Zenyatta

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Shop Updates

New prints available at the Zenyatta Shop
New prints available at the Zenyatta Shop

We’re adding new prints to the Zenyatta Shop this morning. A sunset portrait of 13Z and photo of Cozmic One in a misty wash stall are available here in the 8″ x 10″ and 11″ x 14″ sizes.

This week, the first 20 customers to spend $30 or more at the Zenyatta Shop will also receive the small print “Zenyatta & Colt, April 2, 2013” free of charge.

Promotional print
Zenyatta and 13Z print promotion.

Happy shopping!
-Team Z

Reader Interactions

1,816 Comments

  1. / Reply

    Dear Bluegrass Girl: Just saw your post on Jimmy. “Looking the goods” is not a really common phrase, but is used in the racing fraternity when talking about a potentially good horse. People will often say “looks the real deal” – some old timers will say “looks the full bottle”. I should note down some of the great little one-liners that come up from race callers – they’re terrific sources of these little gems. One I heard yesterday was “he’s going quicker than last week’s pay”. Hugs, KathyR. (PS: I can never figure out how to past in the right place when it’s a “permalink”. Just stupid I guess).

    • / Reply

      KathyR
      Reread the article you posted and Jimmy does not have an official name yet.
      “Co-trainer John Hawkes said Jimmy, who in April became the most expensive yearling in Australian history, could make a carnival cameo.
      “I think he’s looking more like an autumn two-year-old, but you never say never,” he said of the unnamed colt.”
      Love the track jargon. Terry Crow could probably come up with some US gems.
      Kathy, I just stick to Reply to answer. Try to keep it simple.

    • / Reply

      Hi, Kathy! I sympathise. And speaking of not succeeding in posting in the right place, that’s what happened to my belated birthday greetings to Angel–I was posting in the Angel thread above, but at this hour of the morning I was working on a computer that had automatically shut down and restarted at 3am, and I got the “error” message that I had to sign in again, and when I did that and hit Submit, I didn’t realize that my comment would not be in the thread. Oops…

  4. / Reply

    Today is the birthday of Mario Espinoza, Zenyatta’s groom during her racing days and now Eblouissante’s groom, and one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet! Here’s a repost of my 2011 poem for our dear Mario.

    To Mario
    (August 14, 2011)

    No one was closer to the Queen
    Than Mario Espinoza.
    A special man, a special mare—
    They made a magical pair.
    Zenyatta blossomed under Mario’s care
    And became the fairest of the fair
    With dapples agleam,
    Glowing from within, it would seem,
    And a contentment in her eye
    That all could spy.
    We can never thank Mario enough
    For polishing this diamond-in-the-rough
    In every way
    Till her brilliance outshone
    The sun and the stars every day
    And throughout the world
    Her beauty—both inner and outer–was known.

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

    • / Reply

      Hope Mario has a wonderful birthday. Our thanks to him for taking such good care of our Queen and her little sis.

      Hey guys, send kind thoughts my way today. Doing prep for a colonoscopy.

        • Dear Shirlee,
          I’m sure that many of us can empathize with you today. Getting “the stuff” as cold as possible (ice cubes if necessary) helped me a lot. Hang in there.

        • Darlene and Sandy thanks for the good thoughts. Jello is not my favorite thing to have for breakfast!

        • Shirlee- Good luck. The only way Jello is served here- Jello Shots!
          Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

      • / Reply

        A groom and a horse have a special bond and, therefore, we all have a special bond with Mario. Shirlee–The end justifies the means

        • Good one, Terry. My doctor sent me an antibiotic to take and it said to take it before and after my Dental procedure. Guess they had their ends mixed up.

        • Definitely not fun! I need to schedule my second one (10 years since the first). Good luck and all the best! Hugs

          Barbara,
          I agree with Vicki about the “good outcome”!
          Hugs

        • I can not BELIEVE how fast 10 years goes by when it involves colonoscopy! I think it goes by faster than when your kids enter high school!!!

    • / Reply

      Happy Birthday to Mario! Best wishes for a great day and a great year. Thank you for the loving care you gave to our Zenyatta and to Ebby and all of your horses. It was super getting to meet you at Barn 55 last year!

      Thanks to Trina, as always, for the heads up and for reposting the poem.

