Zenyatta

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New Winter Photos

Winter landscape from Lane's End. Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Winter landscape from Lane’s End. Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End

Happy Friday!

Alys recently spent some time with both Zenyatta and her colt. She sent us these photos of Zenyatta getting some attention in her stall and the yearlings enjoying winter weather out in the paddock.

We are also proud that Bloodhorse has named the birth of Zenyatta’s colt the most popular story of 2012. You can see the whole “2012 in Review” newsletter by clicking this link.

Bloodhorse 2012 in Review
Bloodhorse 2012 in Review

Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End


Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane's End
Photo courtesty of Alys Emson/Lane’s End

Reader Interactions

1,573 Comments

  2. / Reply

    OMG, Can’t forget Congratulations to Groupie Doll, Zagora. Congrats Way To Go.

    Darley, Huge Congratulations. You guys are so wonderful. Just over the top Wonderful. Appreciated your great kindness on my visit to your farm. Shek Hamdons farm too. So glad your here in America too.

    • / Reply

      Dear Peggy N,

      So many awards for Darley a very top class operations in all areas.
      Can hardly wait to see Questing. So sad It’s Tricky has gone to the
      shed. The fall at the gate in one of her last races really caused her
      some problems. Hope she produces some winners, she may not
      be too tricky anymore or maybe she will.

      • / Reply

        Sign, They are great. The personnel so nice at letting you see the stallions.
        If I could speak to ShekMohammed there is one thing I would tell him. Please bring Street Sense back. Was so upset when they said he was going to japan. I understand their wanting him over there, but I was so hoping he would always stay here. I am going to Miss It’s Tricky, I so wish her luck as a Broodmare.

  3. / Reply

    I’m puzzled why Paynter’s owner/family member or trainer was not on hand to accept the “Special Moment” award for him besides the vet from New Bolton. Thought it was an awkward moment for her to be all alone on stage like that. Anybody?

    • / Reply

      I read it was because dad/trainer is hurt and son/owner did not want to leave him…it was arranged ahead of time for the vet to accept the award

      • / Reply

        Maybe so but if it were me I would have made sure someone from my personal team be there to thank everyone involved in Paynter’s remarkable saga of recovery including the countless fans who held vigil thoughout his ordeal with their thoughts and prayers.

        • Thought it was unusual, too.
          They are a very close family, though.

    • / Reply

      Dear AJ,

      In retrospect thinking about your comment, maybe Paynter’s owners wanted
      everyone to see Dr. Laura as she is the one who saved his life and probably
      should accept the award. The owner just pays the $$$$$.

    • / Reply

      Dear KG,

      This is so very inspirational, he is so cute in his uniform.

      Great post.

      • / Reply

        Dear Sign and Karen: Speaking of brave animals in war – have just watched a programme on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) on the background behind the production of the stageplay “War Horse”. It was adapted from the book by Michael Morpurgo, and also made into a movie. The horrifying bit was the stats: 6 million horses and mules used, 1 million for the British Army. 484,000 killed in the service of the British Army. Morpurgo quoted from a meeting he had with an old WWI soldier who had served in the Devon Yeomanry. “When he was out there, he said, he and all his friends were terrified morning, noon and night They were terrified when they were at the front, and they were terrified in bed at night because they knew they’d soon be off to the front. ‘But you couldn’t talk about it with your pals,’ he told me. ‘The only person I could talk to was my horse. I told him how much I wanted to go home, things I never told to any human being'”. Sometimes makes me ashamed to be a human, with so-called intelligence, when you see just how dreadfully we treat animals!

        • Dear Kathy R,

          Thanks for sharing such a wonderful account of the behind the scenes
          thoughts and feeling for the soldiers and horses who fought in WWI.
          The bravery they had to experience against all odds was so amazing and
          to not have food and water to continue on. There is an HRTV documentary
          on the one who “served” in the Civil War and I had to turn it off.
          Will see if I can post it as it was on HRTV.

    • / Reply

      Thanks, Karen!!
      Sure do love this story. What a wonderful soldier dog!
      Stubby deserved those medals, and I am very glad that he was recognized with a brick in the WWI memorial in Kansas.
      Take care and hugs!

  6. / Reply

    HOLY SMOKES!!!

    What’s happened to this blog? I started with Zen in the beginning of her amazing journey, but haven’t visited the site for awhile. Just checked in tonight and can’t believe the nastiness I’m reading… Crikey!!!

    • / Reply

      Yeah, it’s a shame, huh? But really, this has happened here before, periodically, as human tempers flare. But it eventually subsides, and things move on again, more congenially. So I usually just wait for that, now.

    • / Reply

      I agree wholeheartedly with you. Please don’t leave us. Nastiness has nothing to do with Zenyatta. It would be completely foreign to her. I just checked in and haven’t read anything from late yesterday, but I will go back and catch up later. Thanks for the warning.

    • / Reply

      Dear Patricia, Vicki B, Barb W and Z Fans:

      We’re so lucky to have this site and allowed to be a part of Z’s life. So looking forward to the new Baby and news of The Prince in training. I’ve learned so much about horses from so many of you and feel a special connection because of our shared love of them. Because of Z’s many, many fans, her team gave us this site. We should use it to communicate with kindness our love for Z and all things horses. Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        Dear Judy,

        You have expressed my feelings exactly! Thank you for your eloquent words, which I feel are the feelings of most everyone here. This site is very, very important to me, as well, I am sure thousands of others. Just look at the photos at the opening of this blog/chapter. It is ZENYATTA, and 12Z. What do you all see? I see LOVE, PEACE, PERFECTION, and nothing more. That is what this site is, and means to me and is all about. Oh, well, that is my two cents worth.

