Good Morning,
This is SO EXCITING! I am hearing from quite a few people that the TOM MANKIEWICZ CAROUSEL…which I am a part of….at the Los Angeles Zoo is quite a success. Several friends have sent Dottie emails stating they have already been out to see it…and ride ME! A special fan, Judy Gadwood, organized a recent trip to the Zoo and several of my dear friends joined her in the fun! From all reports, they had a GREAT TIME!
A few of them decided it would be rather fun to do a MIKIE impression while riding ME! Here’s TROTT volunteer, Delia St. Pierre, revisiting a MIKE MOMENT that was very special to ME in my life-time!
I can’t tell you how wonderful this makes ME feel. This carousel is hoping to ‘really make a difference at the Zoo’ and help raise funds to aid in the care and maintenance of all of the other animal exhibits. I feel so grateful to be a part of this.
I’m also so excited….YOU are having fun riding ME!
I have so much to be grateful and thankful for in my life. This is the season to reflect on all of these things….and I so appreciate ALL of the LOVE, KINDNESS, THOUGHTFULNESS, and SUPPORT you have given to ME each day.
If you are traveling for the holiday, BE SAFE! If you are staying at home, enjoy each moment!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Karen Gogue
AWWW
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/heartbroken-dog-refuses-leave-owner-grave-facebook-rewrites-162733131.html
Doreen in CT
To Honor and Serve, one of Bernie’s offspring will be running in the Cigar Mile: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/66315/haynesfield-to-honor-and-serve-meet-in-cigar
Good luck and safe trips for all.
Karen Gogue
Life As A Turkey – Joe Hutto Story
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/full-episode/7378/
signofthetimes
@Doreen
Thanks for posting the link for THS. He is a talented colt and I am excited about him running in the Cigar Mile. Maybe Bill Mott’s win with Cigar in this race will bring THS some good racing luck.
Yvonne and Maurice
Hi Zenyatta. May you and your friends and families have a wonderful yummy Thanksgiving.
To everyone, may God bless you and yours. Have a safe and wonderful holiday.
Georgia Harper< Seattle, WA
A very happy belated birthday wish to Sarah, thank you so much for all you do and the wonderful pictures you send to us.
To our dear Queen and all her team a very happy Thanksgiving, and too all in Zennyland hope you all have a wonderful day with friends and family
Joan
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Zenyatta, and I wish all your family a very happy Thanksgiving! Your carousel self is beautiful and very like you, if a bit smaller. :) I hope someday I can have a ride on “you,” too.
Brigid Matthews
JAG – thank you for the saddle blanket info, appreciate knowing that. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
@All – Wanted to share the latest from Club Three Chimneys, especially as they have some wonderful feel good rescue stories for Thanksgiving and Rapid Redux comments. The pictures mentioned in the stories will probably be posted to their Facebook site. Just go to the farm’s website and click on the link. Enjoy.
Good afternoon and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
This week some history was made in the racing world when Rapid Redux became the first horse ever to win 20 races in a row, surpassing Zenyatta and Pepper’s Pride, who both won 19 straight. Now, Rapid Redux isn’t a Grade 1 winner…he doesn’t even have a stakes win to his credit. What he has done, however, is string together 20 consecutive wins back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back…, racing roughly every two and a half weeks at seven different distances, at six different tracks. Some are saying that with the lackluster bunch of efforts by the country’s top runners this year, Rapid Redux should be considered as a nominee for Horse of the Year because he’s been consistently great against his level of competition again and again. Whether or not you agree with a claiming/allowance horse taking the title of Horse of the Year, it’s interesting to Google “Rapid Redux Horse of the Year” and read the debates from each side.
So, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, most people will at one point or another be asked that timeless question: “What are YOU thankful for this year?” Here at Three Chimneys, we have a lot to be thankful for. Healthy horses, loyal customers whose trust and friendship we’re eternally grateful for, an amazingly talented and compassionate staff, an ultra-successful sales year, a strong showing by our stallions’ progeny at the highest levels around the globe…The list can go on and on.
But there’s one more thing that comes to mind that we are so profoundly grateful for. It’s our fans and friends (like you), who are advocates and lovers of the horse. Three Chimneys works hard to try to follow not just the horses that the farm has bred specifically, but all horses who are by our stallions (but bred by our customers) and horses who have passed through our farm on one occasion or another. It warms our heart to hear stories about all those who go onto second careers as riding or show horses, and we proudly display those stories on our Facebook page.
