th bday <3

    i was surprised & saddened when i heard about Mr. Kronfeld.
    may he RIP.

    prayers & blessings to all who need them
    hugs, vamp

  16. / Reply

    Vampressqueen Sue Colvin /NJ
    Pray that your day is filled with blessings, healings, & love!
    Hugs, Keta

    • / Reply

      “Learn how to take loving and compassionate responsibility for your own feelings of loneliness, heartbreak and helplessness. When you can fully manage these difficult feelings through acknowledging them, embracing them with compassion, learning about what they are telling you about an interaction with someone, and then releasing them, you will find yourself no longer getting angry and blaming.”

      “How long will this take?” asked Kim.

      “As long as it takes. Do you have something better to do that learn how to be loving to yourself?”

      Kim laughed. “No. I guess it’s time to start.”

      For more by Margaret Paul, Ph.D., click here.

      For more on emotional intelligence, click here.

      This Blogger’s Books from

    • / Reply

      Keta; I can not bring myself to read this one kiddo. I believe in what is meant to be, though there are always variables that can change things on the track, I’d rather not know anything negative that could affect Orb. It’s just me.
      hugs, Sally B

  18. / Reply

    Dear Z Dumplings aka Z’sters ♥
    Wednesday started on a happy note for me because I went down Memory Lane. I stopped by the building in Hollywood that used to be A&M Records (Herb Alpert/Jerry Moss) fame. I got out of my car and took photos and filmed a short video.

    A young gentlemen was walking. He decided to stop and talk to me. He asked me why I was taking a picture – was it because of the frog on the roof of the entrance? LOL Well, he got an earful about Zenyatta and Jerry Moss :-)

    I got a text about Mr. Kronfeld’s passing. With the passing of Judy Glore, and now Eric Kronfeld, I feel I cannot catch a breathe. Praying he rests in peace… We know he left Eblouissante in the hand’s of our Beloved John Shirreffs. Praying she stays healthy and sound and kicks butt on the race track when John feels fit for her to race again.

    Mr. Kronfeld: Thank you for breeding such wonderful horses!!

    {{hugs}} to all, Auntie Judy (waiting to exhale)

    • / Reply

      Dear Auntie Judy:

      Can feel your sorrow. I join you in celebrating Mr. K and thanking him for beautiful Zenyatta and Ebby. May he rest in peace. Love and Hugs, JB

  19. / Reply

    @Terry Crow–in case Trina is busy, the Heart part of Heart of Tucson is Happy Equine Acres Rescue & Therapy.

    @Vamp–love the verses for today.

    @Janet Newman–the video is priceless. What a baby doll. Best wishes to the mom too.We’ll never forget Coz running and snorting.

    Does anyone have an update on Michele Moore or Louise Christman? They were facing health issues, and I may have missed a report.

  20. / Reply

    @Vicki B-sorry it took so long, but I am responding to your comment a few days ago about slot machines and race tracks. To say that the Indians have not been very cooperative is putting it mildly. The tribes have lobbied our politicians here long and hard to make sure that their monopoly, as far as slot machines, remains intact. It is true that slot revenue has allowed some tracks in other parts of the country to stay afloat and actually increase the size of its purses. In California, the Indian casinos are located on tribal land, mostly far away from population centers. The Indian casinos have buses to take people to and from its environs. It is probable that, if race tracks had slot machines, it would have an impact on their business. However, I cannot understand why the racing industry is allowed to flounder when a fix is so simple. The land at Hollywood Park surely is not that attractive for development, at least not housing units. It is kind of like gas prices. All the federal government would have to do is release some oil from the strategic reserve and prices would drop. That oil could then be replaced at cheaper prices. However, what is the real reason and motives for the prices to remain high? The higher the prices the more tax revenue. A conscious decision is being made as to which industry or group will survive and which will go under.

    • / Reply

      Dear TC GP:

      Thank you once again for an insightful comment on the racing industry. So sad things couldn’t be done to save Hollywood Park. Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      Terry, about the Indians is pretty similar to what my brother was telling me, too. One local paper (the “L.A. Sentinal”) has also written about it, saying that the upscale housing developments on the North side of Hollywood Park, are having trouble with too many vacancies — so why would they imagine it will be easy for them, developing the HP land similarly on the South side?

      Bill Dwyre’s column yesterday, http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dwyre-preakness-20130517,0,3745916.column, pointed out, “There was another active bidder, confirmed by two sources this week, when Churchill Downs sold Hollywood Park to the land development company that recently announced it was closing down the racing. That bidder was an Indian casino.” So they had their chance to bring in gambling. I am not a gambler, but to save the track, as it has done back East, it seems an easy choice.