        Dear Zenyatta, 12Z, Mr. and Mrs. Moss and all of Lanes End, Thank you for these beautiful photos of 12Z and Zenyatta. Alyss, you are a wonderful photographer. I feel as if I could just reach through the computer screen and hug Zenyatta. You can see and feel the love she exudes through these photos. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

        Happy Sunday everybody. Zenyatta and 12Z, you are my angels, and I love you forever.

        • P.S. I forgot. Congratulations to all the Eclipse Award Winners. What a year!

          And kudos to Mike Smith for not forcing Mucho Macho Man, when obviously he was done with that race yesterday. Good job anyway Mucho Macho Man. Mike Smith is the most astute and in tune jockey with his mounts, in my opinion, and that is why I love him and think he is the best. Hope everything turns out OK for Mucho Macho Man.

      • / Reply

        Dear Judy B,

        So totally agree with you. More than you know or I know, things go on behind the scenes (personal e-mail’s) and then the frenzy begins with one person at a time, then escalates as a group “feeding” frenzy, and become out of control on this blog, which is very sad. We are all individuals, have things to contribute and should be treated with respect and acknowlegedment. Zenyatta is at a beautiful farm growing babies now. We are all very interested in racing and learn so much about it and from each others.

        Thanks for coming to this blog for THE BEAUTY WONDER AND EXCITEMENT OF ZENYATTA AND EVERYTHING SHE HAS BROUGHT TO US.

    • / Reply

      Dear Zenny fans, Dumplings and All,

      PRAYER FOR PEACE, STRENGTH AND JOY.

      Blessed Heavenly Father, We are uniting with others to show gratefulness
      to You. Dear Lord, you have blessed us abundantly. Please help each one of
      us to surrender our hearts to You today. Where there are struggles let Your
      peace come in; where there are temptations let Your strength take over; where
      there are sorrow let Your abiding joy dwell in us. May we see clearly that it is
      the dawn of a new day, a new life and a new start for us. AMEN

    • / Reply

      I haven’t been here in ages, and i’m pretty perplexed to see that one person with many titles has usurped the site. The only way you can counter that is by completely ignoring the person who is out of control. This should be a peaceful place but i find myself being sharp to this person throughout these blogs tonight because i feel she is monopolizing the space. Not right.

    • / Reply

      Dear Judy B,

      What a wonderful slide show. This horse is very special, he is all business with
      an air of “I know what I am doing”. Can hardly wait until 2013 and since he
      is a gelding maybe even longer. To be honored like the great John Henry is
      really something. Thanks for posting the slideshow.

    • / Reply

      JudyB. Wonderful photos of our guy, Dan. I liked in particular the one with all of the champions on parade. They look very proud. Thank you for posting.

      • / Reply

        Dear Sign, Ingrid, Ann, Max and Z Fans:

        You’re so welcome. I like that photo too, Max. They seem to know what they’ve accomplished. Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      Thanks, Judy Berube!!
      Great post and great slide show of an exceptional horse. YAY, Wise Dan!!
      Congratulations to “Danny boy” and all his connections! What a versatile athlete he is.
      Hugs!

  8. / Reply

    dear sign huge congrats to all eclipse winners especially HOY wise dan would loved to have seen the great one take him on lovely he got a mention and nelly too teddy must have got very excited!!! hugs sheena hope you got my emails

    • / Reply

      Dear Sheena,

      Thanks for the thank you for our Wise Dan. Think he would be our “biggest
      gun” against the great one. Yes, got e-mail from Sat, will check about Friday.
      My e-mail runs crazy too sometimes. Did get the great link you sent.
      Hope you are bundled up with this cold weather.

    • / Reply

      Dear Sheena,

      Replied to your e-mail on Friday and guess I fell asleep.
      So sorry. Answered both today, hope the weather is
      better or improving. Love the photo of the horses
      working in the snow. All a part of life of riding in the UK.

      I think it would be fun if one got used to it and am sure the
      horses are well versed at running on all of these surfaces.

  10. / Reply

    BLOODHORSE: WISE DAN SWEEPS, HOY, OLDER MALE AND TURF TITLES

    GO GO GO WISE DAN – GIVE US A GREAT 2013 !!!! (finally a talented gelding that
    may be here a few years)

    Wise Dan Sweeps HOY, Older Male, Turf Titles
    By Claire Novak, @BH_CNovak
    Updated: Saturday, January 19, 2013 11:12 PM
    Posted: Saturday, January 19, 2013 10:04 PM

    Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
    Wise Dan’s wins included the Breeders’ Cup Mile on the turf at Santa Anita.
    Order This Photo
    Morton Fink’s homebred Wise Dan swept three categories–Horse of the Year, older male, and male turf horse–at the Jan. 19 Eclipse Awards ceremony in Hallandale Beach, Fla., becoming the first horse to do so since John Henry in 1981.

    The versatile chestnut gelding snapped two track records in 2012 while concluding his season with a brilliant turn of foot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT), joining just three other Horse of the Year champions since 1971—when the modern Eclipse Award voting system was put into place—whose campaigns were executed primarily or solely on turf.

    While John Henry, All Along in 1983, and Kotashaan in 1993 specialized in races contested at 1 1/4 miles and longer, Wise Dan became the first Horse of the Year whose significant victories were accomplished on the grass at a mile.

    Historically, he joins champions such as Secretariat, who was named Horse of the Year, champion 3-year-old, and male turf horse in 1973; Dr. Fager, the 1968 Horse of the Year, champion older male, and champion sprint horse; Round Table, who collected Horse of the Year honors, a champion male turf horse award, and male handicap honors in 1958; and Fort Marcy, Horse of the Year, champion male turf horse, and champion older male in 1970.