It’s also thanks to these equine advocates that we occasionally find out about Three Chimneys-connected horses who, long after they left our care or were sold, have unfortunately ended up in at-risk situations. Three Chimneys has long been committed to supporting the efforts of rescues and equine advocates around the country and we’ve developed a successful protocol and “best practices” approach to doing that. Below are three short stories from just the past month or so of just what I’m talking about:
LADY MERCEDES – photo attached (by Sky Mesa; career record of 22-1-3-5; earnings: $64,585; half sister to G1 winner Elite Mercedes): After being forced to retire from racing due to a bout of white line disease in a hoof, her owner no longer wanted her and told the trainer to send her to auction. The trainer posted her photo and description online in an effort to avoid taking her to the Camelot or New Holland horse sale. Three Chimneys was contacted by CANTER PA that the horse was in jeopardy. We contacted CANTER PA and the trainer to get the horse’s full back-story and re-posted the filly’s story and photo on Facebook. It was seen by the Jacobs Family in Nevada, who promptly called the trainer, bought her for a few hundred dollars, and shipped her from Pennsylvania to Nevada, where she’s currently a healthy, happy horse. If all goes well, she’ll be the family’s first broodmare and they plan to race the foal. If not, they are adamant that the filly will have a loving home for life.
“We found Lady only because your farm had posted on your Facebook a picture of her telling folks that she was ready for a new life away from the track. We just wanted you to know she has gone to a very good home and she will be well taken care of. We are so excited to have her and it is only because of your Farm posting her picture and caring for the Horses the way you do that we were able to find and buy her.” – Sonny Jacobs
BACK ALLEY DEAL – photo attached (by Flower Alley; 5-1-0-0; earnings of $14,807): Back Alley Deal’s career ended this past fall when he sustained a non-displaced knee fracture. Three Chimneys was contacted by an online grassroots horse rescue group, who said the horse was in jeopardy due to the owner not wanting to keep him, the on-track rescue not being able to take him due to his injury and the trainer not having the funds to pay for his recovery. We connected with the trainer to verify the story, then contacted the one of the horse’s co-breeders, Machmer Hall, to inform them of the situation. Carrie Brogden, co-owner of Machmer Hall was quick to act, stating that if the current owner wasn’t stepping up to facilitate the horse’s recovery, they would take the horse back, no questions asked. Within literally 8 hours from the time we were alerted to the horse’s situation, the horse was on a van headed to Carrie’s farm in KY, where he is currently on stall rest and doing great. The plan is for him to be re-trained as a low-level hunter in 2012.
POINT OF IMPACT – click here for an online photo gallery (by Point Given; 50-4-8-7; earnings of $96,687; sold as a yearling for $800,000 as Point Given’s most expensive yearling ever): Loaded with potential, Point of Impact was placed with Bob Baffert as a two-year-old, but the horse was soon sold due to lack-luster performance. After steadily dropping down in class and changing hands over and over again, the horse eventually ended up running for low-level claiming tags in California, New Mexico and Arizona. Three Chimneys was contacted about the horse by several concerned fans in 2010. Three Chimneys contacted the horse’s then-trainer and offered to take the horse and place him in an adoption facility, but the trainer declined. The same story played out through several other trainers until the horse got into the barn of Lonnie Vaughn. Vaughn and his wife were not interested in retiring the horse earlier in the year, but after the horse’s performance began lacking late in the season they allowed Three Chimneys to acquire him. This month, Point of Impact was officially retired and was shipped from New Mexico back to Kentucky to Three Chimneys Farm. He’ll get the winter off to just be a horse and will be started back under saddle in the spring as a hunter/jumper.
“While the original plan was simply to retire him and find him a good home via either our network or an adoption organization, after all of the legwork and coordination that went into getting this guy off the track, I decided to bring him back to Kentucky and keep him,” said Jen Roytz, marketing director at Three Chimneys. “He arrived from the Vaughns in good condition – they obviously cared about him and emailed the first week to see how he was doing – but this guy has worked hard for a lot of people. Now it’s time for him to be my baby.”
So, thank you to all of you – our friends – who support us in all that we do, including the behind the scenes work that we do to take care of our own. We are truly thankful for you.
Beth Alexander
Happy Thanksgiving to the all Z team in KY and CA! Z, love you always.
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
@Charismatic and Chris Antley – For all of you who may have missed this ESPN special, here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=espn+charismatic&oq=espn+char&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=7673l12566l0l16250l11l11l1l0l0l0l386l2309l1.2.5.2l10l0
SHERRY D. WV.
HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT DAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.. A THOUGHT.. I ASKED GOD FOR ALL THINGS THAT I MIGHT ENJOY LIFE GOD GAVE ME LIFE THAT I MIGHT ENJOY ALL THINGS. LOVE TO ALL. SHERRY D.
Dawn Conrad / Colorado
@I was on the Lane’s End web site a couple of nights ago, they have alot of great information. I came across this info on David Ingordo. It was very interesting.
http://www.lanesend.com/bloodstock/introduction.html
Margie in So. Calif.
