Good Morning All,
Yesterday, as further details and reports were published in relation to the tornado and Churchill Downs, it continued to amaze ME that there were no injuries of note to human or horse. The photos published during the day showed the level of damage… and it truly was miraculous! Thank goodness for the quick reactions and assistance by so many wonderful people. Also, it was mentioned that the actual construction of the Churchill Barns…with the hay storage areas located above the stalls being so strong and well built…added to the safety of so many horses in this storm.
There is a phrase MY TEAM often reflects upon when hearing certain things like this and it is LUCKY US! This thought certainly applies at this time to this situation.
I must say, I was so touched by your comments yesterday referring to GRATITUDE, CHERISHING THE LITTLE THINGS and BEING THANKFUL! These feelings and emotions are so important to practice in life.
With this thought in mind, I truly want to again express how THANKFUL I am for ALL of the wonderful people I have and have had in my life. On so many levels, it certainly has been a bit of work to get ME to the place where I am today. I do understand that I have talent, but I am also fully aware of the fact that I could not have done it by just having talent or by myself. So much in life depends upon people working together for the best interest of one individual or another or the greater good for many.
Thus, while grazing, the thought occurred to me to THANK my pal at Lane’s End, MATT, for being so terrific to ME. So I did! I walked right over to him and gave him a BIG KISS. I must say, I do think this caught him a bit by surprise. As you can see in this photo, I made him laugh. I think at this moment, Matt truly thought I was TOO CUTE!
This morning, Dottie mentioned that I currently have over 86,000 Face Book Friends! Wow…I am deeply touched by this number!
I’m sending each of you a BIG THANK-YOU KISS too!
With Love,
Hugs to All~(All 86,131 of YOU!)
Z
Lori K
ZENNY, I SURE WISH I WAS MATT GETTING A BIG KISS FROM YOU. HOW LUCKY HE IS. YOU FILL MY HEART WITH LOVE AND JOY. I TRUELY REALIZE HOW BLESSED I AM. THANK GOD FOR THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE. GODBLESS TO EVERYONE. I LOVE YOU Z AND BABY XOXOXO….. STAY SAFE :)
judy berube
Dear Judy (Maass) Garwood:
Thanks for the link on Santa Anita. Hope this is the improvement needed to save horses injuries or worse. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Abigail in Montreal:
Loved your link on Z, R and Rags Hugs, J.B.
Janie
Matt sure is lucky, Zenyatta, and so are you – with those handsome fellas taking care of you! TOO CUTE for words!
Sharon in Seattle
Zen/Dottie – you are TOO FABULOUS! The thoughts, sentiments, concern, laughter, comraderie, team spirit – I love all of it. Matt, please give Zenny a kiss for me!
Nancy Colley
Miss Z, way to go girl, we are blessed to have you in our lives, you make my day, love your diary, soooo glad that no one either human or animal were injured at Churchill Downs. Matt is one lucky guy!!!!!!!!. WAY TOOOOO CUTE. Have a great day.
Lauren
Dear Zenny – I love you. Here are many, many kisses for you. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It would be so wonderful to meet you in person – your face is priceless. Have a blessed day beautiful girl. Say hello to Dottie for me.
Susan in TN
Zenny- what a great picture! Matt is laughing and I can see the humor in your eye, too! You look so happy and relaxed- you are still surrounded by wonderful people and that makes ME so happy <3 Love you-
@Sarah C: Thank you for the photos!
@Debbi M: LOL-I can relate!
@Judy B: Thanks for the links- watched the slide show and loved it!
@Pat Cannon: That is incredible that so many of the horses remained calm during the storm-and especially since I'm sure they are mostly young horses!
Warm wishes to all my Z friends <3
@Abigail in Montreal: Can't wait to read Part 2-loved Part 1 !
Anna
Love ya, Zenny! I’m sending kisses right back to you! <3
Trisha Veazey
Hey Matt what a lucky guy you are. Z, great that you surprised him. You have to keep the guys guessing all the time. Love the posts and info dail, which are so uplifting.
Have a great weekend gorgeous
Love, hugs and kisses
Lois Gillespie
@Abigail- you’ve done it again! What an amazing (and understandable) explanation of the “big heart” gene. Of course we all know that there is more to it than just the genes – for you Z, the confluence of owners, trainer, and racing family which brought you to your full potential – and is now present in your new life at LE, with all those you have charmed with your generous heart.
Dottie, so glad for the updates on Churchill – truly there were angels watching out for all during the storm –
dunie
Right back at ya’ Zenny!