    A three-race win streak in premiere company going a mile on turf solidified Wise Dan’s legend during the second half of his 5-year-old season. Daylighting by 3 1⁄4 lengths in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (CAN-I), he turned around three weeks later to power home by 2 1⁄4 in the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) over Keeneland’s turf course. Then it was on to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park.

    Not only did the speedy runner demolish the competition with a 1 1⁄2-length score under John Velazquez—leaving in his wake 2011 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Animal Kingdom, West Coast speedster Obviously, and European standouts Excelebration and Moonlight Cloud—he smashed a 15-year-old track record, getting the distance in 1:31.78 while carrying 126 pounds. The 1:31.89 mark he beat was set by Atticus, who carried nine pounds less in 1997.

    “I thought he was going to run good, but I had no idea he was going to break a 15-year-old track record,” trainer Charlie Lopresti recalled. “Breaking two track records in one year? You haven’t seen a horse like that since John Henry and Forego. When you go back to the last really good gelding, you talk about those horses; that’s for sure.”

    Wise Dan, now a 6-year-old son of Wiseman’s Ferry , is the first gelding since John Henry in 1981 and 1984 to be named Horse of the Year.

    At the beginning of the season “it never even crossed my mind,” Lopresti said of Wise Dan’s likelihood of receiving Horse of the Year honors. But as time continued, “he kept getting better and better,” the trainer recalled.

    Five victories in six starts over six different surfaces in 2012 built a convincing case for year-end honors as Wise Dan traveled to win in Kentucky, New York, Canada, and California for earnings of $2,622,037. The way he accomplished those victories sealed the deal.

    Wise Dan had already shown he was good, taking the Fayette Stakes (gr. II) on Polytrack at Keeneland and winning the Clark Handicap (gr. I) on dirt at Churchill Downs to close out 2011. But he took things to a new level with his first start of the New Year, stopping the clock in an eye-popping 1:46.63 with a record-setting 10 1⁄2-length romp in the 1 1⁄8-mile Ben Ali Stakes (gr. III), also on Keeneland Polytrack. Wise Dan earned a 117 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort, then the highest figure of the year and the biggest synthetic Beyer since the advent of the artificial surfaces.

    Next up was the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) on dirt at Churchill Downs, where he just missed by a head to Ron the Greek while giving weight and getting bothered down the lane. Then it was on toSaratoga Race Course and a return to turf, which resulted in his emphatic five-length victory in the Fourstardave (gr. IIT)–all that before three grade I victories sealed his status as the most accomplished runner in the nation.

    The gelding’s connections couldn’t be more deserving of the good fortune brought by their brilliant runner. Fink, 83, saw great success and made significant contributions to the racing game for more than 40 years but dispersed his broodmare band as he aged. He kept the Wolf Power mare Lisa Danielle because she was named after his granddaughter; that mare produced Wise Dan, who was foaled in Kentucky on Feb. 20, 2007.

    Lopresti, 55, quietly campaigned runners to victory after taking out his training license in 1993 and won his first graded stakes, the 2009 Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. III), with Wise Dan’s half brotherSuccessful Dan. But the national spotlight had never shone upon him as it did in 2012, when his carefully planned campaign was carried out to near perfection by Wise Dan.

    “It’s like a dream come true for a little guy like me who started out with six horses,” remarked Lopresti, who also runs his own Forest Lane Farm near Lexington with his wife, Amy. “Even five years ago I never would have thought I’d be in this position.”

    Wise Dan returned from a post-Breeders’ Cup rest Jan. 6 and is gearing up for a 2013 debut in the April 12 Maker’s 46 Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland. He could start on various surfaces this year as Lopresti and Fink have discussed another dirt run. According to the trainer, it won’t take much to bring this versatile gelding back to the races.

    “Wise Dan is pretty easy to train–as a matter of fact, you just stay out of his way,” he said.

    Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/75702/wise-dan-sweeps-hoy-older-male-turf-titles#ixzz2IXBpKBen

  11. / Reply

    BLOODHORSE: EBLOUISSANTE AND ZENYATTA COMPARED ON HERD DYNAMICS
    AND EMOTIONAL CONFORMATION.

    signofthetimes; President of the Texas RN Club; RN philosopherPermalink | Reply
    January 18, 2013 at 9:19 pm
    BLOODHORSE: THE HERD DYNAMICS AND EMOTIONAL CONFORMATION OF EBLOUISSANTE COMPARED TO ZENYATTA

    (great article about herd dynamics in a racing situation, and how the horse
    uses it to race – interesting that Zenyatta was able to scope out the whole
    field, hone in on the leader and go for them; “E” joins up with the first
    horse and takes each one on individually – a more dependent style that
    will surely develop. Points made Zenyatta’s racing ability was very unusual
    and rare. “E” should be a 9-10 furlong horse – fun to watch her develop)

    The herd dynamics and emotional conformation of Eblouissante
    18 Jan 2013 10:26 AM 13 Comments
    8
    With everyone talking about undefeated Eblouissante’s second career victory, I thought it would be interesting to analyze her from the standpoint of herd dynamics and emotional conformation with help from my friend and cohort Kerry Thomas.

    For those not familiar with Kerry, he is the founder of The Thomas Herding Technique (THT), author of Horse Profiling: The Secret to Motivating Equine Athletes, and a pioneering researcher in the fields of equine communication and herd dynamics, among other things. I am THT’s director of equine services. Our company specializes in the study of herd motion (aka a horse race), the minds and emotions of horses, and behavioral genetics.

