Good Morning,
I must say this was such an exciting weekend of racing! So many of the graded stakes races we all watched were truly ‘thrillers’…with several of them requiring the aid of a photo finish camera to determine the winner.
My Barn 55 friend, Mr. Commons, lost by a ‘tiny’ nose in Del Mar’s Mile G2 Stakes. He ran an incredible race against older, very accomplished horses. Everyone at the barn really applauded him for his outstanding effort and accomplishment. I think Mr. C also felt rather proud of his race and the way he performed. When he returned to the barn after running, he was happy, playful, ready to graze and enjoy himself. He wanted lots of hugs, kisses, treats and attention! A high-hoof to you, MR. C. I’m wishing you all the best as your racing career continues to develop!
Yesterday, the Pacific Classic G1 at Del Mar was decided in a thrilling stretch run between Acclamation and Twirling Candy. (His sire, Candy Ride, won this race several years ago and stands here at Lane’s End Farm.) Acclamation held on to win in a wire to wire victory. Kudos to his connections and the ride by his jockey, Patrick Valenzuela. Patrick has always been known to be an incredible talent who can ration out speed on the lead with perfect timing. In this particular race, he was definitely at his best doing this!
The stakes races at Saratoga on Saturday were all quite interesting. Bernie’s son, STAY THIRSTY, won The Travers Stakes G1 in fine fashion. During the first part of the race, he positioned himself right off the leader, Shackleford. Then at the mile pole , he took the lead and went on to finish strongly for his victory. I know MY BERNIE is really proud of this guy for all of his achievements to date! Yeah, Stay Thirsty! Congratulations to all of the winners on Saturday. It was a great day of racing!
Throughout the weekend, though, we were all extremely concerned about the path and strength of Hurricane Irene. The scope of her presence and the intensity level of her travels were a constant source of consideration for all of us. On a horse racing level, Monmouth Park in New Jersey and Saratoga on Sunday in New York both closed. Then along the entire east coast, families were evacuated from their homes. Businesses were closed. People were asked to be safe, be careful, and stay in a protected place. Thus, as we are spending time reviewing all of the weekend’s activities, we must be thankful that the effects of Hurricane Irene were not worse. So many people had their lives change during ‘her’ travels. Let’s extend our thoughts and kindness to wish them well and keep their safety and welfare in our thoughts.
It is like so many things in life, when the review is in and people say it was ‘not as bad as it could have been’…this is certainly important. However, when YOUR LIFE has been directly damaged or changed by the incident…in this case…the hurricane, it is very painful. Blessings to all who have had their lives directly touched and influenced by Hurricane Irene! We are thinking of YOU and wishing you many blessings!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Brenda S..
Zenny, a lovely picture and I know that someone, I can’t remember who, said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. When the photo was taken you must have been very peaceful and contented because your expression is so gentle. Were you looking at eagles?
I was away from home over the weekend and so I have a lot of catching up to do but I did manage to watch Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty in their races from Saratoga. They both did extremely well, Congratulations to them and to Mr. Mr. Commons.
Kathy Baldwin
DJ, Thanks for a nice morning prayer. :)
ZENNY, your MIKE also looked very calm
in the paddock on Saturday. He rode a
good race on MR. COMMONS, almost got there.
I always enjoy watching your MIKE ride. ;)
Peace,
Kathy from SoCal xoxo
Elaine
Congratulations to Acclamation…..a Cal-Bred!!! He was bred in Sanger, CA, not far from Fresno. We are very proud of him!
Cynthia H.
Mr. Commons: APPLESAUCE (wink, wink)! I was so very proud of you and your great effort in yesterday’s Del Mar Mile! You are truly the “apple” of my eye! I loved your beautiful sire, Artie Schiller, and you are made in his image. He was a wonderfully talented horse, running on both dirt and turf, although he preferred the latter. You are versatile, as well, but your blood runs as thick as cream with talented turfsters whose names are already written in the book of immortals: Northern Dancer, Sadler’s Wells, Sir Ivor, Majestic Light. I see that your maternal great-grandsire is none other than the magnficent Majestic Prince, who carried our hopes for a potential Triple Crown ‘way back in the heyday of 1969. After having screamed myself hoarse rail-side at the Santa Anita Derby, I KNEW that he was bound for glory and a sweep of all three classsics. The Belmont that year was held on June 7th, my college graduation day. How could he possibly fail? It was absolutely meant to be. I remember sitting in the living room in my cap and gown, waiting to go to the auditorium, and staring in shocked disbelief at the TV, as I watched the seemingly endless Belmont stretch dissolve our dreams in the dust and shatter our hearts. It turned out to be the Prince’s final race, but, what a thrilling ride it was! I am overcome with awe when I scan your bloodlines, and realize the extent of your incredible heritage!
Max
Zenyatta. Very nice picture of you as always. Love these photos.
