Happy Monday to All!
It’s Labor Day! It is so hard to believe that it’s technically the last day of summer.
Today at Del Mar, the race track is hosting a group who serve in our Armed Forces. MY JOHN was a Marine during his time in the service. He is going to visit with the guests today at Del Mar and participate in some of the activities with them. I gather the executive offices told MY JOHN that even if some soldiers were not really familiar with racing…they did know about ZENYATTA! (That’s ME!)
Hearing this is very special to ME! (Wink, Wink!)
MY JOHN is going to speak with the group later in the morning. We’ve heard they were going to ask him for some ‘handicapping tips’. Dottie was teasing him last night that he better start studying the FORM for the entire Monday card quickly! I’m sure he will do very well!
One of the things I remember fondly about BARN 55 is all of the YOGA type exercises we would do. My dear trainer would have ME do lots of stretches all of the time to help ME in any way possible.
Well, I gather he has his exercise riders doing the same thing. John was buying yoga mats to use at the barn the other day…so individuals could stretch any time needed. Michelle took this photo of MAX, one of the exercise riders, after he completed the daily training exercise with 3 fillies: Harmonious, Star Billing and Gelila.
From all reports, MAX agrees with ME. These stretching techniques really work!
I’d also like to send a special HIGH HOOF to Havre de Grace. Last Saturday, she ran a great race at Saratoga winning her Grade 1 with style against the boys!
Enjoy your LABOR DAY! My Team and I so appreciate all who defend our country…and those who work so hard each day to make everything in our lives better.
With Love,
Hugs to ALL~
Z
judy berube
Dear Z Fans:
Prayers for Jockey Jacky Martin and his family. Hugs, J.B.
Diana S
@Labor Day: To all those unsung people who make the world go ’round, whether you belong to a union today or not, by mowing, and raking, and mucking, and grooming, and washing, and trimming, and polishing, and – well, you get the idea – Happy Labor Day. Your labors are appreciated by me.
@Our John: You are amazing, Marine! Semper Fi!
diastu in tempe
Susan in TN
@signofthetimes(again!): Thanks for thinking of Chester! Did you try to look at his FB page and couldn’t or you don’t have a FB “account”? I’ve had several people say that and I’m not sure what the problem is- I would love for you to see the pictures!
@Gary Moulton: Really interesting about the statues!
@Dawn Conrad: Hey! Sent you an email earlier but hadn’t read posts yet. What an amazing description of your brother’s surprise visit- I can’t imagine the emotion for everyone there. Four of my husband’s brothers were in Viet Nam at one time and I don’t know how his parents/family took it. One brother (Richard) died over there but other three came home. His oldest brother became a Marine drill sergeant and, like our John, you’d never meet a nicer guy! Hard to picture him in that role!
Peggy (N)
@Eveline, Thank you for posting the link about jacky Martin. We’ll keep them in my prayers. Does anyone know the condition of Phire Power?
judy berube
Dear Terry Crow and Signofthetimes:
I think Z should have won HOY in 2009 and 2010. Nothing against Rachael. I love her. But Z beat the boys in the Classic in 2009 and she ran a Classic race in 2010 like no other. So, I think she deserved it both years. Hugs, J.B.
Ingrid Arnone
To Barbara Wood, he fell of his horse on Friday and injure his spine, now he is paralyze from the neck down, he was the designated driver for the horse Ochoa in Ruidoso Downs, I think this a very sad story, don’t you think so? Ingrid
Dear Judy B, thank you hugs, Ingrid.
Peggy (N)
@Eveline, i heard that Phire Power just went down suddenly.
judy berube
Dear Debbie G.:
Thank you for sharing the story about Paul Mallory. There really have been and are some loving people in the industry that truly love the horses. Hugs, J.B.
Susan in TN
Zenny- I hope you had a wonderful day and that you and Tasty T stood out in the gentle rain today- there hasn’t been enough of that this summer and it can feel soo goood! Max looks pretty comfortable there. I can imagine you doing yoga- or anything else you put your mind to! Hope your Team had a great Labor Day. Love you <3
Peggy (N)
@Dawn C. Thank you so much for sharing your brothers visit. So wonderful. Peggy
Trina Nagele
Happy Labor Day to Team Z!Still catching up…
@George Matkovich—I enjoyed your post about seeing Z’s 19th win!
@Suan in TN—Loved the update.
@Sunny Boyd—Great “labor day” post and Steve Martin quote.
@Peggy N —The Ruidoso Downs website indicated only that quarter horse Phire Power “broke down after the finish.” Prayers for defending national champion jockey and seven-time All American Futurity winner Jacky Martin, 56, now paralyzed from the mishap, and for his wife Tracey.
@Ingrid in MA—Sorry that you’re having trouble recovering from hip replacement surgery.
To put you in the best frame of mind during your exercises. I suggest you recall
your poem for Z “Float Like a Butterfly.”