    Kerry emphatically states Zenyatta is the highest level herd dynamic mare he has ever seen, on all levels. So when we talk about how Eblouissante lacks the vision and mental proficiency of her famous half-sister, keep in mind she has nearly impossible shoes to fill.

    While no doubt there are some similarities between Zenyatta and Eblouissante, there are vast differences between them when viewed through the lens of emotional conformation herd dynamics. In fact, they are quite different horses.

    When Eblouissante bounces out of the gate, she is in the individual dynamic zone. She is immediately looking for another horse to match rhythm with. This is in contrast to Zenyatta, who would break out of the gate in the group dynamic zone and immediately start sizing up the entire herd of motion.

    After Eblouissante finds comfort with the nearest horse, she realizes she is in a race. A slight hesitation follows as she transitions to the group dynamic and begins to grasp the bigger picture.

    But unlike Zenyatta, Eblouissante relies on the individual dynamic for most of her forward movement. Zenyatta only exerted her individual dynamic when she had to (when she encountered a talented and stubborn foe).

    But most of the time, Zenyatta viewed the entire field as a unit to overcome. She could project herself to the lead horses, even when she was a dozen lengths or more behind. Eblouissante has thus far reached the desired destination in both of her starts, but she does it mentally by passing one horse at a time. She is a point-to-point mover.

    Eblouissante has been outfitted with blinkers in both of her career starts. Blinkers restrict a horse’s ability to take in the big picture. Throughout both of her races, Eblouissante spends a considerable amount of time trying to recognize what is behind her or to either side.

    Her head movements in close proximity situations (when another horse is in her space but she cannot see it) indicate she is using her sense of feel to compensate for her restricted vision. She sometimes is confused in terms of what the other horses are doing, and where they are in her space. The result is a drag on Eblouissante’s point-to-point releases and forward motion.

    Watch Eblouissante’s win on Thursday. It is good that she doesn’t go backwards when she is unsure of a situation, but notice she idles at various points of the race because she is concerned with a horse next to her, or wonders if there is one coming from behind. Eblouissante has considerable physical ability, and she moves strongly into space when she can clearly see her targets or when she is confident where she is at. But note how she shows lateral motion almost everytime she passes a horse. It is to her credit as a physical athlete that she can overcome that inefficiency.

    Now watch Zenyatta’s amazing debut race. The distance of six furlongs is far too short, and she has never been in a race before, but notice how quickly she grasps the big picture and how seamless her transitions are. When the field turns for home, she is still in traffic. There are seven horses in front of her, but Zenyatta quickly zeroes in on the horse that is leading the front pack. She is unconcerned with the horses in her immediate proximity. That is the sign of a huge herd dynamic and a strong distance focus ability.

    I get chills watching Zenyatta. She shows amazingly clear and smooth transitions from her very first race, and absolutely no lateral or compromised motion. She is in complete control of her environment, because she is interpreting everything perfectly. Instead of matching the rhythm of a horse in her immediate circle, she looked to match and surpass the rhythm of the horses way out in front. That allowed her to overcome huge deficits.

    Eblouissante is far more affected by the rhythm of the horse that is closest to her. I asked Kerry why horses, in the wild or in a race, look to match rhythm of motion.

    “Rhythm is a matter of herd movement, kind of like a flock of birds. Moving in unison with a partner makes you less likely to be an individual target for a predator. That’s instinct, a naturally occurring pattern of motion in all horses. There is comfort to them in mimicking rhythm. High-level horses like Zenyatta can break free of the rhythm of the horses around them and move forward.”

    So what lies ahead for Eblouissante? Improvement, for one. Her delayed release points will matter less the further she runs, and Kerry thinks 1 1/16 miles is the low end of her stamina range. He profile is indicative of a sweet spot in the 9-10 furlong range.

    Eblouissante is a talented athlete. She has probably run speed figures similar to what Zenyatta ran in her first two starts and has room for considerable improvement in her patterns of motion.

    There is no reason she won’t continue to improve. But as she faces higher dynamic horses, her inefficiencies could hurt her. Because she is an individual dynamic, point-to-point mover, she needs to be efficient in her target-and-release skills.

    Eblouissante doesn’t have the long-distance, forward focused vision of Zenyatta, or the amazing group dynamic. But few (if any) horses do. Zenyatta had an incredible way of seeing the entire race, knowing what every other horse was doing, and feeding off the herd.

    Eblouissante is a graded stakes talent with a bright future, but she has some work to do.

  12. / Reply

    Dear Kathy R,
    Missed the comment you left below on a previous page, you are absolutely right about the US. every part of our country has a different accent and it takes a lot of getting used
    to. Fortunately in my business I am exposed to most of them, but some
    still give me problems, particularly those from Louisiana. The deep south
    like Atlanta is very difficult, run all their words together. So glad to know if
    I come to Austrailia, there will be a similar dialect throughout the country.
    One goal is to dive the Great Barrier reef, are you or have you ever been a
    scuba diver???

    Kathy R.Permalink | Reply
    January 19, 2013 at 1:17 am
    Dear Sign: I don’t know Clinton Anderson, but I do LOVE American accents – Australian accents don’t have the variety you folk do – some very minor variants, such as South Australians tend to sound more English than Queenslanders. I do remember when we last visited the States stopping off in Atlanta, and we could not understand a lovely young woman who was trying to give us tourist information – seemed really bizarre that someone was speaking English, but may as well have been talking French for all the good it did! Just fascinating how nations develop. Cheers!