You are right about Bernie being proud of Stay Thirsty. He even put out a press release about Thirsty’s big win. Bernie looks good in this photo too. You two are a handsome couple.
http://www.darleyamerica.com/page/91415/stay-thirsty-us
Sharon Call
@Terry Crow. I didn’t know that James Arness and Peter Graves were brothers and I watched all of the Gunsmoke and Fury TV shows. I had a crush on Peter Graves. My Mom and Dad really liked Gunsmoke. Great piece of trivia. Thanks!
Christine in VA
Well Zen not all GIRL POWER IS GOOD…Irene for one…but you balance it out with your sweet power. Love you take care MOM.
Shannon From Cool
Hey, Hay! We’re thinking about you too.
JAG from California :-)
FYI ~ for all you photo buffs, come to SA on Oct 7th:
http://www.santaanita.com/press/pressrelease/2011/08/santa-anita-host-photography-day-oct-7-beginners-pros-invited-all-day
Kari Bussell
@Cynthia- Thank you for sharing about my beloved Majestic Prince. Your words, as always are beautifully written. You never shared that before.Majestic Prince is so very special to me. I got to see him. At the age of six he made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and goosebumps from head to toe. I have been hooked since then. I love that horse with a passion and it extends to our Mr. Commons. This is the Amazing Majestic Pricne 1969 Kentucky Derby-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtBuAcOEWc0
Dawn Corad
Dear Zenyatta. Love the picture. It has always amazed me when I look deep into the eye of horse, the soul I see looking back. So much is written within. You’re eyes are so warm and intelligent and filled with the myteries of the ages. You do not have to talk to express yourself in a hundred different ways. I agree, the racing this weekend was fantastic and I enjoyed it all. So, many hard fought races, down to the wire. Mr. Commons did so well, please ask Dottie or John to give him a hug from me, Zenny. I thought Uncle Mo was great, when you look at all that he has had to overcome. What a wonderful son Bernie has in Stay Thirsty, beautiful and talented! He is such a good match for you. My thoughts and prayers are also with those along the east coast. There is still such a threat of massive flooding. May everyone stay safe and may the trials be over soon. Have a great week, Zenny, with plenty of play, rest, good food and bubble baths. Love you. Sweet dreams. Hugs and kisses.
@Charlotte, Kathy and Karen – The article in the Salt Lake Tribune was wonderful. Charlotte, I am so glad you did get some rest. My thoughts and prayers remain with you on your amazing journey. It won’t be long now for beautiful Noor to arrive at his final resting place.
@DJ – So glad to see your pray posted.
@Susan in TN – Hello, Susan, I do love reading all of your posts. Give everyone a kiss from me.
@Kimberly Potter – How are mom and baby doing?
@Andrea – So glad you remained safe!
@Barbara Wood – The Blessings video was wonderful, thank you for sharing.
Kimberly Potter
@Susan in TN~things are going well for mommy and baby right now…she has f/u Dr appt tomorrow and is hoping they will release her back to p/t 3-4 hours a day. Last week they allowed her to start doing a little more, so this appt will give us an idea how that has worked out. Thanks to ALL for all the thoughts and prayers.
@DJ~ It is ALWAYS a pleasure to see your posts…your prayers are precious and I cherish them….so glad you are back Z’ster!
@Andrea~Glad you are ok…sorry for the flood damage…good luck to you.
@Roberta Smith~ so glad you and yours are safe.
Where is JB? Hope to hear from you soon Z’ster.
Zenyatta’s #1 fan in Montana!!
Kimberly Potter
@Dawn Conrad~ Thanks for asking! See post above.
MamaKlock
WINK WINK back to you QueenZ. Loved the face pct, is shows your beautiful eye.
Margaret
Hay Z this weekend was my birthday. I was watching for news for the Barrier Ponies down in N Carolina. I know the Chincoteague Ponies are safe.
My EXTREMELY non horsie family really got this one right. I opened a Breyer box and I got FOREGO for my birthday. That was the biggest OMG moment. I now have models of the two greatest closers–Forego and you.
So I had a great birthday.
Cynthia H.
@Kari: Thank you so much for the link of Prince’s wonderful Derby win. How can it have been more than 40 years ago? A part of him continues to live on in Mr.Commons, and countless other horses. He certainly did have charisma, and that indescribable “something” which seems to be the birthright of all truly great horses—and people! Our Zenyatta had it in spades! She was/is the “Queen of Charisma.” Forever in our hearts. Just like you. 12th.
Ingrid Arnone
My dear Zenyatta, yes Mr,C and Stay Thirsty also Acclamation, they ran fantastic, and the good thing is I win with them, so glad you are happy and well, I miss you so much, yes thank God the hurricane is gone, Ingrid.
