Happy Thursday!
November 7th is particularly special to us, as it’s the anniversary of Zenyatta’s 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic win. In honor of this day we’re re-releasing Jamie Corum’s Zenyatta: Breeders’ Cup Gold in the Zenyatta Shop.
We were at Mayberry Farm in Ocala yesterday visiting Cozmic One. Coz looks great, and Ann, Jerry, and John were thrilled to observe his morning routine.
Today we’re at Lane’s End with Zenyatta, and we told her all about the incredibly successful 2013 Zenyatta.com Celebration. The winners and results will be released once all prizes are claimed, but we want to thank each and every fan who participated. Thanks to you, this weekend was even more fun than we had hoped! The Celebration Sticker and Invitation To Meet Zenyatta were so popular that we decided to draw five winners—Zenyatta can’t wait to meet you!
We’ll update the blog next week with many more photos from this trip!
Update: The five winners of our Invitation To Meet Zenyatta drawing were chosen and notified on Tuesday, November 5.
In the meantime, don’t forget to watch Zenyatta’s 2009 Breeders’ Cup run today. We love you, Z!
Sally Blank (cherish Z for my lifetime)
Dear sweet Zenyatta, Everytime I come here I can not help but notice the special love you & Ann have together with these pictures. That is so special to me!! I was so happy to see Ann to know she is well. I wish I could have been a lucky winner so I could show my love to you even if it would not mean the same to you. You would get the biggest kiss I have ever given! ha
I am heading out of town AGAIN, so I can not be here, but I love you Z and I love being able to come here to say hi as well to my Zster friends!
I’ll be back. Best wishes to all.
lovenkisses on your soft nose and to your two awesome sons
Auntie Sally B
Nancy Stamp
In answer to “where are you” I am here reading and enjoying the comments. I do have some questions. Sheena, what is “swede” ? Was afraid to ask, but is it edible? Love Hovis and it was nice to hear he reads our blog. Does anyone know the name of Vertigineux ‘s filly born 2010 by Henry the navigator? Never hear about her children if they don’t race and win. Glad to have the name for the 20ll filly. and for Dalton – Hi from California. I have a million cousins in Ohio, so love hearing from Ohio. Have trouble with my computer not doing paragraphs- sorry. Nancy S.
Cindi
will never forget it and cry every time.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Mama Z, COZ, Prince 2 and Baby Z:
Goodnight. Sweet Dreams. Love all of you so much. Hugs, JB
Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
Thought many would like this story of “Valiant”, the blind Dressage Horse, famed for rising through Dressage levels. Unfortunately at 27, he’s now facing endocarditis, critically. But I had no idea just how much he has achieved, since he lost his sight as a 6-yr.-old.
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32880/blind-dressage-horse-valiant-in-critical-condition
Janet Newman
Prayers go out to Valiant. His story and that of a devoted owner is something special.
Marshall (NC broad)
May this beautiful creature enjoy restored eyesight over the Rainbow Bridge.
Rest in Peace, dear Valiant. Sincere condolences to Jeanette, his loving owner.
What an inspiring pair. Hugs
Janet Newman
Looking forward to seeing an update on Lil Red. I would love to see a video.
I think about Coz and hope his training is coming along well.
I am sure Zenyatta is just as beautiful as ever.
Always look forward to any news and updates on Z and her boys.
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Nancy A swede is a british winter vegetable, we use them a lot in “cawl”in Wales, its’ a lovely broth.I wasn’t good at paragraphs either when I began posting here,am slowly getting better.Glad you love Hovis. Hugs Sheena
Sandy (Northeast Ohio)
Thanks for the definition Sheena – I’ve been telling people it must be some sort of horsie “treat” and, of course, I was thinking it was sweet! HA! How wrong can you be? Horses really like these things?
Vicki B. near Hollywood Park
Sandy, I wondered too!
A rutabaga in England, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa: “The rutabaga, swede (from Swedish turnip), yellow turnip, or neep… is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip”
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga
Ann NC
RIP Tullalure. My heart breaks for Mr. Charlie Lopresti, esp. After losing King this past summer. The article then written was so touching and revealed the great horseman Lopresti is.
HOVIS, love the RED blanket, you are really Mr. Handsome!
Safe trips to all racing this weekend. Come on, Moosie and Mr. Fly!!!!