    • / Reply

      Dear Sign: I have trouble treading water – so scuba diving would terrify the daylights out of me! Think I’d just stick to one of the glass bottom boats to observe the Reef! Cheers!

      • / Reply

        Dear Kathy R,

        Glass bottom boats are very much fun, too.
        Look at the beautiful ocean creatures and sea life,
        without getting up front and cozy.

  13. / Reply

    DAILY RACING FORUM: SECTION FROM THE ECLIPSE AWARD ARTICLE DISCUSSING
    THE NUMBERS OF EACH HORSE AND HUMAN IN THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES

    “There were 272 eligible voters for the Eclipse Awards from Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, whose voting members include racetrack racing secretaries and members of Equibase. Of those 272 voters, 254 returned ballots. Winners in each category are determined solely by first-place votes, which are pooled.

    Wise Dan received 194 votes for Horse of the Year, easily outpolling I’ll Have Another, who got 30 votes. Fort Larned was next with 12. Royal Delta received 8 votes, Little Mike 6, and 1 vote each went to Groupie Doll, Shanghai Bobby, and, inexplicably, to the European horse Frankel. One voter abstained.

    Wise Dan was an easy winner as champion male turf horse, outpolling Little Mike, the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, by 170 votes to 78. Wise Dan’s margin was narrower for older male, in which Wise Dan got 139 votes to 109 for runner-up Fort Larned, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

    Though he was second for Horse of the Year, I’ll Have Another did score an expected runaway victory for champion 3-year-old male, garnering 247 votes. Bodemeister, second in both the Derby and Preakness, was a distant second with 3 first-place votes.

    The other equine divisional winners were Shanghai Bobby (2-year-old male), Beholder (2-year-old filly), Questing (3-year-old filly), Royal Delta (older female), Trinniberg (male sprinter), Groupie Doll (female sprinter), Zagora (female turf horse), and Pierrot Lunaire (steeplechase).

    For Royal Delta, it was her second straight Eclipse Award. She was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2011.

    Ramon Dominguez was named the Eclipse Award-winning jockey for the third straight year. He received 201 votes, to 37 for Velazquez. Dominguez was unable to attend the Eclipse Awards, having been hospitalized in New York after sustaining a skull fracture in an accident at Aqueduct on Friday.

    In one of the classy touches of the evening, Velazquez and third-place finisher Javier Castellano accepted the award on behalf of the well-liked Dominguez.

    “He’s a great person,” Castellano said.”

  14. / Reply

    SignofthetimesPermalink
    January 19, 2013 at 5:57 pm
    Dear Heidi and Max,

    Thank you both and those you speak for Keta and Trina for the kind,
    considerate, special and well thoughtout insults you have written.
    They are both inaccurate and incorrect. I am sure you are all so very happy
    To speak for yourselves and each other. Fortunately I speak for myself in expressing the inaccuracy of these insulting statements. I hope that you will
    Continue these special efforts for all on this site.

    A very special thank you to those not joining in.

    HeidiK Vallejo,Ca PUJPermalink
    January 19, 2013 at 10:11 pm
    Is it: signofthetimes; President of the Texas RN Club; RN philosopher | Or, is it Signofthetimes? I’m getting confused. LOL

    signofthetimes; President of the Texas RN Club; RN philosopherPermalink
    January 20, 2013 at 9:13 am
    LOL, TO YOU HEIDI !!!!!

    • / Reply

      Janet. Great find. Love Storm Cat. Has anyone here visited him at his farm? I understand that he is a real strong character like the late Danzig.

      • / Reply

        Max

        I have called and asked about visiting. But they don’t accept visitors at this time was the reply. I believe Dawn told me that she called too. I think we both got pretty much the same reply. I sure wish they would let you go see him. Would be a dream come true.

    • / Reply

      Dear Janet,

      Love that Storm Cat. Those old guys are really great !!!

    • / Reply

      Keta. Thanks for this list. Happy to see my favorite ole chesnut, Wise Dan, get these awards. Congrats to all of the winners, even getting nominated is a win.

      @Wiseman’s Ferry. Time to renegotiate your fee?

      • / Reply

        Wise Dan is now a, Grand Ole Chestnut!
        Yes, congrats to all who won awards.
        I figure,Shack just made up his own special award, by the way he had his very flashy,special send off,one we will never ever forget.
        And my girl,Zagora. I am so so happy for her. What a sweetheart!

        Max,thanks again for the article on MMM. Imagine praying over that precious foal and then….OFF he goes. Wow,that is incredible and happy he fooled them!

        • Ann C. Yes, I agree. Grand ole chestnut. The Eclipse guys should establish a foal of the year award. 2012 recipient: 12Z.

        • That is a terrific idea ,Max.
          I agree…Z12,Foal of the Year!
          He certainly has entertained us w/ his antics and those games w/ his buddies.

        • Dear Ann, Max and Z Fans:

          MMM was a miracle baby. If I’m not mistaken, I think I read that the same thing happened with other foals of this mare, Ponche de Leona. Will try to find the article. It’s amazing. Here it is. Hugs, JB

          http://fanfreakingtastic.com/?p=905

        • JudyB. I absolutely love this story. Ponche is a mighty cool customer. I also really liked the choice of photos of 3M. He is a very handsome guy. Article says that he is a kind and intelligent horse. I’m for that, but I do like the bad boys such as Big D too.

      • / Reply

        Max

        I love going to visit the Stallions, in this county #l on my list I would like to visit is Leroi and # 2 is Wiseman’s Ferry. Animal Kingdom and Wise Dan look so much like their great dad’s to me. Didn’t you post a picture of Wise Dan’s mom a while back also. Seem like I remember he resembles her a lot too.
        I think much greatness we might see from these two sires.
        Have you seen LeRoy’s Boy……………………………………………………………….