    • / Reply

      Thank you Trina.

      I want to join all the others to wish Mario a very Happy Birthday and thank him for the loving care he gave Zenyatta. I know she loves him back and would love to share a cake with him! I wish you all the best, Mario!

      • / Reply

        Zenyatta would probably prefer to share a Guiness or two with Mario as was their daily 3 PM ritual at Hollywood Park. If he missed the “cocktail hour” by minutes, she would be calling for him in a manner that could not be ignored.

    • / Reply

      Trina, a lovely tribute to this special, kind man.

      Best wishes for a happy birthday and healthy year, Mario.

  7. / Reply

    Happy Birthday to Mario.Have a great one and thank you for caring for our Zenyatta so well during her racing career hugs Sheena
    Dear Shirlee Will be keeping you in my thoughts today Hope you get a good result Hugs Sheena

  8. / Reply

    Dear Judy I have been enjoying “the Snow Queen” too.Am surprised it’s being shown in the US the same time as here think we have the last episode this coming sunday. It is indeed staying very true to the history of the time unlike other dramas I could mention!!Did you know they found Richard 111’s skeleton this year buried in a Leicestershire car park he’d been laying there since 1485 after the battle of Bosworth He will be re buried in the cathedral next year love and hugs Sheena

      • / Reply

        Dear TC GP:

        Too cute and too true. Without their horses in those days, they wouldn’t have made it. Hugs, JB

        • Judy-You are a scholar. The Battle of Bosworth is considered to be the pivotal one in the War of the Roses and that horse line comes from Shakespeare’s play about Richard.

        • Dear TC GP:

          I have seen the play and read books on King Richard and the mystery of his nephews, the two princes. Always enjoy books on history and especially the English monarchy. Hugs, JB

        • Guess if they have his bones they can tell if he really was deformed or if that was just propaganda.

    • / Reply

      Dear Sheena:

      The series started here on Cable Channel Encore this weekend, so I’ve only seen Episode 1 so far. It’s the kind of show that you want to keep watching. Like Downton Abby, it’s over too quickly. I’m looking forward to Episode 2.

      I did read on the web that King Richard’s remains were found. Unreal. Love and Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        I like to watch old TV westerns on Encore western. For instance, starting at noon, they show an hour of Have Gun, Will Travel, an hour of Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, one episode of Bat Masterston and two episodes of Gunsmoke. For some reason The White Queen is being advertised on this channel.

        • Dear Terry,
          Love the Encore Western channel, too! My boss is a great fan of old westerns, and we have satellite TV at the store so I get to see some of these classics. It is funny how the theme/title music still remains in your memory bank — all you need to hear are the first few bars from those old songs, and the lyrics appear in your head. You start singing along as though it were 1950 something!! Too much fun!
          Cheers

    • / Reply

      sheena,
      And, found another coffin with remains in same area.
      Believe that they are still sorting out who this is.

      Lovely article in Daily Mail about Prince William saying good-bye in Wales.
      Even used a few Welsh phrases (atrocious accent, he said-working on it)
      He is leaving the Search-and-Rescue unit. They are leaving their home there.
      Said George is loud, but good looking.
      Moving on to new responsibilities. BGG

  9. / Reply

    Sarbonne Update:

    BIG NEWS!
    I’m HOME! I’ve eaten a bucket of food, lots of carrots and all my new friends are neighing to greet me. My really cool new dad, Jim Gath has the misters own for all of us! What a wonderful life I’m going to have at Tierra Madre!
    Latter today we will put all the photos shared with this page the past couple of years into one big album, take a trip down memory lane and thank all those who supported me during my racing career and made my life so rich. Jim has promised to post photos on his page soon. But for now, it’s been a long night and we rest.
    BONO
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-XYGTg_O4Y

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXS2KOmXpHc

    Photo taken this morning:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201879641616177&set=a.1218070175377.2033935.1337570468&type=1&theater
    Nothing but Joy!