Kari Bussell
Once a Kentucky Derby Champion….ALWAYS a Kentucky Derby Champion!! Right Giacomo?
Jack W.
Updates….”Super S” & “E” both on the work tabs at Saratoga & Del Mar the last few days. Hoofs crossed that they both make it this Fall.
Robin in Ventura CA
Love the photo of you precious Zennyatta.
XOXOXOXOX
nancy in nj
thank you,zenny(dottie) and all for your kind concern for those of us in the path of irene. my area was under a mandatory evacuation order on friday, but i didn’t actually leave till saturday morning. preparations to relocate four-legged and winged family members and friends take time! the larger they are, as i am certain you know, z, the more complicated. all successfully evacuated and returned to the proper homes by today! whew! thank god. we were certainly touched by the outpouring of offers of assistance from other horse people outside of harm’s way. some of them i have never met, yet they offered their barns and open arms. as you can guess, i didn’t see any of the races, but will spend a little time on the net now! sending good wishes to all; hope the hurricane left all of you unscathed.
Lil from Ky
Hi Z,sters—-So happy to report that my granddaughter, Olivia is safe & sound from the terrible storm. Her power was off for a time, back on now & with no damage except for some fallen limbs—Thank God!
I feel terrible for all the people who were not as lucky, & have all the flooding & damage to their homes.
@DJ—Thank you so much for your prayer, much needed
@Andrea—So sorry for all the mess you have to deal with, do you have help with it?
@ Barbara Wood—With all this water in New England, how I wish we could get some of it down there for you—maybe it will rain soon.
Zenny girl, you’re looking more beautiful every day, wish I had looked that good when I was pregnant.
@ LauraJ—-THANK YOU so much for all the great information you give us about the horse industry, I love it
@Dearest Kari, hope you are doing well, thinking of you with love.
Take good care Zenny, love to you & baby Zen xoxoxoxoxo
Lil from Ky
PS—Nancy in NJ—So happy to learn that you are safe, also the animals, what an ordeal for you, I hope you never have to go thru that again. God Bless you & all your wonderful neighbors.
Brooke (From Mrs.Voltz 5th grade class)
Your new nickname should be BEAUTY QUEEN!
Abigail from Montreal
Zenny & Dottie: Wow! Your diary today really hit the mark for me. Yesterday, Montreal experienced its first “tropical storm” of my lifetime and it was SCARY! Trees ripped up, houses damaged, electricity shortages all over the place and truckloads of rain with gale force winds. Even the window on the seventh floor of a downtown office was blown out, landing in shards on the street below. Luckily, because it was Sunday, no-one was around. If they had been, I hate to think what the result might have been. My hat goes off to other Zen-sters who experienced loss and damages in the face of Irene or in previous disasters of this kind.
And even though Montreal got hit worse (by far) than New York City, today the sun is shining and it’s hard to believe all of this happened only 24 hours ago. I will certainly feel MUCH better when our East coast contingent starts posting. I’m thinking of ALL OF YOU & hoping that you got through Irene just fine!
Ingrid Arnone
Dear DJ, welcome back, misses you, Ingrid.
Dear Judy B, I hope you are okay, miss you Ingrid.
@ Linda in NJ, yes, the Factor ran yesterday and he won, Ingrid.
Ray Lopez
Zenyatta, We miss you at Del Mar.
Barbara Wood
Kimberly Potter–thanks for the great report! Please keep reporting.
@nancy in NJ–ditto–glad to hear things are doing as well as can be expected.
@Lil from KY–we’ve had cloud cover today, so it’s only 98 so far, instead of the predicted 109. A blessing.
@jb and all who have not checked in–hoping it’s just a power outage, which may take a while, I understand.
Fran
Hi Z! You are always filled with such wonderful words whether it be about racing or a hurricane. You are the best! We have a heat wave here in CA where I live. I think after this week it will begin to cool down. Dozey is doing well, and I think we are going to bring her home from the trainers for awhile. It is time for her to be at home with us-we miss her a lot and I miss kissing her every day! Have a wonderful day Z. xxoo
Eveline
Hi Zenny, thank you for the nice post today. Just got my home power back on ,haven’t had time yet to read the previous post. Our horse in Charles Town saturday night won his race and made it home safely. When I went to feed the horses at 4am sunday morning we still had power at the barn and very little damage. One side of the shedrow was flooded, but we really don’t need a hurricane for that to happen. All the horses were real quiet. One of our veterinarians had spend the night at the track ‘just in case’, but I don’t think he was needed anywhere hurricane related. At home my dog didn’t mind the weather either, which was surprising, since he totally freaks out during thunderstorms. He makes Marley from the book look like a wimp. Last tuesday during the earthquake he was fine as well. When I came home from the races all my pictures on the wall were hanging crooked, but the dog was perfectly happy! So we weathered good. Hope the rest of the east coasters are all safe.