Happy Monday Everyone!
Well, I must say, I think it was a fabulous weekend for those of us who have a name beginning with the letter Z! My dear friend, ZAZU, ran an extremely impressive race to win the Hollywood Oaks- G2 this Saturday! I was so impressed when I watched her ‘cut the corner into the stretch’ and run down the leaders. It is not an easy thing to do, get through on the rail when there is not much space…..but she did it like a CHAMP!
Needless to say, I am very, very proud of her and sending her a HIGH HOOF!
Luck is such an interesting concept. It is an extremely important part of life, our business and sports in general. As an athlete, you always need to be on top of your game and in terrific physical shape when competing. Additionally, you need to be alert and capitalize on all opportunities when they present themselves…and in our sport have a bit of racing luck.
Look at the different situations with my MOSS pals this weekend. Cloud Man ran a fabulous race, in a very good time. At the finish, there were 2 noses on the wire. He just happened to have his head in one position and the other horse, Burns, had his nose bobbing in the right place at the right time at the finish line. Cloud Man truly ran a terrific race and we are very proud of his effort…yet, the luck of the nose bobs did not favor him and he finished a very game and close 2nd.
Zazu, on the other hand, had a different type of racing experience. When turning for home in the Hollywood Oaks, she was able to squeeze through on the rail…albeit….’scraping the paint’ as they call it. This term means she was so close to the rail that it was almost as though the paint on it rubbed against her body. She then took a deep breath, settled, and went on to victory. At that moment, had that hole on the rail closed…or even got the slightest bit tighter…she never would have been able to fit through there. This would have caused her to alter course and lose her momentum. These adjustments to her run down the stretch may have cost her the victory. Her experience in this instance is an example of favorable racing luck, combined with a terrific effort by ZAZU, a very competitive race, and I must say a fabulous ride by Joel Rosario!
Then yesterday, with my friend, Cozi Rosie, in the Beverly Hills-G3, she was somewhat compromised by the way things unfolded at the start of the race. The gates opened and Cozi broke, started to settle and get into her stride, when the horse outside of her crossed over directly in front of her path. This caused Cozi to do what is called ‘clipping heels’….which means her front feet and the hind feet of the horse crossing in front of her touched. When this happens, it causes the horse in the back, in this case Cozi Rosie, to stumble. The severity of the stumble is extremely important. If not too bad, the horse can regroup and get back into the race as soon as possible. Cozi did to finish a very courageous 2nd. This is always the hope!
In racing, seconds lost mean lengths. The old racetrack saying is 1/5 of a second is equal to approximately one length. Of course, many factors may enter into this as pace etc…but this is said to be a “rough” gage. That is why these split-second incidents can be the difference between winning and losing. All of these factors combine to further illustrate, reinforce and validate the statement…. RACING LUCK IS SO IMPORTANT!
As mentioned earlier, luck is extremely important in ALL SPORTS! Timing…when hitting a baseball, catching a throw from the quarterback or as one shoots a basketball …..does matter. When you are competing in a professional sport, you not only need to be prepared and talented…you need to be LUCKY! All of these qualities blend together to make sports fun, challenging and intriguing! It also adds to the viewpoint as to why winning is so special and deeply appreciated when it happens! On so many levels, it is such an achievement!
I’d like to add my congratulations to the filly, Inglorious, who beat the boys in the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine and Buster’s Ready who won the Acorn at Belmont Park.
Overall, I’d have to say it was a fun GIRL POWER winning weekend!
Enjoy your day!
With love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Thomas W. Wiglesworth
Way to go Zazu
Judy (Maass) Gadwood ~ CA
Hi Zenny girl friend!
WOO HOO!!! Yes, she did it! HIGH HOOVES!! Yes, it appeard ZAZU got some paint on her side with that ride!!! :-D
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I was so worried about COZI ROSIE… that was so scary! She fought a good battle though! The fact she came back safe and sound is what is IMPORTANT! {{hugs}} to her.