        • Dear Max:

          Oh yes, me too. Big D definitely had a mind of his own. And we can’t forget our Miss Tricky or Tasty Temptation.

          Have you had any luck finding info on whether or not TT is in foal for this year? I can’t find anything on her. Hugs, JB

        • @ Judy B from Rhode Island

          Last I heard TT was bred to Unbridled’s Song and I was trying to find the link. I think it was on Lane’s End FB , but not sure.

        • JudyB. I think that Janet is correct about TT. We will have to wait and see how she feels about the new foal. If she rejects another, we may have to change her name to Testy Temptation. Only kidding! TT was extremely loyal to Z and very protective. I had heard that at one point she even chased away John Sherriffs. Oh TT!

          I would love to see a photo of 12TT. He was such a good looking little fellow. He must be big now.

        • Dear Janet,

          Remember that one about Tasty, too.
          Only two foals so far at Lane’s End one in Texas
          and one in KY.

  17. / Reply

    BROWN ALMIGHTY is entered on January 21, 2013 at OAKLAWN PARK
    STAKES Smarty Jones S. Race: 8 – 4:38 PM
    Purse: $ 150,000. Three Year Olds. . One Mile.
    PP 8 Horse Brown Almighty A/S 3/C Med L Jockey Corey S. Nakatani Wgt 117
    Trainer Tim A. Ice
    From: equibase

  18. / Reply

    David Grening‏ Daily Racing Form tweet on Sunday Jan. 20, 2013
    Caixa Eletronica will miss Toboggan due to quarter crack.
    His substitute will be Johannesburg Smile, a recent $100K claim by Repole.

  19. / Reply

    Tom Hall‏ tweet
    In Jpn, DANON BALLADE, 5yo son of Deep Impact (Sunday Silence)
    o/o Unbridled mare Lady Ballade, won gr2 American Jockey Club Cup at Nakayama

  20. / Reply

    Tom Hall‏ tweet
    In Hong Kong, Gold Fun (ex Strada Colorato), 4yo g by Le Vie Dei Colori
    o/o Foxhound mare Goodwood March, won gr1 Hong Kong Classic Mile

    • / Reply

      Thanks Keta – I keep forgetting that the replays can be found on Blood-Horse. Didn’t realize that MMM had initially been in the lead or close to it.

  22. / Reply

    DAILY RACING FORUM: MMM CHECKS OUT OK AFTER THE SUNSHINE MILLIONS
    ( KR – he did no like the off track; continues training tomorrow and on to his next race)

    01/20/2013 1:27PM
    Gulfstream Park: Mucho Macho Man appears fine after being eased in Sunshine Millions Classic
    By Mike Welsch

    Tom Keyser
    Jockey Mike Smith eases Mucho Macho Man, the odds-on favorite in the Sunshine Millions Classic. Trainer Kathy Ritvo says she suspects the horse simply did not like the sloppy track.
    HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- Trainer Kathy Ritvo said Mucho Macho Man seemed none the worse for wear on Sunday morning after being eased by jockey Mike Smith the previous afternoon as the odd- on favorite in the Sunshine Millions Classic.

    Smith said immediately after the race that Mucho Macho Man kept putting his head higher and higher while racing around the second turn and guaranteed something was wrong inside. But Ritvo and stable manager Finn Green said they could find nothing wrong with Mucho Macho Man once going over their horse back at the barn after the race.

    “The horse is doing really well this morning,” said Ritvo. “There are no physical issues whatsoever. The horse just didn’t like the track. We think the surface just bothered him. We cannot find any other reason for what happened.”

    Both Ritvo and Green said the horse vetted out perfectly after the race.

    “We’re not even going to do a fine tooth comb on him,” said Green. “He’s doing fine.”

    Ritvo said Mucho Macho Man would likely go back to the track to train on Monday and a decision would be made later this week as to when and where he might run next.

    Mucho Macho Man raced in blinkers for the first time in nearly a year in the Classic but both Ritvo and Green agreed that had nothing to do with his performance on Saturday.

    “Mike said he thought the horse might have had a breathing problem and we’re fine with the choice he made to ease the horse like he did,” said Ritvo. “I could see he was jogging okay when he came back and the good news is everything seems to be okay and we’ll just move on from here. It’s a long year.”

    Ron the Greek rallied from off a fast pace to an easy and very impressive 11 ¼-length victory, avenging his second-place finish at the hands of Mucho Macho Man in the 2012 Sunshine Classic. Ron the Greek received a career-best 115 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance and will now likely head back to California for a defense of his title in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap later this winter.

  23. / Reply

    Dear Zenny fans, Dumpling and All,

    What a great night of Eclipse award winners.
    Full of excitement !!! Too bad we could not
    attend the parties, HA HA !!!!
    Wise Dan taking it all is sooo very impressive,
    so looking forward to his first start and
    all of 2013 and all of our others who
    are going to continue on.

    Wishing It’s Tricky best of luck in the shed
    hope you pass on that great personality to
    at least one of your foals.

    HAVE A GREAT SUNDAY ALL !!!!

  25. / Reply

    DAILY RACING FORUM: SHANGHAI BOBBY RETURNS TO WORK DAY AFTER
    WINNING THE 2 YEAR OLD MALE ECLIPSE AWARDS – His next start is the Holy Bull.

