WELL…HOW SPECIAL IS THIS! I AM SO PROUD!!!
Good Morning Everyone! Dottie and I were just reviewing the morning news and GUESS WHAT WE FOUND! The Associated Press did their review of the TOP FEMALE ATHLETES in the world…and for the 2nd year in a row…I AM #2 !
Now this is amazing…as, in reality, I am a thoroughbred race horse, so to be honored in this way is quite special! People often comment that horse achievements do not translate to other sports…or outside of racing…but LOOK! HERE I AM! I think this also means that people recognize the fact that I had to train and work hard to achieve in my sport just as a human would to succeed in his/her sport!
I SO APPRECIATE THIS POLL!
They had 175 people voting for this honor and ranking. Here are the top 4 per the AP:
1…Lindsey Vonn…she is a TOP OLYMPIAN and had a great year. 3 CHEERS for Lindsey! She received 77 votes.
2…ME…ZENYATTA!!!!! YIPPEE, YIPPEE!!!! (To quote the AP press release…”Zenyatta’s 32 votes placed the racehorse No. 2 in the AP Balloting for the second consecutive year. The 6 year old mare retired with a 19-1 career record and a North American earnings record for female horses. Her only loss was a narrow one in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.” (Yikes…as they said ‘narrow one’…it was just a few inches. In my heart, I know I ran a winning race! I must also add that I truly appreciate the fact that everyone makes me feel so good about how hard I tried in the Classic. All of my friends have repeatedly reinforced the fact…EFFORT APPLIED DOES MATTER!)
3. Maya Moore…she is a wonderful college basketball player. I believe she is playing in a big tournament today…and her team is working on a big streak of their own. Good luck today, Maya! (I will have the guys at the farm check the TV Guide to see when her game is scheduled. This way, I can check on how she is doing.) It is important to be supportive of my fellow athletes. She received…29 votes.
4. Serena Williams…a fabulous tennis star…………14 votes.
****Per the AP article…no one else got more than 5 votes.
This is truly a complete HONOR…and I am totally BLESSED to share this recognition with all of these highly talented women. Again, LUCKY ME!
So, as I am standing here in KENTUCKY…I hope you can all see the HUGE SMILE on my face! I am so proud and grateful to all of these voters, my Barn 55 friends, and my wonderful, wonderful FANS who have always honored my work and made me feel so special and LOVED!
Enjoy your day! It is chilly here…and per all reports from CA…totally ‘pouring’ there!
Stay warm and cozy! With love,
HUGS TO ALL~
Z
monica
hello dear zenyatta! i met you here in calif and got to stroke your soft warm neck a couple of weeks ago – that was the best christmas present i ever got – to touch YOU!! i hope you have a great christmas too – you have been such a gift to us! you will always be number ONE to us – in every poll – and you are our horse of a lifetime – it is raining like crazy here in calif – i am glad you are warm and safe in your new KY home – i pray i can visit you there one day – stay well, sweet girl – enjoy your new life – we always only want you to be happy and healthy – thank you again for being YOU!! – loving you forever… monica
Helen & Guido
Congratulations on your well deserved honor! We would have voted for you given the opportunity. I can hear the chant – HORSE OF THE YEAR! That is also deserved. We have our fingers crossed!
Mary
You are number ONE in my book sweet girl! Congratulations on a wonderful career…Merry Christmas!!!
Cindy
Well here’s a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, ZENYATTA!! You are VERY deserving of this honor – and for two years in a row!!! WOW!!! And, don’t worry, honey – we ALL know YOU were the true winner that day in November. The dude who crossed the line first had a perfect trip – you, on the other hand had a huge amount of ground to make up after a bad start and getting caught in the pack. And you STILL almost crossed the line frst!!! You clicked off those 10 boys like they were standing still!! Just a stride more and youd’ve had it!!(I still replay that race in my mind). You were the better horse, no doubt in anyone’s mind! Next up: HORSE OF THE YEAR!!!!
Love to you and all your people! Stay warm!
Linda B
Congrats on the vote Zenyatta. You worked hard to get where you are and proved yourself as a true athlete. Not only are you #1 at you sport you are involved in a cause and fight for the protection of your fellow horses. You demonstrate qualities many humans do not show. Thank you Zenyatta for gracing this earth with you presence.