Pat Beck
They said you went to LE to learn how to become a horse again. It’s so good to know that you still haven’t lost your wonderful connection to the humans in your life. Love you always, Z.
Dawn Conrad
Dearest, Zenyatta. I agree, Zenny, What happened at Churchill Downs yesterday was truly miraculous. What a blessing. Thank you for the wonderful kiss, how I long for one in person!! Matt looks very happy to have received his. :) You are just so. . . wonderful. As you say, Zenny, it is important that each day I remind myself to think “Lucky Me”! Life is amazing. We should never take what we have for granted. Spending time with the friends and family we love, truly enjoying our co-workers as well as the work we do, savouring nature and our relationship with the animals that share our world, these are what life is all about. Stopping to smell the roses is not a waste, but a gift. Each day is filled with new opportunities to make the most of the moments we have here on earth. They are so very fleeting. There are always surprises just around the corner. New friends to make, new joys to celebrate, new challenges to conquer, new lessons to learn, new dreams to believe in, the possibilites are endless. Just think of how full our buckets can be Zenny and how our actions can fill the buckets of others. To love and support one another is the greatest miracle of all. All my love to you beautiful!! Sweet dreams. Hugs and kisses. XXXOOO
Terry Crow
@Judy Berube–Don’t let anyone in on the punch line. Even when you know, you never know. @all-I left my joke at the end of the last thread. Enjoy.
Debbie
hi Z! oh, I wish it was me in that picture!! Matt is sooo lucky to get a kiss from YOU!!! I hope I can someday when YOU can have visitors;) and YOU are definitely TOO CUTE and I love YOU gorgeous mama xoxoxo
Louise Castello
Awwww Zenyatta, you and Matt are adorable! You are such a beautiful girly, girl. How lucky everyone is who gets to be around you. I’m a little jealous. I love you.
ferochacouture
To my most favorite mare other than my own, you are a true inspiration of what it means to admire a horse. Your beauty and grace ignite the fires that roam inside of me when I hear the thunderous roar of your hooves racing down the track. I thank the lord that he created such a wonderful animal for all of us to enjoy. I miss seeing you bringing your can of whoopass to the races. Forever a huge fan.
Martha Kinkead
Thank you for the kiss. You are amazing. I think that the reason I like you so much is the fact that I can see how much your team loves you. While watching the Breeders Cup when you were coming through the tunnel, I could see how proud your team was of you. I could see the love. You and your team are amazing. The very best to all of you. Hugs and Blessings.
Heidi Kreizinger
Great picture of you Z, but I’m more interested in Matt! Is he married? Ha Ha!
Have a great day!
Helen (Michigan)
Oooh! Would I love to be in Matt’s place. You’re a”zplendid zpecimen” girl. A nice soft nuzzle from you would make the whole world better today. I missed yesterday’s post until today and yes, a miracle indeed that no people or horses were hurt. Even more impressive is that CD will be open in spite of the damage.
I was reminded of a line in one of my darling (deceased) son’s poems when I read of the heroic efforts and cooperation of everyone at the track.
“WHEN I LOOK SOMEWHERE FOR KINDNESS, TRULY HUMAN NATURE SHOWS ITS FACE. SEEKS TO RIGHT THE WRONGS OF THE HEEDLESS, FINDS A HIGHER STATE OF GRACE.”
The staff, trainers, workers an CD management showed human nature at its best. Kudos to them.
This is the only website where I “unload” so to speak – and not very often. I will say again: You are the BEST BUNCH OF PEOPLE I WILL NEVER MEET!!!
@ Anyone: Do one of you happen to have Mike Smith’s PO Box Mailing address? I have written John and Team Z at Barn 55 with no problem. I requested it via his website with no luck. HP referred me to his agent Brad Pegram. (Right, he’d really want to get a phone call from somewhere in Michigan). I avoid any personal info on Facebook and only joined for Zen and Mike.
Here’s my email: hcdonn@earthlink.net (I have spam blocker but any message will get to my suspect webmail account) Thanks!
Helen Donnelly
Karen Mitchell
Dear Zenyatta, How fortunate we are to have you in our daily lives through your and Dottie’s diary writings and through all the amazing, inspiring, and informative comments from your 86,000+ people in your extended family. You teach us each day about the things that really matter in life, reminding us most especially to be grateful for all we have — family, friends, warmth and love and kindness and wonderful memories. One of my fondest memories is the day I met you at Barn 55 and when I told you that you are gorgeous, you turned and kissed me on the cheek and I was able to kiss your velvety soft muzzle. As others have posted about their meetings with you, this will always be one of the peak experiences in my life. And for those of your “family” who haven’t yet met you in person, it is obvious that Z knows you are out there and returns all your love many times over. Take care and be well and happy, beautiful lady.