  21. / Reply

    Max,
    This is practically “ancient history” by now, but thanks for the info about Kauto Star. I guess context is everything, and I may eventually get the vocabulary straightened out. I watched some of the dressage during the Olympics and saw horses jumping over gates and ponds and all sorts of other things so I was sort of equating dressage with jumping. I think you are saying that during his racing career, KS ran in things such as the Grand National where jumping the fences is part of the race (as opposed to “just running” as I’m used to seeing our horses do). In any case, he is apparently a very accomplished horse, and it’s great that a second career opportunity arose :-).

    • / Reply

      Sandy. See Sheena’s comments below on Kauto and his career as a national hunt jumper. Kauto ran in races like the Grand National, but as Sheena says he never competed in that particular race. In terms of the Olympics, I think that you may be referring to eventing, of which dressage is one component. Neville Bardos is an eventing horse. Kauto in his retirement is concentrating on dressage only. There was a lot of controversy in the UK over this decision, but his owner decided that Laura Collett should teach him. According to his own Twitter comments, and the reaction of fans to his appearances, Kauto is doing well in his new career. He’s 13, but acts like a 3 year old. He loves Black Caviar and Quevega.

    • / Reply

      There was also a 3rd version, a Redneck barbecue, which was a shopping cart parked over a campfire, with the food on the bottom of the cart.

    • / Reply

      Thanks for the laugh Vicki – I couldn’t imagine what it was going to be. Seems like an efficient approach if you ask me :-)

    • / Reply

      That is genius and I love it! HA!
      Thanks, Vicki B.
      I will be prepared for the next trip to the lake. Love hot dogs.

  24. / Reply

    dear sandy kauto star did’nt run in any grand nationals he won 16 grade 1 races (holds record with john henry and hurricane fly) won 5 king georges at Kempton 2 Cheltenham gold cups and many many othersone of my all time favourite horses now having a 2nd career at dressage with laura collett love and hugs sheena

  25. / Reply

    dear max have you heard where mad moose is racing next? cant believe how he has improved so much on the flat the queen Alexandra should suit him it’s the longest flat race brown jack won it 6 years running in the late 1920’s early 30’s also winning a champion hurdle on the way heavens opened at York today may in the UK lol! henry cecil had a winner last Mohican his future is in hurdlingwith alan king maybe another istabraq! hope we get a good race on Saturday and cityscape runs well kauto was a bit drunk on carrot juice the other night wonder what sort of week our hovis has had? hugs sheena

    • / Reply

      Sheena. No word yet on the next race for Mad, although it might be in the next two weeks. I read that his trainer is not very happy with Mad’s rank because he wants to enter the Ascot Stakes. Mad’s just too good now with a 100 rank for that race.
      I did read about Last Mohican. Apparently Henry Cecil thinks very highly of him. Cecil never says anything negative about his horses, but he sometimes calls them babies That will be something if Mohican becomes another Istabraq.
      Looking forward to the Lockinge. Hoping that Beauty Parlour does well, but Ballydoyle has some very good entries.
      Kauto can be a very naughty boy. He’s also suggesting holding barbecues. I see that Tilly has tweeted her photo.

      • / Reply

        Love the name,Last Mohican. That movie was filmed here in our state of NC around Chimney Rock. OK, now I must cheer for Last Mohican!!!
        I imagine all of the horses under , Cecil are his babies. The secret to his success?
        We must send,Kauto the RN BBQ hot dog roaster that Vicki B. shared!

        • Ann NC. Last year Thomas Chippingdale and Noble Mission were in the same race. Cecil commented that they were both babies, but one was just a bigger baby than the other. He once called his two year olds in training all a little backward. Made me laugh.

  26. / Reply

    Just an observation regarding Orb and Shug. Orb is a beautiful animal but in looks has none of the flash or distinguishing markings of I”ll Have Another, Secretariart, Zenyatta, Curlin or Rachel. Shug is not a flashy trainer. He just quietly goes about his business. How well the two fit together. Here’s hoping they continue to make a quiet dynamic duo.

  27. / Reply

    dear max when laura was away at badminton kauto was thinking of calling denman and the boys over!!sir henry is a gentle man always speaks highly of all his horses am reading the latest book about him hope beauty parlour will run well for him he still finds it hard to speak hugs sheena

    • / Reply

      Sheena. I recall that Henry Cecil said that he loved Twice Over most of all. He called Twice Over his friend. Twice Over was a very good racer. He lost to Zenyatta in the 2009 BCC. No horse had a chance against Z on that day.

  28. / Reply

    sleep well zenny & princes,
    may your dreams be filled w/ tasty peppermints

    @vicki b- lol at your redneck post

    reminder from God:
    “I lay My Loving Hands on you.
    Feel their tender pressure.
    Courage and hope will flow into your being.”

    hugs/prayers, vamp

  29. / Reply

    Dear Z, COZ and Little Red Prince:

    Sweet Dreams to all of you. Love Ya. Hugs, JB

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