13Z, I bet you have a new fuzzy coat for winter? Would love to see it!
Kathy
November 16 Cherokee Devotional
When things are bad, we’re sure that what we are going through is the worst that anyone has ever experienced. Know that others have stood in this place, others have gone through what we’re going through, and they made it free and clear.
The day will come when we can look back and ask ourselves, “What did this bramble bush of difficulty teach us?” The first thing is not to wait so long to take care of a problem, but the best thing is to be grateful and to say we are healed-even before we see proof that a healing has taken place and a stone has been lifted from our shoulders. Hope and faith can change difficulty in a way we can hardly believe. But as we look back on what happened in our lives, we see proof of this-and there are not enough words to say how wonderful it is.
The old Indian teaching was that it is wrong to tear loose from its place on the earth anything that may be growing there. It may be cut off, but it should not be uprooted. Trees and the grass have spirits.
-Wooden Leg, Cheyenne
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Kathy Bless him Wooden Leg !Am always sad when I see Trees cut down. Lovely videos of Ray and his bruddas! very,very cute pic of Boo. Have a great weekend with Holly, Sugar and Nikko. Hugs to you all Sheena
Kathy
Dear Sheena,
It truly warms my heart watching Ray’s videos. He has so much joie de vivre. Love him! Boo’s pic are always adorable. Animals are truly gifts straight from God.
Have a great weekend, Sheena.
Hugs from me, kisses from The Pack
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Kathy Bless him Wooden Leg !Am always sad when I see Trees cut down. Lovely videos of Ray and his bruddas! very,very cute pic of Boo. Have a great weekend with Holly, Sugar and Nikko. Hugs to you all Sheena
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Vicki B Sad to hear that Valiant passed away yesterday.This horse showed how much we can achieve in life despite a disability.He can see again now.RIP brave boy Hugs Sheena
Max
Sheena. Some good news. Ruby Walsh won at Punchestown today with Tasty look alike, Champagne Fever, a great gray.
Dave also came out strongly against eating horses. Says that kind of thing is not for Brits. Good for Dave.
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Max At last some wise comments from Dave!Willie Mullins had a treble today,am looking forward to seeing Champagne Fever in the Arkle next year and he’s a grey Yay Hugs Sheena
carol in arkansas
hi Zenny hope you are having a wonderful day
…
@JAG….on the forum side under “photo trivia..who am I?” Kurt posted some of his pictures of John Henry today….thought you might like to take a peek….also, some of Forego….as he said…not much of a challenge to figure out who they were….
Bluegrass Girl
Mad Moose tweet on Saturday Nov. 16 2013
Hi fans, looking forward to my trip to @CheltenhamRaces tomorrow.
I certainly intend to race & have had some obedience training. #willitwork
Max
BGG. Time will tell on this. Moosie can still change his mind.
Bluegrass Girl
A.P. Indy tweet on Sat. Nov. 16
Majors props to @Equibase for changing database to allow us
to filter stats by age, gender, and surface.
A great new feature! Thank you.
Vampressqueen Sue Colvin
hi zsters :)
When God Shows Up:
God is moving all the time. He is here right now, right now with you and me. He is like the wind, we don’t always see His hand or feel His Presence, but He is a constant, like the air we breathe.
God is quietly working in our lives and through our hands. We plan our path, but He directs our steps.
And then some days and seasons, His Spirit is like a hurricane-force wind and there is no doubt He is moving. It takes our breath away, when the supernatural meets the natural.
-Excerpt by Kristen from (in)courage.
@sheena- i got ur email but have been too messed up to reply back yet. i will soon. hugs :)
@kathy- loved todays devo :) thx hugs xx
prayers go out to all who need them (thats prob every1 ;) )
god bless
have a great weekend zenny & boys <3
vamp
sheena.davies(wales)
India and the world said goodbye to the greatest batsman Sachin Tendulkar in his 200th test match in Mumbai,his birthplace.A living legend,enjoy your retirement.Hugs Sheena
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Judy Goodnight God bless you,Lola Mae, Charlie, Hudson and all the Sweeties. The panda cub in Washington is nearly 10lbs now,cant wait to see what her name will be. Love and hugs SheenaX Moosie’s big day tomorrow!!!
Max
Sheena. Say a few for The Fly too. Waiting to see how both of these guys do on the jumps. Counting on you to get the word to us. Enjoy your rest. Hovis is probably dreaming of Zenyatta.