@Dee—Many thanks to your family for extraordinary service to our country.
@”Charlie” in Delran, NJ—Thanks so much for pointing us to the Steve Haskin article on Seattle Slew. For those who want a link: http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2010/09/21/the-life-and-death-of-seattle-slew.aspx
Michelle
@Terry C – I know you are the joke person but this was just too funny not to share. Joan Rivers said that her Mom didn’t teach her anything about sex when she was growing up other than than the man goes on top. So she said when she got married she and her husband slept in bunk beds for three years until they figured it out.
Michelle
@ Terry C – Not trying to take your job just ran across some stuff too funny not to share.
To all the girls who are in a hurry to have a boyfriend or get married, a piece of Biblical advice: “Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz.” While you are waiting on YOUR Boaz, don’t settle for any of his relatives: Broke-az, Po-az, Lyin-az, Cheatin-az, Dumb-az, Drunk-az, Cheap-az, Lockedup-az, Goodfornothingaz, Lazyaz and especially his third cousin Beatinyouaz. Wait on your Boaz and make sure he respects Yoaz
Barbara Wood
@Eveline and Ingrid A.–thank you for the explanation. How dreadful. Will pray for Jacky and family. The article didn’t mention Phire Power. I assume he died as well? Way too many breakdowns going on these days.
@Ingrid in MA– prayers for your recovery as well. Let me try to encourage you. I had my knee done in March. Will go for 6-month checkup next Monday. It is way better, but still not perfect. Everyone I’ve talked to says it takes a year, so patience is the order of the day. Please let all your many friends here know how you get along.
@all who have expressed concern for us here in TX–thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers. They are very welcome and VERY much appreciated.
Well, dear Z–here it is the end of Labor Day. My thoughts turn to the fact that in a few months, YOU will be in labor. Can’t wait for your next health update. We love you always,
Sunny Boyd
Good evening Zenyatta,
Labor Day came & went,
All our time well spent
I bid you good night with this pillow chuckle:
There is one thing I would break up over, and that is if she caught me with another woman. I wont stand for that. Steve Martin
:) :) :)
Barbara Grimaldi
Thank you, Zenny (and Dottie) for remembering our precious veterans. I was so happy to learn that your John is a Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine). He’s already an idol to so many of us, and his military service just makes his star shine brighter.
Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend…now the horses are back from the Spa and at Aqueduct again, and Monmouth Park is also open. I hope all horses on all tracks in America stay safe and sound and reach a comfortable retirement they so richly deserve. Love you, Zenny–it just never ends.
signofthetimes
@ Trina Nagele
Thanks for posting the link to article about Seattle Slew written by Steve Haskin. There is a paragraph in this article that will also be said about Zenyatta’s BCC 2010 one day:
“In what many believe to be the greatest losing effort of all time, he somehow managed to battle back the entire length of the stretch against the top-class Exceller in the mile and a half Jockey Club Gold Cup. Seemingly exhausted after breaking through the gate before the race, having his rider lose an iron, and then fighting off Affirmed and his pacesetter in suicidal fractions, Slew was passed at the quarter pole by Exceller, who had made up some 20 lengths and appeared to be on his way to an easy victory. Slew, however, dug in on the sloppy track and kept fighting back, only to fall a nose short. Many feel it was this race more than his victories that stamped his greatness. After all these years, people still talk about the courage he displayed on that wet, autumn afternoon.”
signofthetimes
@Judy B
Rightfully so. They both beat the boys in different ways. That is what is so unfair about the Eclipse awards. They are way way way too subjective. There were rules before that did not fly now and one was you win the BCC and you are HOY.
signofthetimes
@Susan in TN
I could not find his FB page. What is the title? He sounds like a real cutie.
signofthetimes
@Erin
Too Cute !!!
signofthetimes
@ Terry Crow
I think you have way more long standing experience in the horse racing world than I and I think that it was very difficult for all of Z’s fans to turn that loss into a win; as she is the Queen. You are a gem and I always love everything that you contribute and say.
Your jokes are sooo very funny, everyone is contributing now to them.
One thing that was very important was to retire Zenny safe and sound. An I remember John Oxley,tainer, say of Sea the Stars;
“Having the responsibility of racing a Great and having them come home safe and sound is a very big responsibility” I am sure John Sherriffs spent many a sleepless night worrying about Zenny and making sure her body was always in tip top shape and maybe went a little conservative, which is good, on her racing, but look at her now. A happy and healthy soon to be mom still in everyone’s business.
Quarterhossgal
Happy Labor Day Queen Z, Dottie and John.
Better news in my barn, my mare Skip’s Inspiration, was up and waiting as I came into the stall this morning. She is on bute and is barfoot(had shoes pulled), so far the x rays are looking pretty good. My vet feels we caught the laminitis quickly so we are hopeful! I know things can change from day to day but so far so good!
