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
judy berube
Dear DJ:
Thank you for the Evening Prayer. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Susan in Tn.:
Thank you so much for thinking of Russ and I. Hugs, J.B.
judy berube
Dear Peggy N.
Thank you for thinking of us. Missed all of you. Hugs, J.B.
Snoprinz
You’re so beautiful up-close Zenny. Thank you for all the info on horse-racing. Congratulations to Mr. C for running a great race. Also many thanks to you Zen for thinking and caring about those affected by hurricane Irene.
Trina Nagele
@Andrea, Roberta Smith, Nancy in NJ, Lil in KY re your granddaughter, Abigail in Montreal, Eveline, Judy and Russ Berube, Lobieb, Elizabeth from the East Coast, and Doreen in CT —So glad to hear that you came through the storm OK. Lots of cleaning up to do, I imagine. Here’s hoping we soon hear that Arlene, too, is OK—she’s in VT. (Hope I didn’t leave anyone out.)
.
@Cynthia H—Beautiful posts, as always.
@Margaret—Happy belated birthday! Was your birthday on Sunday? So glad you got the perfect gift!
@Margie—Welcome back.
@Anne from Paramount—Welcome back.
@Sally (B)—I hope you get good news from those medical tests tomorrow.
@Eveline—I’m so glad you all came through the storm OK, and a high hoof and hoof-ray to your winning horse!
@Brenda S—I’ll look forward to meeting you at the Breeders Cup 2012! So glad you’ll be coming west.
Roseann
Love you “Z”!
Trina Nagele
Sleep tight, sweet Z, till the morning light.
Patricia
@all
Is it just me or what?? I can’t download ANY of the video links in today’s blog.
Drat, it’s probably me!!!!!!
Max
@judy berube. Glad that you are ok. Big relief that Irene is history. Hope that you got to see some races over the weekend or their replays. Saratoga was interesting as was Del Mar. Thirsty really came into his own like Bernie. Next time for Mo.
Sunny Boyd
Good morning Zetty,
oh, I was watching videos of Secretariat last night, his last race and others, what a magnificent horse also. In the early 70’s, Vietnam on the tube every night, Secretariat was really, really good news. I hope Mrs. Penny Chenery is still doing well?!
Best wishes to Catherine Uher.
Some of you, horses, really do look like you carry wings when you run. With the wind in your mane being split in perfect proportion flying up on each side you really do look like you’re being carried on wings when running at full gallop. It’s really quite a show. Breathtaking.
Chuckle:
Guest, like fish begin to smell after three days. Benjamin Franklin
Have a great day :) :) :)
Brenda S..
Good morning dear Zenny, I think we can all get back to normal now that Irene has gone away and enjoy the relief of knowing that everyone in your extended family is safe and well. How lucky we are. Make sure you protect those beautiful eyes of yours and wear your shades when you go out to visit and munch with Tasty T.
@ Abigail – Thanks for the update on Noor, by now he, and his guardians, will be safely in Lexington after what had to have been a long journey for Charlotte, Kathy and friends.
@ Trina N – I can hardly wait. Vic isn’t exactly happy that she won’t be coming with me but she has a lot more years left to her than I do, so she will have to plan, and pay for, her own trip to a different BC.
LauraJ
@Doreen, I must not have made myself clear. I think Mike Repole is one of the good guys. I was responding to a specific question about Mo’s future value as a stallion and whether it would be impacted by his liver ailment.
LauraJ
@Noor’s fans, the Old Friends blog has a picture of his headstone, ready for installation.
http://oldfriendsblog.wordpress.com/
Third picture down.
Barbara Wood
Good morning, Z! Hope your weather is fine this morning.
@Doreen-I sent you an e-mail.
@Susan in TN– thanks! We’re supposed to get some relief later in the week, but we’ve seen that come and go before.
@Anne from Paramount–so glad you’re back safely and that you had a good trip.
@Kari B–haven’t had time to watch the Ruffian link yet, but will get to it soon.
@DJ–I was humming that prayer yesterday morning.
Barbara Wood
@Kari B–left you a note on YouTube.
Karen Gogue
Noor update
Quote Charlotte Farmer: “The ‘boy’s’ nostrils are flaring, his head is bobbing furiously side to side, he’s having a hell of a good time!” This as the happy road warriors are heading to Louisville, KY., only 80 miles out. There will be a 2 or 3 hour delay in the burial of Noor. Gary Parke is flying out, on his way to be there with the ‘boy’ as he is laid to rest. On hand to greet them will be a film crew from CBS news and other members of the media. They will decide once they reach Old Friends whether to unload Noor or leave him on the truck until Gary arrives. Updates later today as they reach the final few miles of Noor’s journey home…
Ida Lee
Wow you are certainly ready for your closeup. Beautiful photo darling…
Cynthia H.
@judy berube: Thank yo so much for posting the link on Majestic Prince. I well remember the in-fighting regarding his running in the Belmont. Johnny Longden reportedly even cried when he asked Mr. McMahon not to enter him. Sadly, history proved his worst fears.
@Trina Nagele: Thank you, P.L., for the generous words which you extend to everyone on this site.
@Karen Gogue: You are the best reporter not on-the-scene that ever was! Thanks you so much for your timely updates. Noor has finally reached the green, green grass of home.
@Kari: 2012. Believe.
DJ
To Marshall: Thank YOU my friend! I wish I had a better voice…when we sing the prayer we pray twice!!
………………………………….
S (in SD): Thank you so much….you just did! And it was a good one!
…………………………………
JB: You are welcome! Hugs for an especially beautiful TODAY!
……………………………………
Barbara W: I must have heard your humming. So glad I did!
Paul
Zenyatta, this past weekend was really great for watching horseracing, especially if you were tired of hearing about hurricane Irene. I was pulling for Mr. Commons who just barely lost his race, which I was a bit disappointed about. However, he put forth a great effort and ran his heart out. I also saw the Pacific Classic, won by Acclimation. Zenyatta, it’s amazing that Twirling Candy’s sire lives with you at Lane’s End Farm, the horse who won the Pacific Classic in 2003. You are surrounded by greatness. I watched other horseracing as well. Most of it was nowhere near the area affected by the hurricane. Monmouth and Saratoga were exceptions to this, although Saratoga had racing on Saturday. I am glad that you’re getting your rest and taking care of yourself and your unborn foal, Zenyatta. Keep it up! Congratulations to all who ran in last weekend’s races.
Robyn Mullhausen
Wink, wink back. ;);)
MM
You are right Z, Mr Commons ran a great race and the Moss’s must be proud. He hopefully will be at the Breeders cup and we can root him on.
Yvonne and Maurice
Hi Zenyatta. Our prayers are with all of the people and animals in the path of this terrible hurricane. The Mayors of New Jersey and New York did well in evacuating the coastal areas. We are originally from New Jersey and remember the coast taking the brunt force of so many northeasterns up the shore line. Love you Zenyatta and your teams for caring so much for everyone – you are truly wonderful. Love you, Angel in Disguise.
Martha Kinkead
Beautiful Zenyatta, you are even more beautiful up close. Your “head shot” brings home just how beautiful you are. Your eye is very expressive and soul searching. I loved Barbaro’s eye shots. His eyes seemed to speak to me of deep thought and even sadness. Your eye seems to speak to me of hope. I love you. You are awesome.