    01/20/2013 11:44AM
    Shanghai Bobby gets final tune-up before Holy Bull
    By Jay Privman

    Barbara D. Livingston
    Unbeaten 2-year-old champion colt Shanghai Bobby (left), with Patti Krotenko up, breezes five furlongs Sunday in preparation for his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
    BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Less than 12 hours after being named the champion 2-year-old colt of 2012, undefeated Shanghai Bobby was on the track Sunday morning here at the Palm Meadows training center, turning in his final work for his scheduled 2013 debut next Saturday in the Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

    Shanghai Bobby was one of more than two dozen horses his trainer, Todd Pletcher, worked on Sunday morning, most notably another unbeaten 3-year-old, Violence, who had his first work since his victory in last month’s CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park.

      • / Reply

        Sign,

        I just hope he stays healthy. I would like to see the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile jinx broken. It has been a dry spell since Street Sense went on from his BC win.

        • Dear Janet,

          Me too. He is really a very talented horse, although he shows some
          signs of immaturity, he always seem to be focused and wanting to win.
          Maybe that was because of the way Rosie rode him? or maybe both?

          I am just cringing already waiting for all of the injuries, too. It was unbelievable almost the whole 2012 3 year old crop was injured and
          sent to stud.

        • PS: Wouldn’t that be something if he could win the KY derby like Street
          Sense??? !!!!

  26. / Reply

    HEartiest congratulations to all the Eclipse winners. Have not seen the awards, but will try to watch replays.

    @Heidi K.–heartfelt prayers for you and Joy and her family as you battle this demon together. As you said, surely all the medical brains that have been consulted can come up with something. I pray they will soon! In the meantime, just know that you are being a great sister and an example to us all. Hugs.

  27. / Reply

    Dear Zenyatta family. I’m sure you will know the answer to a little question I’ve puzzled over. Why is the term “blue hen” applied to top class broodmares? I understand the hen bit, as they’re seen as good and caring mothers, but blue? Is that like a Blue Moon – meaning rare, because I still find that odd given mares who are not top class in the industry assessment produce good winning foals. Would appreciate any answers/comments. Hugs, KathyR.

    • / Reply

      Dear Kathy R,

      Below is the definition, kind of like a “blueblood” human. An example from the US
      would be Personal Ensign, her daughters and granddaughters have produced
      quality breeders cup off spring like their mom and grandmother.

      “Blue Hen” Mare: A mare which is a prolific producer of quality offspring. In addition, her sons and/or daughters also have a significant impact on the breed; i.e., Grey Flight, La Troienne.

  28. / Reply

    Dear Kathy R,

    BELOW IS A BIO ON PERSONAL ENSIGN AT WHEN SHE DIED IN 2010 -this will
    give you an example of a “Blue Hen” – will post the link below.

    Unbeaten Personal Ensign dies at 26
    Updated: April 10, 2010, 3:54 PM ET
    By Glenye Cain Oakford | Daily Racing Form

    LEXINGTON, Ky. — Undefeated champion and Hall of Famer Personal Ensign has died at age 26.
    The pensioned Private Account broodmare died Thursday in her pasture at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., of natural causes, according to Claiborne.
    Ogden Phipps bred and owned Personal Ensign, who was undefeated in 13 lifetime starts. Her victories included the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, in which she ended her perfect career with an epic stretch battle with that year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Winning Colors. Personal Ensign won by a nose while giving Winning Colors four pounds. She became the first top-class American racehorse to retire undefeated after a full racing career since Colin left the track with 15 wins in 1908.
    Personal Ensign also won the Grade 1 Beldame in 1987 and 1988 as well as the 1986 Frizette and the 1988 Whitney, Hempstead, Shuvee and Maskette for her other Grade 1 wins. She also won the 1988 Molly Pitcher and 1987 Rare Perfume, both Grade 2 races.
    Personal Ensign was voted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1993, her first year of eligibility.
    “She was easy, she never did overdo it,” said her trainer, Shug McGaughey. “When I was first getting ready to run her, the girl who got on her told me how good she was. And I said, ‘She goes a half in 50!’ But the girl said, ‘Well, she goes a half in 50 like no other horse has ever gone a half in 50.'”
    Personal Ensign’s race record was all the more amazing, considering that she had broken her right hind ankle at age 2 shortly after her Frizette victory on Oct. 18, 1986. “I was working her to take her to California for the Breeders’ Cup,” McGaughey recalled. “She breezed excellent that morning, and she cooled out, and when we went to get her out of the stall she couldn’t walk.”
    Several days later at Dr. William Reed’s hospital near Belmont Park, veterinary orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage put five screws in Personal Ensign’s long pastern bone. She returned 11 months later, in September 1987, to win an allowance in her 3-year-old debut. McGaughey skipped the Breeders’ Cup with Personal Ensign in 1987 and gave her seven months off.
    She started her 4-year-old season by taking the Shuvee and Hempstead handicaps. McGaughey and Phipps contemplated running Personal Ensign in the Suburban but decided against it because they’d also entered her full brother Personal Flag in the race. On July 4, 1988, Personal Ensign took Monmouth’s Molly Pitcher and Personal Flag won the Suburban.
    “When we went to Louisville for the Breeders’ Cup, I thought, ‘She’s beat all these things, there’s no reason she shouldn’t be OK again,'” McGaughey said. “She ran the race of her life that day. The one thing I remember was at the three-eighths pole, I thought it was all over.”
    Winning Colors had opened an early lead and looked unbeatable as the field headed for the wire, and Personal Ensign, under Randy Romero, appeared to be struggling on Churchill’s sloppy track. She had cut an eight-length deficit to four by the eighth pole, but it looked like too little, too late.
    “She usually started making her move around the half-mile pole and started gathering up horses in a hurry, but she didn’t do that that day,” McGaughey said. “She just kind of trudged along down the middle of the track. But finally she got there. Really, I thought she’d won easier than she did, but going down to the winner’s circle, I looked up at the TV and saw she’d won by that short of a margin. I was pretty relieved, tell you the truth.”
    Personal Ensign left some tough, classy horses in her wake during her career. In addition to beating Winning Colors twice (in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and the Maskette), she also defeated eventual sprint champion Gulch and such Grade 1 winners or future Grade 1 winners as Chic Shirine, Clabber Girl, Coup de Fusil, Grecian Flight, King’s Swan and Nastique.
    “Personal Ensign was the first Breeders’ Cup winner for my grandfather and for Shug, and she was just a very special horse to everyone in our family,” said Phipps’ granddaughter, Daisy Phipps Pulito.
    After retiring to the breeding shed, Personal Ensign produced the Grade 1 winners My Flag, Miner’s Mark and Traditionally, as well as Grade 1-placed Our Emblem. She also is the dam of Grade 2-placed Salute and Grade 3-placed Proud and True.
    My Flag went on to become the dam of 2002 champion juvenile filly Storm Flag Flying, and Our Emblem sired 2002 Kentucky Derby winner and champion 3-year-old War Emblem.
    Personal Ensign was named Broodmare of the Year in 1996.
    Personal Ensign was a daughter of 1988 Broodmare of the Year Grecian Banner, by Hoist the Flag.
    Personal Ensign’s death comes within three weeks of the deaths of two other Grade 1 producers at Claiborne: Narrate, the 30-year-old dam of Preach and second dam of Pulpit and Tale of the Cat, and Highest Regard, the 33-year-old dam of Awe Inspiring.
    All are buried at Claiborne’s Marchmont cemetery.