      • / Reply

        Dear Sally, here in the southwest, our horses don’t have grass to graze on. Our horses also don’t have to deal with a lot of issues that pastured horses have to deal with- parasite loads from grazing with manure in the pasture, grass founder etc. Our horses are cared for and loved even when they don’t have grass. We do the very best with what we have. We also don’t have tornados, heavy snow or hurricanes. We do have the occasional earthquake though. And you’re very right, the horses DO adapt well. I appreciate your noticing that :)

    • / Reply

      Dear Ashton:

      Thank you so much for posting these wonderful updates on Sarbonne. So very happy for him. He will enjoy his new life just being a happy horse. Moma must be smiling and so proud of you for getting him safely to his forever home. Love and Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      THIS YOU CALL JOY? The horse looks so miserable in that sorry-looking mud hole that I cry for him just seeing this! You have done this horse a vile disservice. You’ve banished him to an early death in a hot climate with little care and no room. Shame on you.

      • / Reply

        very judgmental, Skip. You basically are accusing all horse owners who live in the southwest of not taking good care of their horses with your sweeping comment. Quite frankly, I’m offended by that. I know many owners who don’t have grass pastures, who have less area then Sarbonne has, and their horses flourished. I was one of those owners for many years. Please, be aware that we DO care about our horses, we DO take the best care of them that we can, and they DO enjoy their lives.

        • Dear Casey,
          Well said. Thank you for caring for horses. Love, nourishment, clean quarters and mental stimulation/entertainment are all that God’s creatures need. This includes human creatures as well — it is not how many acres of green one has, but how great the span of love. Much can be done with little, IMHO. Hugs

    • / Reply

      Thanks for the heads up Sue! How does this stuff get past us? There are even some earlier pictures that I’ve never seen before. The whole album is just super!

  12. / Reply

    Terry C., Just read your comment about the pogo stick. ha ha ha! I do not think I would get too far if you remember how I fell off the thing. I’ve just gotten my pelvic back to where it should be with the chiropractors help, after performing in a dance contest, one of my grandchildren was the judge and the brains behind this. When will I learn!!!
    Sally B

    • / Reply

      I mistakenly remembered that Sue was the one on the stick. She wasted no time in correcting me. I told her I would needle you instead.

      • / Reply

        Terry,
        I hope I didn’t come across as harsh to you, I certainly didn’t mean to, I was laughing about it. I was the one who went Zip Lining, maybe that’s what you had mixed up. No harm done, actually it made it sound like I was quite athletic. ha, ha

        • Correction Sue F, we all went Zip lining. It of course was your idea!! haha Our friend Geri went down once and after losing control she did not want to try going down another so she road down on an employee-professional’s lap for all the rest. Sue & I had already gone down so our friend Geri did not know that we were laughing histerically!! I still have to laugh about it. Geri was such a good sport! Sue of course had no pains after it, but I felt real pain in my neck (from previous injuries). What do you want to do next Sue!! ha ha , hugs, Sally B

        • I did not get anything like that at all from your post. I was glad I finally got it straight which was which who slipped on the banana peel. I consider you and Sally friends. After all, even though the chapter is not active at the moment, you and Sally are still co-presidents of the Wisconsin rednecks. Some day you two will have that wrestling match to determine who the sole leader will be.

  14. / Reply

    To those in the earlier discussion of The White Queen, may I add that I just finished two great books about the period by Alison Weir–“Innocent Traitor (takes place about 70 years later) and “A Dangerous Inheritance”. We even added Starz temporarily to our cable so I could watch it.

  15. / Reply

    Where to begin? Happy Birthday to Mario., may he have a wonderful day!
    Ashton, such great news that Bono made a safe trip and I saw the pics on FB and he looks so happy,. Kari is smiling down on you and him. Thank you for making this possible and thank you to Mr. Garth.

    Today is Cindy’s 53rd B-Day and her Mom is in town and will be taking us out to dinner. I was warned that I might get drilled pretty good. Yikes! I guess, she’ll pick Cindy up at bart and I’ll meet them at the Red Lobster. Maybe a Jello shot is in order before I head over there? I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this dinner, perhaps, because, it’s only going to be us and no other family members? Her mom won’t be distracted by others and the entire conversation will be about the wedding? Maybe, I’m just reading too much into this. I’ll find out later. Fingers crossed that all will go well.

    • / Reply

      Happy birthday to Cindy! I hope you can all relax and have a good time over dinner with her mom.

      • / Reply

        Me too, Trina. However, the plans that have changed are, she is not picking Cindy up at Bart and she said “we” will meet you there. Who the “we” is, who knows. She’ll also want to talk about my parents who will not be at the wedding. I’m just going to go with an open mind and try not to expect anything other than a good time for Cindy’s B Day.

