HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYONE!
I hope all of you had a great weekend. The Preps really put everything into a BIG UNKNOWN for the Kentucky Derby! It will be interesting to see how it all plays out during the next few weeks! This is such a FUN time of the year!
Yesterday was very exciting! EL VINO, my gallant workmate for many of my pre-race workouts, is now having a fun time on the track and winning his own races. He was such a great sport last year and really worked hard to assist me with my racing career. Now he is having his own success. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!
When a horse is preparing for BIG RACES and competing on a very high level, the workouts need to be challenging and solid to substantiate the preparation. One needs to be extremely fit and ready for competition. In 2010, I ran in all Grade 1 races. As this is the highest level we have in our sport, my pre-race workouts were very important to my success!
EL VINO really helped out with this part of my training program! He was the horse who set the pace for me in many of my works. He was also part of the team drills John would orchestrate to often prepare me for my Grade 1 races. Words truly can’t express how appreciative I am of his efforts. As a matter of fact, John often said he deserved an AWARD of his own for being a fabulous SUPPORTING PLAYER!
EL VINO looks so comfy, cozy and happy back at the barn relaxing after yesterday’s victory. It was his second WIN in a row! Sunday was a rather warm day in Arcadia, so Frank and Ruben very safely set up a nice big fan by his stall to really help him enjoy the moment!
On his stall door, there is also a yellow sign which says SECURE AREA…DETENTION STALL…DO NOT APPROACH! In California, it is absolutely MANDATORY that this sign be posted by the stall of every single horse who is running that day…a minimum of 4 hours before his/her race. This sign is meant to indicate several things to everyone: 1) this horse is ENTERED TO RUN ON THIS DAY 2) the stall is MONITORED and SECURE and 3) this horse is not to be touched or bothered by anyone before the race except the immediate barn staff who will need to put the equipment on the horse and take he/she over to the paddock to run. This is one of the many industry precautions taken to protect the integrity of our SPORT. These rules are essential and extremely important!
I must say, it is deeply touching to see EL VINO again! I am so happy for him! Dottie was telling me that several people stopped her at the races yesterday and commented that ‘he had cotton in his ears’ just like ME…and they bet on him because he was my WORKMATE!
She also mentioned while in the Winners’ Circle, EL VINO literally bowed his head 3 times towards the camera when posing for his picture. It was as if he was sending ME one great big…”YIPPEE, Z, I DID IT!” This is TOO CUTE!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Kathryn Cogswell
“Bring on all the pretenders, one day, it will be remembered .. . all the mountains we moved.” Kirren Dolan`s perfect soundtrack, words & music . .. is whose?
judy berube
To: Anne from Paramount,CA:
Loved your post about Mike riding your horse. How exciting it must be to own a racing thoroughbred. Good luck in future races. Judy and Russ
HappyHarriet
Queen Zenyatta!
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What a beautiful win for El Vino, the Shirreffs and the Mosses! Congratulations!
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The lessons one learns here are priceless and a special thanks to our high achieving Dottie.
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@Kirren – oh my! I never tire of pictures and videos of the Great Z and your heartfelt tribute hits the spot. Seeing her and hearing great stories about the Queen are the BEST!
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Has anyone heard from ENSIGN lately? I miss him/her.
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I hope you and “the girls” are planning an Easter bonnet and especially a Kentucky Derby Hat for the upcoming festivities. You, of course, will be the Belle of the Ball with your beauty and personality. No matter the number of days from your last race, you are the Horse of a Lifetime.
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Smooches and Horse Hugs – HH
Kirren
Kathryn Cogswell, the song is by Taylor Swift and it is called “Long Live.”
Kathryn Cogswell
Thank You, Kirren; loved its effect on beloved images.
Shannon From Cool
Great news! Thanks for the report Z.
relientkislove
Aww so sweet (:
Trina Nagele
@Anne from Paramount,CA –Thanks so much for sharing the exciting story about your horse Rightful Image being ridden by Zenny’s Mikey! Keep us in the loop, and we’ll root for Rightful Image to come home first next time out!