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Max Moosie wants all his fans to cheer for him and takes loads of pics!He seems determined this time. have a goodnight.hugs Sheena
sheena.davies(wales)
Dear Max Moosie wants all his fans to cheer for him and takes loads of pics!He seems determined this time. have a goodnight.hugs Sheena
Janet Newman
This the way it should be. Best Wishes to Dance To Bristol.
“She’s a wonderful horse and she’s going to be bred to War Front ,” said Wantz. “We did what was best for her. It was a really hard decision. Everyone wanted her. We knew we weren’t going to sell her. We wanted to have a say. She couldn’t leave the country. She couldn’t be resold. We’re looking forward to seeing her beautiful babies.”
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82051/laurel-fans-say-goodbye-to-dance-to-bristol#ixzz2krpnwBib
Janet Newman
This the way it should be. Best Wishes to Dance To Bristol.
“She’s a wonderful horse and she’s going to be bred to War Front ,” said Wantz. “We did what was best for her. It was a really hard decision. Everyone wanted her. We knew we weren’t going to sell her. We wanted to have a say. She couldn’t leave the country. She couldn’t be resold. We’re looking forward to seeing her beautiful babies.”
Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82051/laurel-fans-say-goodbye-to-dance-to-bristol#ixzz2krpnwBib
Janet Newman
Darn, it posted twice. Sorry about that.
carol in arkansas
Mr Front gets another one….he is on fire lately
Ann NC
Thanks for sharing, Janet.
Great owner. Congrats to the lovely chestnut on her fine career!
sue and tony
We would love to see a few new photos of our red Prince. Maybe this will be the week we get some. Boy, we have been spoiled by Team Z in so many ways but we figured there’s no harm in asking. ;-)
Janet Newman
Was on the forum side and wanted to comment on all the great pictures on Who Am I, but tried resetting password and nothing worked.
If anyone hasn’t seen any of the great pictures of some great horses need to go there.
Wow! What memories and treasures they are.
carol in arkansas
kurt posts a few ….then we get to “play” trying to figure out who they are….can not tell you how much I have learned with all my wrong guesses….I hope he doesn’t run out pictures too soon…its fun trying to dig into the old records….one from the last bunch…just before Forego and John Henry….named Suepena? shows no progeny…doesn’t seem right for a stud at a Kentucky farm…but who knows
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Janet:
Thanks. Will check it out. Love and Hugs, JB
HeidiK, Vallejo,Ca
Cindy had a surprise party for me this evening. Everything was in Zen’s colors. I didn’t wear my jersey because, it was a surprise. So, they’re leaving the decorations up for tomorrow and I’ll wear my Z Jersey down and take pics.
Sue Fl CPRC
That was a great Birthday.
Happy Birthday
Sue
HeidiK, Vallejo,Ca
It was an early party since, my bday isn’t until Tuesday. But, it was a blast!
Marshall (NC broad)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
All the very best wishes to you, Heidi, for many more wonderful years of celebrations!
Cheers!
Peggy (N) South Georgia
With all the specials on TV about John F. Kennedy right now leading up to Nov. 22, I wanted to honor and remember “Black Jack” the beautiful riderless morgan quarterhorse that walked behind our fallen president.
What a beauty he was. I ‘ve started reading some info on him and I didn’t know he was so unruly and sometimes very hard to handle. But, a National Treasure. So interesting the info on him. A lady that visited the troops where he was stationed told about carrying a Butter Pecan Cake to the guys and found out Black Jack absoulutely loved it.
I also found out Jacqueline Kennedy wanted to buy him when he retired. I don’t think she was able to, but she did recieve his saddle, bridle and numerous things of his.
I wanted to remember this beautiful horse and say Thank you for his part in our history.
He’s buried in Virginia.
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
Good morning, Sis Peggy. Thank you for this information on Black Jack. He was certainly beautiful and it is “too cute” that he loved Pecan Cake. I found this tribute to him I thought you might like. Hope everything is wonderful with you, maybe you will make it to see Coz while he is in Florida. Wouldn’t that be fun. Talk to you soon. Hugs, Dawn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFCwTQ2c5sg
Peggy (N) South Georgia
Dear Sis Dawn,
Thank you so much for that. I cried. I do remember the funeral and Black Jack. I believe I was in the 5th grade. Such a terrible time in our history. JFK and i are born on the same day and my cousin tells me I remind her Of Caroline Kennedy. I think our hair color and blue eyes. It is ironic. And now she’s going to be Ambassador to japan. OK now my favorite stallion is in Japan. Might have to get a little hint to her to check on him. Ha Ha
I believe that they said Black Jack couldn’t be ridden or maybe just wasn’t. He had a different handler every I think they said 18 months. But, they said he was really partial to one man.
