Zenyatta

Queen of Racing

Ask The Experts

Ask The Experts #2

Q:

When a mare has a foal, and then is sent to another farm to be bred for the next season, is the foal left back at the farm until the mare returns or does the foal accompany mom in the horse van to the stallions farm ? Is someone assigned to the foal to keep it calm while mom is being bred?

Sally Wade

Saginaw, MI

A:Typically, as long as the stallion is local, the foal will be left at home while the mare is bred. They usually return within a one to two hour period, and someone in the barn will watch them closely while the mare is absent. In our breeding shed we will make concessions for mares that are travelling some distance to be bred and allow them to bring the foal with the mare.

Photo by Kyle Acebo

Q:

Zenyatta has always been a big girl and has packed on quite a few since retirement—do you have a way of providing structured exercise to those horses that need it?

Karen in Indiana

Indianapolis, IN

A:In Zenyatta’s case she came to us in peak physical fitness off the track in the dead of winter. Due to the dramatic climate change for her we had to let her down slowly and carefully. Obviously she needs the extra condition for farm life as she has the elements to contend with now. She gained weight gradually and she is a mare than can hold a lot of condition due to her size and depth of girth.

Typically we do not have issues with broodmares becoming too overweight—in fact when they have a foal at their side they need a lot of calories to maintain the foal and their own condition. We feed the mares grain at least twice a day and sometimes three for those who warrant more. The mares are turned out as much as possible when the weather permits, as free exercise is the best way to keep them in shape and healthy both mentally and physically.

We do sometimes have weight control issues with the stallions. We have a horse walker in place at the stallion barn to keep some of the bigger guys from getting too heavy, especially before the breeding season when they need to be fit and ready to go!

Our Expert

Alys Emson

Client Management, Lane’s End

Alys has been at Lane’s End for fourteen years. She has worked in every division of the farm and is now in charge of client management, keeping owners up to speed about the lives of their horses.

Reader Interactions

625 Comments

  1. / Reply

    Peggy N and Sign,

    Hope you watched the 8th at HP today, just saw an unbelievable race for TAKE CONTROL ( A P Indy x Azeri) who had won his first race 2 1/2 years ago and been injured so had not raced since. All the TVG guys couldn’t believe he was bet down so low, so they thought he didn’t have a chance. He raced like a Zenyatta, way behind, and then took off and blew by. Wow! This could have been a triple crown contender if he hadn’t gotten injured. I shall watch every race he enters what an exciting horse and he’s trained by Baffert.

    • / Reply

      What a race….from way back…blew by them all….
      …..
      had tvg on today….Zenny. they continue to compare everyone to you…
      GO HANSEN GO

    • / Reply

      Thanks Sue,

      Did not see the race, but will look it up on HP or TVG website.

      SOOOOOO Glad he did well and is BACK !!!!!!

      Love that horse.

  2. / Reply

    Voodoo Daddy in stable condition but still in life-threatening condition
    Posted on June 30, 2012 by Jennie Rees
    The 3-year-old colt Voodoo Daddy, who is owned by Terry Raymond, was in stable condition Saturday evening at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, where he was sent Friday night because of massive bleeding from deep cuts and a nicked artery in his right hind leg.
    Trainer Steve Asmussen said equine surgeon Brett Woodie used the terms “stable, optimistic, resting comfortably and then (Saturday) evening used the word bright” in describing Voodoo Daddy’s condition to Ken Reed, who is Asmussen’s veterinarian at Churchill Downs. However, the injuries remain serious because of the blood loss and the risk of infection. Asmussen said the focus is keeping Voodoo Daddy alive, with no way to know if he could ever race again.
    The stakes-placed Voodoo Daddy was leading in mid-stretch of the five-furlong turf race when he swerved into the rail after Sellers’ hit him once with his right-hand whip. The colt continued to run through several sections of the aluminum rail — designed to come down in 20-foot pieces when such mishaps happen — but got tangled in the railing and got the reins looped around a leg. Sellers came off in the process.
    “Getting him to quit bleeding was the issue (Friday) night,” trainer Steve Asmussen said Saturday morning. “Greg Blasi, the outrider, cut the rein for us and did a great job getting a compression bandage on the large cut under his right hind leg.”

  3. / Reply

    It was a good race, wasn’t it? After he broke his maiden at first asking, I had him on my Derby watch list. I’m glad he was able to make it back to the races finally. Baffert has brought him along slowly. He’s been posting official workouts for a while. Good job, Bob B.

    Lately I have been wonderig what has become of Mr. Besilu, Z’s nephew. He must have been injured, or else he is a very late bloomer. It’s been ages since he had an official workout.

    Watching Cal Racing–that Liberian Freighter is a brat. Very high maintenace boy.

    • / Reply

      Laura,
      Yes, I’ve been wondering about Mr. Besilu too, also had him on my watch list. They have a beautiful website with fantastic pics of him, he is a gorgeous Bay. Wish we’d get an update

      Congrats to beautiful Hansen on his big win, sorry Mr. Commons got trapped inside.