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Nice photo by my friend Jeff Mallard! Yes!
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HUGS & KISSES, MY QUEEN! XOXOXOXO
Pattie in Pickens, SC
Congratulations to Team Zazu :)
Samantha
I love Zazu..almost as much of you! So good to see a nice grey filly!
Love you, Zen!
Chip
I love the photo of Zazu!! It looks like she is sticking her tongue out at the other horses :) NANANANANA !! Congratulations to her connections.
Karen Gogue
Zenny, thank you! That photo is gorgeous! Yeah ZAZU! Love you more and more Zenny!
sue
Zenny: I absolutely agree that luck is very important–not only in horse racing, but also in life in general. Being in the right place at the right time will often mean the difference between succeeding or failing. But we also need to be prepared, so that we can both create and take advantage of opportunities.
I learned so much today about aspects of horse racing that I had not known before.
Yes, GIRL POWER!!!
Thanks & Love,
sue
Janie
I watched both races on TVG. I couldn’t believe how close Cloud Man was – I was sure he’d won! Oh, well. And Zazu looked so impressive and pretty coming along the rail! She’s such a cutie – just like you, Zenyatta!
ZENYATTALOVERAMY!!
WHAT A PRETTY GRAY SHE IS!! the mosses must love owning all these pretty,pretty horses!! im so glad zazu won! i only wish she was trained by john s.. So zeny! i hope your having a great monday! and i pray that you and your baby are doing well! FROM YOUR BIGGEST FAN AMY.
Karen Gogue
Please E-MAIL me at karenlg06@yahoo.com for info on Dottie’s birthday! Shhh! It’s a secret! :)
Eveline
Hi Zenny , racing luck is very important, but some of the great ones create there own luck! Congrats to all the winners over the weekend and hopefully they all came back sound.
Louise Castello
Zazu’a race was awesome! Somewhere I saw an adorable picture of your Ann Moss giving Zazu a kiss after the race. What wonderful owners you have. Love you beautiful girl!
Trisha Veazey
Zazu another “Z” name. I wonder how many the Moss’s can come up with? She’s a pretty girl.
Congrats to all
Love hugs and kisses gorgeous girl
Judy (Maass) Gadwood ~ CA
@ Karen Gogue – YOU CRACK ME UP, GF!!! LOL
Gae Seal
Thanks for the “rest of the story.” It really is a joy to hear the details of how a race was won (or lost!) The race only lasts for minutes but the stories live on forever, sometimes. It looks like our old friend, NOOR*, who was buried in the 1/2 mile track at the beautiful Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley in 1974, will have his remains moved to Old Friends in Kentucky. But we here in Nevada county who love him still want to erect a monument to his memory for the benefit of the local community. His stories still need to be told and what wonderful stories they are!
Contact Roxann Freitas or myself if you care to contribute to his local memorial.
Judy (Maass) Gadwood ~ CA
@ ALL – your daily reminder ;-)
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=ZENNY
Roberta Smith
A high hoof to all the winners! Love to read your daily website Zenyatta! It makes my day…I love you! Hope you are eating lots, resting and just happy and content!
Tatia
I saw Zazu and Cloud Man run, but missed the others. Great efforts and congrats to both! I am learning so much from reading your diary, Zenny. I’m also playing the Monmouth “Survival at the Shore” online handicapping game. I’m proud to still be alive in the game even though my “bankroll” isn’t very large. I enjoy going over the brisnet forms for the chosen races and I am learning a lot there, too. Thankfully, I have a sweetie who knows the forms better and can explain if I don’t understand something. I’m getting faster at it and also learning to trust my gut sometimes. BTW – my sweetie was eliminated after day 3 of competition. I may not win, but I’m proud to have lasted this long without having to use my “lifesaver” yet. I’ll get another one on Friday :-) This is a LOT harder than I expected…keeping fingers crossed for a bit more racing luck for us all.