    • / Reply

      Old people love those biscuits at Red lobster. Just keep filling her plate and maybe she can’t talk so much. Happy Birthday Cindy

      • / Reply

        Well, there was no talk about the wedding. We had a blast with her Mom and her sister (who might not come). Her mom brought her along on purpose and we laughed so much and had a great time. Cindy said that was one of her best BDays she’d had. She was telling me earlier that she’s still smiling and laughing to herself. I think after all is said and done, her sister will be there. I just love her family, they are so awesome!
        So, I worried for no reason but, after expressing it on here, when it was time to go, I was very calm. Ironic, right?
        Tomorrow, her mom will take us to get our marriage license. That will be interesting. LOL

      • / Reply

        I tried to post earlier but, was stuck in moderation mode for some reason.
        Anyways, it was a very fun evening. Her mom brought Cindy’s sister on purpose. She’s the only family member that might not be at the wedding. After last night, I think that will change. Cindy told me that was the best Birthday she’d ever had. We laughed so hard, I was crying. No talk about the wedding, which was good since, it was Cindy’s day. Cindy told me earlier that, she’s still smiling and laughing to herself. Her family is so awesome!
        Now, let’s see if this goes through.

    • / Reply

      IHA is the only KY Derby (& Preakness) winner that I ever got to hold by the lead. An unforgettable experience. He looks magnificent with his shiny copper coat. Thank you for posting, BGG.

        • Terry, you are indeed a gentleman and a scholar as we blogged above under, “My kingdom for a horse.” We are aficionados of The Bard. Hope to see you soon.

      • / Reply

        The Kennedys & Terry Crow
        Those are special moments of a lifetime.
        IHA has filled out-looks quite mature now.
        Glad to get these updates. BGG

        • The Kentucky Derby Museum is now on my bucket list as several dumplings have been kind enough to let me know that Swaps is there. It will be good to see an old friend.

    • / Reply

      Dear BGG:

      Thank you so much for this video of IHA. So good to see him looking so well. Love and Hugs, JB

  17. / Reply

    Dear BGG Yes saw Prince William on the welsh news tonight We were all hoping Kate would bring baby George back to wales for a short while. He told everyone “diolch yn calon” which means thank you from the heart hugs Sheena

    • / Reply

      Sheena. If Bruce can possibly visit Australia next year, he should mark Wales on his calendar. Maybe Wales should present him with a crocodile like the Aussies have? You can never have too many crocs. Kidding!

    • / Reply

      OK – I’m going to have to ask. Who is this Bruce? I keep seeing his name, but I must have missed the context somewhere?
      One who is always a round or two behind.

      • / Reply

        Dear Sandy (Northeast Ohio): Bruce. Just prior to the birth of Prince George, possible names were being suggested worldwide. Down here in Australia, the top suggestion was Bruce. Bruce (and I don’t know why) is considered a blokey sort of name – true blue, rinky dink, all that stuff. So we (Max, Sheena and I) have this little humour thing of calling the new Prince “Bruce”. And it’s got crazy since a crocodile farm in Queensland decided to give the new baby a croc as a present and have called him “George”. Forgive us, we’re a bit mad in this part of the world. Hope that brings you into the loop. Cheers, KathyR.

        • Aaaah! Well . . . . that explains more than few things. I hate to miss out on the humor :-) Thanks KathyR.

  18. / Reply

    Paynter (4-Year-Old Colt) Workout
    Date: August 14, 2013
    Track: DEL MAR
    Distance: Six Furlongs
    Time: 1.13:60 Handily
    Track Condition: Fast
    Surface: All Weather Track
    Rank: 2/14

  19. / Reply

    Dear Max Seems Moosie will be back over jumps in October. Look forward to that. Very interesting interview with his friend Gary. Am wondering what race his friend Mission to Mars will run in??? Hope Moosie hasn’t taught him some of his tricks!!!hugs Sheena

    • / Reply

      Sheena. I saw that tweet from Moosie about his return to jumps. Did not see anything about his psychologist. I guess that they think that Moosie will run. We’ll see. Moose doesn’t take instructions. Mission to Mars may fall to launch too.