Patti
Congratulations, Zenny! I’m smiling, too. This is Christmas week and you are our Christmas present every day of the year. Stay warm and happy, beautiful girl.
Tamyatta
Hi precious, I read about your award this morning and I was delighted. But Zenny you never have been a TB racehorse completely to me, because you have way too many human characteristics. From your dancing, to your posing, to your acknowledging your fans, to your maximum utmost effort in everything you do…Zen girl…you are not just a racehorse! I know you have trained and worked hard because you would not have the outstandint resume you have without that. And I know that you gave it all in the Classic..Zen there is no other horse living or dead who could have or would have put in their all like you did to make it possible to overcome the bad start, horrible blinding dirt, and traffic of that field to reach the wire! No horse but you Ms. fantastic Zenyatta and for that you have my love forever,my total admiration, and my vote for horse of a lifetime. I will always be loving you! XOXOXOXOXOX
P.S. I went to rerun and your moneigh is beautiful. So is the pic of you painting! I am going to sponsor a horse named Please Be Fast. I sure wish I could adopt one of them. Maybe if I ever get out of the city and have a place for a horse to live a good life I will have one. Who knows. (The other moneighs by Rags,Fleet Indian,Serena’s Song, and Silverbulletday are very pretty also)Stay warm!!Love u!
Debi Hamari
Congratulations, Queen Zenyatta,
So happy with you about this recognition. You truly are the BEST and we love you.
Love and hugs!
Robbie Pfeufer Kahn
Dear Zenyatta: It’s true, what you said: “In reality I am a thoroughbred race horse.” Yet, for the 2nd year in a row (I didn’t know about last year since I hadn’t
“discovered” you), the Associated Press has placed you as the 2nd best female athlete in the world. I agree with the other fans that you deserve to be 1st, having watched the Olympic skiing—but it is extraordinary and, to my knowledge unprecedented, that a nonhuman animal would receive an award normally granted to human athletes. In my opinion, you deserve an award for accelerating the dissolution of the human/animal boundary. In my last post, I had in mind the exchange of human speech between your fans and you and Dottie. A world-encompassing award closes the divide even more. I loved it when Henrietta Wolfe said, “I think you should live in the main house.”
For sure, “effort applied is what mattered” in the BCC 2010 race. Under the Breeders Cup November 6, 2010 Events on your website I recently added the comment (originally written for the Horse of the Year Award post) that your last race was your best. Who else but you could have come from 20 lengths behind to win one stride past the finish line? Many accounts claimed that you lost by a head! As far as I could see you lost by a nostril (or a tongue as Mrs. Moss humorously put it). I am grateful to Suzanne who earlier said: “My favorite pic of this year’s BC Classic is one that was shot just after the wire (about 1 second later)…it clearly shows you, Zenyatta, ahead of Blame right at that point…it must be so heartbreaking to abide because it matters where in the stride (reaching or gathering) any given horse is when they hit the wire…as luck would have it, at that moment, he was reaching, & you were gathering. But only a moment later, it was the opposite, & you were then in front!” Her description was vivid and precise.
I hope you will soon be able to gallop around your round paddock and celebrate in a manner befitting a literally world-class racehorse athlete.
Much love and respect–Robbie
Jennifer Adelman
Dear Zenyatta, This is quite a nod for you in all your greatness. Number 2 to Lydnsey who did that with an injury as I admire her gold medal. You did all the boys and girls to 19 wins and a nose to Blame with a magnificent run from last. That was one of your best races!!
You are a special horse Zinny and you brought me back to the love of horse racing after many years!!!
Hugs!!
Jan
Zenyatta,
The AP really knows a winner when they see one. Congrats. By the way, I was at Breader’s Cup in November, and that was best race you ever ran. You will always be number 1 and MVH. your fans in Texas.
Kathryn Cogswell
Hey! ‘Z’ — Think about THIS: In a stud book like ‘The Stallion Register’ of scores of the big guys on every page .. . you are the only Grande Dame pictured. W0W!! Talk about derivative! What an honor for you, Honey Girl [again]. But WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?? Hugs . .. Khc.
Marilyn
To me you are #1……what beauty, what strength you have it all……Congratulations you so deserve it…….
kristen
Congratulations!!! You are Number 1 in my book.