To Zenny, her family in CA, Kentucky, and her family on this site, a very happy Thanksgiving to each of you. Zenny, I know you will have a great day hanging out with Tasty and your LE friends (belated birthday wishes to Sarah). I love you, Zenny. You are a sweet blessing from heaven and I am thankful for you, and all the good people living in Zenny Land.
@JAG – I knew I was missing one heck of a time! Grateful for the photos.
@Kris O – Post 383, from one survivor to another – major congrats! Amen.
megan heinrich
zennyi heard there is a giacomo & tiago carousel horse there too. hey wouldnt it be awesome to have a carousel of champions for the little kids at the kid play area at Santa Anita? just a thought
Barbara Wood (Texas)
Don’t we wish we all could have been there for the Carousel Race? Too cute and too much fun!
@Especially Horses–great quote.
@Lois Gillespie–AMEN!
@Three Chimneys–thank you!
Texas-size Z- hugs to all Dumpling posters as well as those who visit but don’t post. And to all of Team Z, THANK YOU!
Bridget
Hi Zen, how about one of those on the East coast like NY?!
Karen
Beloved Zenyatta,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. How blessed and thankful to have you in my life. You are such a inspiration. I love you.
Maddy
We never had ebough time to get to know how you will shine…We know that u will shine forever….but it wont always be on the track, Zenyatta…A Mare retired far to soon, has started a mothering carieer at only age 8…Zenyatta a Beautiful girl..we will never forget
Paula Higins
Judy et al. I just love these pictures!!!! TOO CUTE!!!! This carousel is simply beautiful. Thanks for posting the pictures Dottie. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and especially Zenny and her family!!!
Celeste
Thank you so much for sharing the photos of all the Dumplings on the carousel Zenyatta! It looks like so much – I just wish I could have been there. Thanks to all of you, too, for all the good wishes, the links to other stories of interest and for the information from Three Chimneys about the rescued horses. As we are thankful tomorrow for all the many blessings we have in our lives, I will also be thankful for having this wonderful site to come to for satisfying my need for Zenyatta. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Sandy (Northeast Ohio)
@Ann Maree/Tennessee – I left you a message on #383, but it was late in the conversation. In short, many people who post on this site have stated that they aren’t on Facebook (I am one of them). In my case, this is simply because it hasn’t seemed all that necessary at my age and also because of the various glitches one is constantly hearing about on the news. The suggestion was that maybe more Zenyatta “fans” could be reaped from right here on this site if regular FB users could offer some tips for how to safely manage a FB account.
Thanks to Terri Z/South Florida and Heidi (Vallejo, Calif) for their responses yesterday. I’m getting closer to giving it a whirl.
@Kari B – what a wonderful video! Thanks so much. I not only enjoyed that one, but also saw that there are many others that I can go back and view. You must have started posting them when I was out of circulation for a while. Hope you are continuing to recover.
Linda in NJ
Hi Zenny: Looks like your fans had a great time on your carousel this past weekend. It is amazing how you continue to bring so much joy and happiness to our lives. Zenny, I wish all your connections a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you and Tasty get some extra special treats and have a wonderful Thanksgiving day!
To Dottie & John and Mr. & Mrs. Moss: I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. We are so thankful that you continue to share Zenny’s life with us.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to all Z Dumplings!!!
Jo
Happy Thanksgiving wishes to Z and Team Zenyatta! Thank you so much for all that you do, it is so appreciated! Love and hugs.
Mary
Happy Thanksgiving to you Z and to Dottie and John….and to Mr. & Mrs. Moss…and to all the people taking such good care of you at the farm….and to Mario…and Mike Smith. Hugs to all of you…. may you all have a very blessed day!!!
Linda in NJ
@ JAG and @dunie: Just the other day I was thinking about the “Vox Populi” Award. Thanks for letting us know that the online voting will take place soon.
Carole #42 Wisconsin
Zenyatta, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and all of your team and care givers..also to all the Z’strs..Kisses on your soft nose and baby Z/B. XOXO
Alene
Thanks Zenny. May you and your entire team have a wonderful holiday!!! Love you always, Alenexxoo God bless you Dottie!!
signofthetimes
A little Tidbit:
Rapid Redux sold for $65,000 at the Keenland sale.
That “daddy” of his really brings a good price for
his off spring.
D Stuart
@All DUMPLINGS AND Z-STERS PLANNING ON COMING TO BC 2012 AT SANTA ANITA:
Getting hotels and motels right away is important!Rooms are already booking up and rates are being raised. So rather than waiting to make a cool flyer with all sorts of other BC information on it, I wanted to give everyone a heads up. I have made a Word document with hotels and motels and their distances from the track to get you started. Email me at diastu46@gmail.com and I will send the list to you. Don’t forget, you can always cancel later. Less time critical information in a couple weeks.
diastu in tempe