@Dawn Conrad, your words above are, once again, inspirational and eloquent.
Barbara Wood
Dearest Z– we are on vacation and would not have known about the Churchill damage except for the Bloodhorse e-mail. Then I checked in with YOU, and as usual, you are on top of getting news to us. We are SO thankful that no person or horse was harmed. What a miracle!
@Debbi M–love your story. Only we hard-core Zenny fans can appreciate that!
@Susan in TN–we are in Nashville, and I just HATE that we are so close to River Edge Farm, and time will not permit us to go by and meet our horse friends we have met through you. Maybe another time–hope so.
Zenny–love the picture–your adorability factor just went up several more notches. I’ll say good night early today, as we will be busy tonight. Love you always.
Jeanie
What a lucky guy that Matt is!
How are you today, pretty lady? Hope all is well with you and the growing little one. As always,
Your humble J
Barbara Hawkins
YOU ARE ONE BEAUTIFUL HORSE!
Sue Fredrick
Hey Big Mama, you and Matt are too cute together! I have a great idea, later on when your safely pregnant, they could set up a kissing booth like they have at fairs and we could all pay a buck for one of your special smooches, and donate it to one of your favorite charities. What do you think?
Would just like to mention old news from yesterday:
@Tricia Nagele, what a lovely poem you shared about a special place in heaven for horses….I’m going to visit there some day.
@Judy Gadwood, so sad to hear about the loss of our sweet “Frankie”, she was a very special little girl and I will miss the updates of her progress.
@Debbie M, I know what you mean about the Z pics, my kids said the same thing because I have a “Zen Den” full of Z stuff.
@Dawn Conrad, well said you certainly have a way with words and can speak for all of us.
@Abigail from Montreal, just love your info from the Vault, can’t wait to read the next installment. Bless you
Zen, luv you and kisses on YOUR nose
Sue
A big kiss and hug to you too, Zenny. When can we visit you?
Brenda
Oh how I wish it was me!!! Lucky Matt, it’s nice to see that you’ve got such affection for your friends there at LE. Is Charles just a little bit jealous? We are all, 86,000+ of us, wishing for a kiss from you. This coming Sunday is the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine, Victoria and I will be there to see if either one of us can pick the winner. I don’t suppose you see the Canadian races on TV in Lexington Zenny although maybe Matt or Charles will tell you who wins. Have a safe and peaceful weekend enjoying that tasty bluegrass. Hugs and kisses from Fort Erie.
@ Alexandra Bowdoin Thanks for the tip about the horse park, I’ve added it to my list for this trip. I also agree with you, the picture is TOO CUTE.
DJ
Dearest Sweet “Z”,
Pucker-up Buttercup!! You’re kisses are TOO CUTE! “Lucky Matt!” Best of luck to Cloud Man with J. Talamo this Saturday at H.P.! #7 Race 7! Reach for the stars Cloud Man!
………………………………….
Yes, Sweet “Z”, Yesterday is a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promisary note and today is the Precious Present, the Greatest Gift of All!
LauraJ
@Shari Voltz and @Brenda (from #280), I second the suggestion of the Kentucky Horse Park. For horse lovers it’s well worth the time and money. Give yourself at least half a day, and check the schedules on their website to ensure you get to see the things you want. The Mare and Foal Show will still be going on. The Parade of Breeds is great, and there is also the Hall of Champions. Breyerfest (the model horses) is also going on at the Horse Park July 15-17 (separate admission, IIRC, but don’t quote me). The museum takes at least an hour. The park is full of beautiful sculptures.
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Non-horse-related thing to do: Tour a distillery or two (or three or four…). Drive around downtown and see the beautiful architecture. Follow the signs for the Bluegrass driving tour. For future reference, Mammoth Cave National Park is worth a trip by itself.
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If you want to take the time, you could go to the Kentucky Derby Museum. CD is a little more than an hour from Lexington.
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I don’t know if you are a fan of Brass Hat, but he recently retired, and fans are invited (begged) to visit him. He’s about 15 minutes from Old Friends.
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Speaking of Old Friends, if you haven’t arranged accommodations, consider staying at the OF Bed and Breakfast, aka Michael’s house. It’s not motel rates, but the price is competitive with other B&Bs, you get a private tour of OF, and proceeds go to charity. And who knows—they might invite Little Silver Charm in for a visit. He’s house trained. :-)