They said at the end of his life he had Arthritis real bad for all the walking he did.in his service. He did live to be 29, though.
What a coal black beauty.
Thanks a million Black Jack for your service. Love You
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Peggy and Dawn:
I will never forget that day and the poignant beauty of Black Jack in the funeral procession. Cried and cried. He was riderless and a stunning reminder of what we lost. Love and Hugs, JB
Peggy (N) South Georgia
Dear Judy,
Yes, I cried and cried too. Will never forget that time. The funeral was so hard to watch. Black Jack was just beautiful following behind JFK. I believe its’s 50 years this Friday since that day. I believe Black Jack walked a long ways that day. Beautiful Boy.
Marshall (NC broad)
Dear Judy B.,
Very nicely stated. We lost a lot on that day in November — we lost our innocence as a nation, too.
Hope you are well and enjoying your new home. Hugs to you, Lola Mae, Papa C and all the Sweeties.
Marshall (NC broad)
Dear Peggy,
Thank you for this post. Such a sad day but such a moving tribute to the President. The memory of that noble horse following the caisson bearing our fallen leader is forever etched in the minds of so many. Black Jack was gorgeous, and I am glad that he lies in Virginia — he had a good long life, apparently.
Hugs
Bluegrass Girl
Racing Post tweet Sunday November 17 2013
Leading owner Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum has died aged 50 –
more to follow
Ann Maree / Tennessee
BGG, there are so many in this family, can you clarify the relation between Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum (the one you reported as having died). I believe that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the one they call “Sheikh Mo”, is the ruler of Dubai, and is the head of Godolphin, and is not the one that died. I don’t recall bin Khalifa too well, but bin Rashid is very well known.
Ann Maree / Tennessee
I believe they are first cousins. Here is the announcement I found: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?xfile=/data/government/2013/November/government_November49.xml§ion=government
Ann Maree / Tennessee
Another clarification, one of the horses owned by Bin Khalifa was Igugu. His track silks were yellow and blue. He was associated with trainer Mike de Kock, and he also had horses in action this year with British trainers Marco Botti and Mick Channon.
Bluegrass Girl
Racing Post tweets Retraction & Apology Sunday Nov. 17 2013
Sheikh Maktoum Bin Khalifa Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a relative of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, died on Saturday at the age of 50.
Earlier we incorrectly reported the death of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. We apologise for any distress caused.
Bluegrass Girl
Mad Moose tweet on Sunday Nov. 17
Thanks for all your good luck messages, I will be wearing a nice visor
and I think Nigel will be down at the start to keep me company
Keith Maxwell tweet
Mad Moose 33-1, to win, to run, to turn up! Go Moosie!
Ann NC
Moosie, I haven’t any nails, thanks to you. It is a day for YOU MM! Full moon tonight to celebrate, we can howl with delight?
Just come home safe! MWAH!
Kathy
November 17 Cherokee Devotional
Somewhere deep within us is a likeness to others that defies the most drastic difference we believe exists. If it were not so, we would know no compassion, feel no love, and have no understanding. It is true that we are very different. Perhaps you can’t stand what and who I am, but on the other hand, I might not like you very much either. But that would be totally different if we were ever to get to know each other. Sometimes people aren’t what we think they are-and we aren’t what they think we are-because time has taught us to protect our vulnerability. But there is a spark of spirit that penetrates that protection, and it helps us say to the most unlikely person, “You poor unholy thing. I like you anyway.” When we do, do we know that we are talking to ourselves?
We at once gave you our hearts. You now have them.
-Satank, Kiowa
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Kathy:
Just beautiful. Thank you. Love and Hugs, JB
Kathy
You’re welcome, Judy.
Hugs,
Kathy
Ingrid Arnone
Dear Kathy,
Yes, so beautiful, thank you.
Hug Ingrid.
Kathy
You’re welcome, Ingrid.
Hugs,
Kathy