Jan
Zenyatta,
Zazu is gorgeous…. Hope you are having a fun day. :)
sandra gomez
Zazu ran an awesome race.. we are all so proud as well! Cloud Man gave it his all and did a fantastic job! I am so glad Cozi Rosie is o.k. As I told you before.. I have worked on the backside grooming(asst.) I had a horse clip heels and she fell, running full speed and took all her hide off of one side.. the other horse had to be euthanized.. So, clipping heels can be extremely dangerous! God was watching over her!! I hope you are doing well, Z.. it sounds like it! I love you.. take care of the “little bundle of joy”!!
sandra gomez
Zazu ran an awesome race.. we are all so proud as well! Cloud Man gave it his all and did a fantastic job! I am so glad Cozi Rosie is o.k. As I told you before.. I have worked on the backside grooming(asst.) I had a horse clip heels and she fell, running full speed and took all her hide off of one side.. the other horse had to be euthanized.. So, clipping heels can be extremely dangerous! God was watching over her!! I hope you are doing well, Z.. it sounds like it! I love you.. take care of the “little bundle of joy”!!
Andrea from Germany
Thanks for these informations, loved it. Would´nt you like to tell us what this this tongue thing is. Does one horse imitate this gesture from another ? It isn`t to be seen in old pics. When and why did it start? I remember you often did it too. And you always had a tongue tie. Stay healthy. Love you Zenny.
Annette Reynar
Thanks Z for giving recognition to our Canadian champ Inglorious, she ran a fabulous race and beat all the boys yesterday at Woodbine. It was also nice to see some of the American jockeys up here to ride at our beautiful racetrack. Hope all is well with that little bambino growing inside you!!
Hugs and kisses from Ontario Canada
Stella Bagwell
Dearest Queen,
Yippee! Zazu was flying and I held my breath as she squeezed through to the finish line! This race was so, so exciting! Congrats to all the connections. So happy that Cozi is okay and kudos to Cloud Man for his valliant effort. The Queen’s Plate was a fabulous race and I’m sure you were thinking Girl Power, indeed!
Hope your week is nice and free of storms. Enjoy the warm weather, your friends, and as many treats as you can get! :)
Love and kisses,
Stella
DJ
Dearest Sweet “Z”,
Thank you for the beautiful photo of Zazu! It was a terrific win and we enjoyed her triumph! Good luck to Your “Z” Team this Thursday with #2 Kazamira in R7 and #7 Utopian in R8…both with Chantal S. aboard. Should be interesting with a $112,000 carryover! Lots of Carrots/Carats :)
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Judy (Maass) Gadwood ~ CA
On this date: June 27, 2009
ZENYATTA wins her 11th consecutive race ~ THE VANITY!! HIGH HOOVES, SWEETIE! XOXO
Jamie
Yes, Zazu ran a very courageous and exciting race. It was a very brave move to go into that tiny hole on the rail. Well done!
Hugs and kisses, much love to you and your team.
Lois Gillespie
Z and Dottie, thanks for the “inside information” it is always so interesting. This was a terrific weekend of racing- congrats to all the winners and to those ever-so-close second place finishers – you are all champions in my book —
DJ
should add…at Hollywood Park.
Terry Crow
@Judy Berube–Thanks for the link on the Life At Ten situation along with the video of the Breeders Cup Race. This situation has been festering for six and one-half months now and should never have gone this far. The only relatively “innocent” party is the jockey and he is the one who has been fined. Keep in mind that over a million dollars was bet on this horse, who had no chance and should not have started. Just look at the race. Is this a horse who should have competed? Someone should pay the price and it doesn’t matter how high up they are. Today’s joke–A man wakes up at 5:55 on May 5. The temperature is 55 degrees and there is 55 percent humidity. The odometer on his car reads 55,555.5 miles. He thinks to himself, this is an omen. He goes to the racetrack and sees that a horse named double nickels is running in the 5th race. He has exactly $5,555.00 in his life savings. He draws it all out of the bank and bets it on Double Nickels. Of course, the horse came in fifth.