        • How is this for a blue hen mare?
          Flaming Page, daughter of Bull Page, had only three foals in her breeding career.
          She gave birth to Minsky, who went on to be 2 year old colt of the year in Ireland; Fleur, who became the mother of The Minstrel, 1977 Horse of the Year in the UK; and Nijinsky, the last English Triple Crown winner, the horse whose legendary racing exploits Camelot recently failed to match. Northern Dancer was the sire of Minsky, Nijinsky and The Minstrel.

    • / Reply

      Yes, after a full review, it is apparent you DO need your own blog, since you love to take up so much space here. I guess this blog means a great deal to you, but you should realize it means a great deal to hundreds of others.

      • / Reply

        Dear Sue, Janet, Keta and Z Fans:

        OMG, do you think Eblouissante gave her some of Z’s tips on how to Run Like A Girl? Wow! Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      That was an incredible race! Joe Talamo cool as a cucumber, no worries.
      I think it is simply amazing how John Sherriff’s just has the affinity for training these big fillies. I do agree with Millie Ball and Zoe Cadman, you need to be a patient owner with John. To be left at the gate and come with those beautiful long, fluid strides the last quarter. Poetry in motion.

      I would trust any of mine large or small with him. I know it is about money, but sometimes it does need to be about the horse too.

    • / Reply

      Dear Max:

      Wow. What a terrific bloodline. Was not familiar with Flaming Page. Thanks. Hugs, JB

      PS: Left you a message on Page 16 about TT.

      • / Reply

        JudyB. Thanks for your note on TT. Flaming Page had a personality which matched her name. They had to take special care when breeding her to Northern Dancer because she was known to kick him in the chest. I understand that she passed her personality quirks on to Nijinsky who could also be difficult. He had his own way of thinking. And Northern Dancer was not meek himself, although he seemed to like women and children. He would take a bite out of most everyone else.

        • Dear Max:

          My gosh, FP was a handful!

          I’m still learning from watching Charlie, his BFF Dakota, Lone Star and all the others on the farm just how different each one’s personality is. The new mare we got on Thursday, Gigi, is very temperamental and a picky eater. She loved the carrots I gave her today, but not apples and not peppermints.

          Gotta love those feisty ones. Hugs, JB

        • JudyB and KathyR. Flaming Page came from a famous family of horses. Her dam sire was Bull Lea, a very important US thoroughbred and a sire who helped make the reputation of Calumet Farms. Nijinsky got his looks and size from her as he was a taller horse than his own sire.

        • JudyB. Maybe GG likes her own special kind of peppermint? I read that Paynter likes peppermint, but he refuses any spearmint. Giacomo likes the red kind of mint. Doesn’t your PC like Canadian peppermints? How about Twizzlers for GG? Since I read about the horse who loves them, I have got to get some. Then there are those root beer floats which Shari Voltz’s class likes.

        • Dear Max,

          Horses are very much like humans, some are picky some are not,
          some are laid back, some will bite your hand off. Some pin their ears all the time no matter who or what comes by them. They are all so
          very different and all can be appreciated for whatever characteristics
          they have, even if it is biting.

  30. / Reply

    Does anyone know when Rachel Alexandra’s foal is due. Did anyone ever find out if Zenny’s Mom Vertineaux was in foal.

    • / Reply

      Dear Peggy:

      I’m guessing RA’s due late January/early February. Any time now? The last thing I read was that Vertigineux had not become pregnant after being bred to Street Cry and I haven’t been able to find any info on a subsequent mating. Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        Thoughg I saw last week that RA due mid to late Feb. and V due about same time as Z…..but could be wrong

        • Dear Carol:

          Thanks for this info. I couldn’t find anything on Vertigineux. Wow, how exciting. Hugs, JB

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