Susan Tn: thank you so very much for your offer to speak with your daughter, I will contact you in the next day or so.
To all Z’s friends: thank you for all the kindness and well wishes for my mare.
We really appreciate all the suggestions to help her recover. Laminitis is a long journey but we are praying she will recover.
Gary Moulton
@Baby Results -xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx – 09-05-11
.
There is just one baby race left at Del Mar on Wednesday, the “Del Mar Futurity”. I can’t go against “Majestic City” so I’m passing this race now. I had fun following the babies, gained a lot of, I hope, valuable information, and won 20 cents in the process. We sure struck out this last week but I think I could have done better if I passed more races and if I could post the races 2 minutes before post but there was no way I could do that.
.
SARATOGA –
Race 2 –“McKinley Square” broke last, ran last all the way, and finished last. Wish I could bet on last. I think I’ve more lasts than winners. The only two horses that had experience came in 1st and 2nd as the first and second favorite. The time was good.
-$10.00
.
Race 6 – “My Pal of Pals” broke last, was ahead of one horse for a ½ and that horse passed him back and he finished last. The time was 2 seconds slower than the 2nd race.
-$10.00
.
Race 9 – My key horse “J C’s Pride” lunged at the start and probably hurt himself. He went wider and wider and was pulled up just past the 3/8’s pole and was vanned off. I hit the last pick 3, three lasts in a row, LOL. The first half of the entry “Currency Swap” won the race in a slow time as the favorite. The under numbers finished 6th, 7th, & 9th.
-$6.00
.
DEL MAR –
Race 3 – “Rousing Sermon” ran last for a half then came on to get 3rd missing 2nd by a head. Mike was on the winner at $8.60 to 1. The time was very good in this race.
-$10.00
.
Race 4 – The key horse “A Racing Delight” ran well. Up with the pace in 4th and closed up to get 2nd. The time was average. The others finished 4th, 10th, & 11th. At least they weren’t last.
.
Race 9 – The key horse “Getting Lucky” ran mid pack all the way and finished 6th out of 12. The time was above average in this race. Granny cashed two tickets and lost $5.80 today. I’m not sure of her final total but I’m sure she knows, she knows where every penny goes. The under numbers finished 3rd, 4th, & 9th.
-$6.00
.
-$48.00 Today +$0.20 for the two meets. So basically I broke even except for the time I put in.
.
@”Ochoa”, John, and Sleepy, Congrats on a great win in the All American. Jacky would be proud.
.
@Statue – Everyone that commented about the statue info, you’re welcome. You can thank Terry too because if she hadn’t posted the joke I probably would have never posted it. It’s all about timing, right Terry? By the way I told Granny the joke and she partially slipped out of her chair laughing. I’ve known about the horse statues for a while and have done some research. I was trying to find out if there was some kind of code among sculptors that made them follow these rules. I can tell you there is not. I’ve found several sculptors that have done more then one horse statue and some follow the rule and some didn’t. One artist did two statues, one followed the rule and one didn’t. As far as the Knights I haven’t done much research on them but I can tell you that the “Crusades” have never ended and are still going on today. Just look at what’s going on around the world.
signofthetimes
@Erin
I read somewhere that Seattle Slew used to look out his window at the breeding shed when the snow began to fall in anticipation of the Mares visiting. I thought that was too cute, There are so many wonderful racehorses.
@Judy B
Thanks for posting all those links of those on Z’s list.
signofthetimes
@Quarterhossgal
Thanks for sharing the good news. Hope things are on the upward swing. It is so very hard to have an ailing horse.
signofthetimes
@Linda in Fla
Thanks for the great comment. So many on this site have been involved in racing for many many years and have lots of experiences to share.
Debbie G
@Susan in TN and Judy Berube – Thanks for your kind words. You’re right, there are many kind people in the horse industry. That’s part of what makes it so special.
@Erin – I agree with you about HDG. It’s so nice to have a filly to cheer for again. I watched the race several times, too and she showed absolutely no fear. She just went in there and got the job done. It’s especially nice to see Larry Jones with such a successful filly again after the tragedy with Eight Belles.
Anne from Paramount, CA
@Cynthia H. Good to hear about the S.A. track! And yes, it would be extremely traumatic for anyone- and especially a child -to experience such an incident. Makes me shudder.
@Terry Crow, yes, we have heard before all of those items you mentioned regarding the almost retired J.S., so I know that you know whereof you speak. (HUH? Hope that makes some sense.!) However, I had forgotten some details, so you revived some memories. I do believe the Bob Baffert scenario was discussed at the time on the local radio shows, a hot topic back then.
@ALL and especially to our QUEEN, a good night! YOU are always a hot topic, but in the most wonderful way! :)
signofthetimes
@Michelle
Thanks for the link on Blind Luck’s 1/2 sister. She is very cute.
Holly Zemba
Happy Labor Day to you too Zenyatta! I hate that summer is gone!!