J Smith
@Anne from Paramount, how exciting. I wish I had gone to SA yesterday now. Lots of people wanted me to go but I was busy whining that I was too tired. That’ll teach me, I missed a lot of fun stuff. Will Rightful Image be running at Hollywood Park? Keep us posted, I’ll try to go cheer him on if next time out.
@Mary, what a great story. A good reminder that there are still some very nice people out there.
Tonya Reems
Aww~ How awesome is THAT of El Vino? I LOVE IT! Horses have a keen sense of just knowing exactly what to do at the perfect moment, don’t they? How touching ~
Love & hugs to you Queen Z :) And to you Miss Dottie – THANKS for all you put into this site! It is FABULOUS!!
Maryyette
Love to you, sweet Zenny, and to El Vino and all the horses at Barn 55.
Could someone please post a link to a video of El Vino’s win and his bows in the Winner’s Circle?
Thanks so much for sharing these things, and for being so thoughtful always, and for keeping us informed and entertained and writing such lovely diaries.
Good luck to those in the drawing-
Love you, sweet girl –
Lori K
CONGRATULATIONS EL VINO!!!! ZENYATTA THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. I LOVE YOU Z LOVE LORI XOXO…..
Elizabeth
Wow Z – what a race! I just read your news post today and went right over to watch the rerun of El Vino’s race. How exciting for your whole ‘family’! Congratulations to everyone on your team. El Vino is so handsome …. and FAST! We were just getting home this weekend, so I hadn’t had time to catch up on the racing news yet. Thank you again for sharing updates. Your ‘posts’ are so informative and ‘fun’.
Linda Weiss
Dearest Zenny….I so look forward to your posts everyday, they bring me much joy & make me smile. It helps me & others stay connected & up to date with you & in a way to still be apart of your life. Congrats to El Vino on his success, how exciting for him & you sweet girl. I bet he was sending you a message from the winners circle “Z”. You have a strong bond. Thanks Dottie for keeping us posted everyday…it is so important to us. We are all still waiting to hear about your next date with Bernie, can’t wait to see “Little Z’S” running around. Lots of love to you today & everyday Zenny. xoxo
Lydia
@Kirren what an awesome video. So beautifully done. The song was perfect. It brought such warm feelings to my heart and tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing.
Love you sweet Zenyatta.
Ann from Indiana
I didn’t get to see Dottie’s interview. I don’t have HRTV only TVG. Think of you everyday and so look forward to your daily posts. Thanks again for keeping us informed. We owned a $5000.00 claimer years ago and leased a son of Dr. Fager to breed to our appaloosa mares. Miss all of that.
Eve
I just watched Kirren Dolan’s video–it is GREAT. It brought tears to my eyes. Loved it-a must see.
Amanda Gilliland
Good Morning My Sweet Lady Zenyatta, I hope you woke up with sunshine on your face and a day ahead of fun with the gal pals. I bet you have some great conversations about the races to The Derby. Did you get to watch El Vino race? I still wonder if they let you watch the races on T.V.? It might be too exciting for you. Congratulations to El Vino, The Mosses, The Shirreffs & Barn 55. I was at the hospital all day Sun with family and forgot to record the race.
@Dani-Thanks for Calracing.com I got to see El Vino’s race. I forgot to record it Sun. He is so fun to watch with that Z’s come from behind move.
@Roxi Cook-Thanks for Equibase.com I love the virtual stable.
@Anne from Paramount,Ca- What a great story about Rightful Imagine. Thanks for sharing! Please keep posting. I love hearing all the racing memories. It means a lot to me because I’m not able to attend the races.
@Karen Mitchell-I am sorry for the loss of your husband. City of Hope is a wonderful place.
@Kathy Beyers-I am sorry for the loss of your Mother. My sister-in-law & a very dear friend is dealing with breast ca. now.
@Kirren-I had to tell you again. I love your video!