  20. / Reply

    Happy Birthday to Mario! Thank you so much for your beautiful poem, Trina. You’ve outdone yourself again.

    @Shirlee – Best of luck with your colonoscopy. The worst part is the day before, by far. Maybe you can follow Ann’s advice after it’s over and have some jello shots!

    @Heidi – I hope your dinner goes well and that Cindy has a good birthday. It’s always daunting having dinner with your special someone’s parents, but I’m sure you’ll do just fine.

  21. / Reply

    Just a question – anyone heard from GirlSaratoga? I know it’s sometimes easy to miss a post with so much going on, but I hope she’s well – then again, maybe she made a million on a race and has retired to somewhere really, really nice. But it would be good to see her posting. Cheers, KathyR.

    • / Reply

      Kathy R. Was thinking the same but thought that she might be busy with the summer meet at Saratoga. Hope that we hear soon. Girl Saratoga, you’ve been missed.

    • / Reply

      Kathy R, I haven’t seen Girl Saratoga in a while either. It seems like every time she comes back, she gets slammed by “you know who”. Hopefully, she will come back again. I miss her too.

      • / Reply

        Blog filters are a beautiful thing though, you have to admit that. *Knock on wood.* but it’s been pretty peaceful lately.

        • Dear Kathy R, Max, Louise and Pati:

          I have e-mailed back and forth with GS from time to time and have told her she is missed here on Z’s Blog. I hope she reads our posts and comes back. She is everything good that is the spirit of Zenyatta. Love and Hugs, JB

    • / Reply

      Dear Sheena:

      Looking forward to DA. I think it starts here in January. Will miss Mathew though. Love and Hugs, JB, LM, PC and all the Sweeties.

    • / Reply

      Sheena and Judy,
      I love Downton Abbey so much. I heard that if you get the BBC channel, which we do on Direct TV, that we will be able to see these early shows in Fall instead of waiting till January. I’m going to be checking that channel all the time, so I don’t miss anything. hugs

      • / Reply

        Dear Sue Fredricks and Sheena:

        I’m addicted to Downton Abby and also The White Queen. Also love the series Call The Midwife. Love and Hugs, JB

        • judy B,
          Can’t get the White Queen, but I’ll check on Call the Midwife, can’t wait for Downton Abbey even though they killed of my honey Matthew. hugs

        • judy B,
          Can’t get the White Queen, but I’ll check on Call the Midwife, can’t wait for Downton Abbey even though they killed of my honey Matthew. hugs

        • Dear Sue Fredrick:

          So upset that Mathew was written out. I guess Dan Stevens wanted to go on to other roles. He was my favorite character. I think you will enjoy Call the Midwife. It’s on PBS too.

          Maybe Lifetime or some other channel will pick up The White Queen in time. I think you will love it.

          Love and Hugs, JB

      • / Reply

        Dear Sally B: It’s the complete reversal of your seasons: our spring is your fall, your winter our summer etc. I guess that’s what happens when you’re positioned at the bottom of the world! Hugs, KathyR.

        PS: Have woken up to a very thick fog here in Canberra – hope it lifts soon, it’s race day and I would like to be able to see the track!

  27. / Reply

    Orfevre Update
    SundaySilence0325 tweet Thurs. August 15
    Orfevre arrived at Ritto Training Centre.
    He’ll be put in quarantine stable several days later for shipping to France.

  28. / Reply

    I don’t know how I missed it, but apparently traces of horse meat have been found earlier in the year in frozen Tesco beef burgers in the UK. Here are a few jokes about it. “Two Tesco beef burgers please. Hold the dressage.” “Horse meat in Tesco burgers? It’s my impression its been there furlong time.”

  30. / Reply

    Dear Max Morpheus won at Newmarket today and is expected to run in the Cambridgeshire Memories of Frankel on RP website it will be 3 years tomorrow since he burst on the scene Sir Henry said”he ran well in that sort of ground he might turn out to be a nice horse if he goes the right way” Think he turned out quite well!!!! hugs Sheena

    • / Reply

      Sheena. Yes, indeed. Henry Cecil knew how to bring along horses to do their best. Very happy to hear that Morpheus is doing well. He got off to a bit of a rocky start. How is Noble Mission doing? Any news on Joyeuse?

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