Kathryn Cogswell
By the way, as you`re always in good company, remember that when the world of 1938 needed him, ‘Seabiscuit’ garnered more newsprint inches than any human, including FDR, who left an important meeting to hear the call on his Match Race w/ ‘War Admiral.’
Sondre
Yaaaaayyyyy, Z-Girl! Way to go! I am not totally surprised though – you are definitely an accomplished athlete, and as for heart, no other athlete’s could surpass yours. You are always ready to go the distance – whatever it takes, you’re there. Congrats to you and all your family!
Shari Voltz
WAY TO GO ZENYATTA!!!! You are so AWESOME. I am so happy for you and YOUR TEAM. You deserve everything you get. You worked so hard and so did your Team. I also feel you are #1, but hey 2 and with all humans. I am so amazed. I just feel you are more than a race horse you are an Angel from God. You are so special and there is only one YOU. I love you Queen Z forever. Stay warm. Hugs and kisses from Shari in Ohio. PS My class and I will be sending you something:)
Bonnie MacRaith
Congratulations Zenyatta! Your friend and trainer, John Shirreffs, should have been mentioned with your name as all this wouldn’t have happened without him and the rest of your family, right?! You two were the best dream team ever, ever, ever!
I appreciate Robbie Pfeufer’s comment, especially this… “In my opinion, you deserve an award for accelerating the dissolution of the human/animal boundary…”
That’s you isn’t it Zenny, the “dissolver of boundaries”!
LouAnn Cingel of Union, Missouri
Congratulations Zenyatta! You more than deserve being voted no.2. You have worked very hard and I am so proud of you! Love you sweetie.
Love & Blessings
LouAnn
Peyton
Congratulations!! You deserved #1. You are top athlete of the century! I pray you get HOTY as you deserved that honor last year also. Have a great Christmas week. I love you, Peyton
Maureen Brady
Dear Zenyatta, I have watched the weather this week and found myself concerned that you be warm,just as if you were one of my daughters away at college. I found this thought revealing of how much I really “love” you. It surprised me but then your affect on people has been perpetually surprising! Luv U Stay Warm!
Jennifer Adelman
Dear Zenyatta, I have to mention your trainer John who let you mature and be your best with his sage horse racing trainer abilities. He is one of the best and I hope he has some award some day. I love this trainer and all of the barn people because they bring so much to the horse racing industry to cherish and admire.
Judy Sims
Hearty congratulations to you smiling wonder. You are so amazing that it boggles the mind. There are not enough awards to proove sufficiently to the world how fantastic and special you are. Of course you are number one to all your fans. You and your owners and trainer and jockey and groom and exercise riders and all connected with you are the “Perfect Storm” of the horse racing world.
Congratulations to you again. Stay warm, happy and healthy. You deserve all the attention and gifts and love you are getting.
Lots of hugs & nose kisses.
Melissa
Congrats Queen Z! (Of course we all think you should be #1 on this list!) Also, as a funny side note, I’m listening to Herb Alpert’s “A Taste of Honey” tonight on YouTube. As a kid — I was only 4 or 5 — my brother and I used to put on this album and dance around our parent’s bed. We made up this whole little dance to go with the song. So much fun! Who knew that 35 years later I’d see Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records, in person at Keeneland and be in head over heels in love with the gorgeous Zenyatta! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aeQxKdphPc
Candace
Number one Zenyatta!!!! You will ALWAYS be number one to your fans :)
Joan Aebi
I hope you don’t miss all the people who came a visited you every day. You were so good an genital and patient with every one, you never seem to mind them at all. You are a Queen. Thanks to everyone for sharing you.
Lisa
You are the complete package Z!You are amazing!!, and what your team has done breaks all precedence. I have been honored to see you race live twice and to spend time with you on the Sunday after the BCC. You deserve all that you get!!!!
Julie DuVall
Yes, it is pouring here in California .. in fact they had to cancel the races at Hollywood Park! You are lucky to be in a nice warm DRY barn in Kentucky. Congrats on your new award!
Robin
You are TOTALLY #1 for all of us!!!More peppermints for Z, please.
CJ
Zenny, You are #1 in my book. I wish I could have voted. I hope you are having fun and are not bored. You have so much energy and are so enthusiastic.