Congratulations to Dawn & other elite 8. I’m excited about Fri for The Final Four!
Thanks Dottie keeping these wonderful site. It is such a great place for racing info & for the Fan Family to share.
Zenyatta, Sending Hugs & Kisses To You From Alabama With Love, Amanda G.
Ann Maree
Hi, Zen,
So happy for your stablemate, El Vino. Thanks for more info about the behind the scenes. I think we are all still having withdrawal pains, missing our great Zenyatta on the track. Having your Facebook page, and also, having your diary posts, certainly helps in so many ways. You and your family are so gracious to keep in such close touch with us. Love the Mobile Me photos and videos that John put up for us…such fun to be able to look at these. Hugs. Your friend, Ann Maree
Patti in Carlsbad
GOOD MORNING, LADY Z.
I HAVE ALWAYS WATCHED YOUR WORKOUTS WITH EL VINO AS YOUR “SUPPORTING ACTOR”. HE NOT ONLY ASSISTED YOU IN YOUR FABULOUS CAREER, HE NOW HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME INTO HIS OWN…TO BE A WINNER :)
I WISH YOU WELL…ANXIOUS TO SEE WHO WINS YOUR COVETED STATUE.
Vicki
Yeah El Vino, way to go big boy!
Melissa
so glad to see El Vino doing well after helping you be your best. He does deserve a supporting cast award.
Christine in VA
Morning Queen Zenyatta
Just a quick Hi before I am off to work.For the eagle watchers here is the morning cam.
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html
Shari Voltz
Dear Zenyatta I hope you are keeping dry. It is raining again what a rainy spring. I hope the beautiful Kentucky grass is growing like crazy. I tried to show the children the video that Kirren made but it would not open up. They did watch you training with El Vino that another fan posted. They are funny all huddled around the computer. They just love you. Well sweet girl lunch is almost over then back to teaching. My children are so smart. I am having them pretend that they are either a Senator or a memember of the House of Representatives passing a bill. They are really good at this. I enjoy them so much. We all love you and send Hugs and Giant Kisses to you. Love Shari and Homeroom 215 XXXOOO
Marilyn Morgan
@Kirren – thanks so much for the video. Was having a down day, and now I’m revved up again. I hope you don’t mind I shared it on my FaceBook page.
Patricia Emery
Hey Zenyatta! You are so blessed to have such great people and horses to surround you. Great to hear of El Vino’s success. What a better partner to train with than the great “Z!”
I don’t know if I missed it or not, but did you send us any news on meeting with “Bernie” again or will we be waiting until next year? Maybe I missed it…
thanks
Hugs and Kisses
Sheri
That is to cute Z! Hes so pretty! It sounds like you two were good friends! Thats exciting how well hes doing! Love you Zenny!!! :D
OraJean Stevenson
Hi Zenny,
Saw your pal, El Vino, and part of your CA TEAM in the Santa Anita Paddock, on Sunday. Congrats to El Vino and Victor on their exciting Victory, in the 8th Race!! It’s so loving of you to remind us of all the help El Vino gave you, last year. At the end of the races on Sunday, “ON TRACK TO BEAT CANCER” found me right behind Victor Espinoza, when the starting gate openned!! What a thrill! Victor left the gate running…he’s had alot of practice…I “dwelt” in the gate!(to saver the moment). It was a beautiful end to a wonderful day at the races. Thanks to Santa Anita for this unique opportunity to raise funds for City Of Hope’s cancer research efforts. Great fun!!
Thanks, Dottie, for this very informative Diary Entry. It’s so interesting to read about all the little details involved in bringing a racehorse to the starting-gate! It’s incredible!!!
Thanks for sharing.
Hugs to all. Fondly, OraJean
Vicki B.
@HappyHarriet, ENSIGN came back a couple of recent diaries ago – last on #228.
Maria K.
Queen Z, Thank you sooo much for the update on El Vino. I missed his race last Sunday. I have to watch the replay. I am so glad that he won. Thanks for his lovely picture. Love you!