      Liberian Freighter is quite the character, they sure go out of their way for him….too funny.

      • / Reply

        Liberian Freighter is a hoot….and they just go with him…he will give his best effort if everyone works together…i am adding him to my stable…if nothing else he is very entertaining…also a good looking guy

      • / Reply

        There were too many favorites in the Shoemaker Mile.

        Love Liberian Frieghter and that NAME !!!

        See video posted below.

  4. / Reply

    Sad to see Mr. Commons miss in the Shoemaker. Seemed to me that he got boxed in and Mikey really had no place to go.

  5. / Reply

    Three Chimneys Farm‏ tweeted Sat June 30
    First North American winner for BIG BROWN!
    Brown Eyes Blue goes gate-to-wire at Churchill in a Msw in her career debut!

  7. / Reply

    Rescue Gus update.

    Gus was weighed today and let the record show that since he arrived to us he has gained almost 91 pounds!!

  8. / Reply

    Hansen Romps in His Return in Iowa Derby (Video in Link)
    By Tom LaMarra, @BH_TLaMarra
    Updated: Sunday, July 1, 2012 12:11 AM
    Dr. Kendall Hansen and Skychai Racing’s Hansen returned from a layoff in a big way with a dominant victory in the $245,000 Iowa Derby (gr. III) June 30 at Prairie Meadows (VIDEO) .
    “He felt great,” said winning rider Ramon Dominguez, who flew to Iowa after riding at Belmont Park earlier in the day to be aboard Hansen for the sixth straight time. “He was always happy and wanting to go. Sometimes you think he’s going too fast, but he’s able to carry his speed.”
    Hansen broke from the rail and immediately took the lead over Alsvid, who stalked him in second through the final turn. The fractions were :24.06, :47.51, 1:11.02, and 1:35.56 for one mile on a fast track. The final time was 1:42.01.
    Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70946/hansen-romps-in-iowa-derby-return#ixzz1zLG33IQG

      • / Reply

        Thanks for the link Keta. Great to see him race, and the slow motion segment was awesome!

      • / Reply

        Max & Sandy
        Did you notice Hansen’s yellow bridle?
        Easy to spot in race (yes, I do know Hansen is so white he is hard to miss)
        Bridle looks very fashion forward.
        Hansen was really FLYING.
        Keta

        • Keta. Yes, Hansen is a clothes horse for sure. I always think of Shari’s class when Hansen races. They thought that he looks like Pegasus. His mane and tail are really impressive.

        • I’ll have to look again (I really need an “on-site guide” when I watch these – my keen sense of the “obvious” gets me only so far :-)

        • On TVG they said Hansen was wearing a gold bridle in honor of the University of Iowa and Iowa State which both have gold in their colors. Didn’t Hansen look divine?

    • / Reply

      They said he was OK. He is a Root and Riddle with a gash on one of his legs/foot.
      Not sure if their will be psychological issues for him.

      HRTV last night said Shane Sellers fractured his shoulder and will be out for awhile.

  16. / Reply

    For those of you Rednecks, who remember the discussion of Big Woodrow’s and Little Woodrow’s in Houston. Here is the website for Little Woodrow’s. It is more of a college
    hang out ( Close to Rice University and the Medical Center (Baylor and UT Medical
    Schools and a couple of other health care professional schools), but a fun place too.

    http://www.littlewoodrows.com/index.php

  17. / Reply

    Dear Max and Laura J

    Left you a message on page two, in your comments about BRASS HAT.

    He sure is the perfect gelding, with those bitting skills, those yearlings will be
    whipped into shape. HE WILL HAVE THE MOST WELL RUN PADDOCK ON THE FARM !!!!

    • / Reply

      Sign. Agree. Brass Hat is going to run a very tight ship like Serge in An Officer and A Gentleman. His grads will know how to be horses.

      As to your horses, maybe the ones who kept touching the fence were checking for electrical blackouts?

      • / Reply

        Great comment.

        Hoping for an electrical black out or maybe
        Will this little buzz keep happening???

        They should make a video of Brass Hat
        And his recruits. Bet they need a very strong
        Leader gelding for this role. Anyone laid back
        Would have anarchy !!!!

        • Dear Max,

          Can you imagine what a horse must think in a group of yearlings???
          Guess like a teacher of kindergarten or pre-K children.
          What a riot !!!

        • Sign. Brass Hat would probably take one look at them and let them know who is calling the shots. BH would tell them that he is not their mom. Horses usually pay attention to types like BH even if they ignore most humans. If you show up with the right treats, you may get attention for as long as the goodies last. Horse rules are easy to understand because they are honest.

        • My friend and I landed in a pasture one night,trying to beat curfew. We cut thru Pete’s pasture,with newly installed charged wire, on the top plank. It was new.
          My friend was crawling over the rail and kept saying to me…stop kicking me. The charge was working!!!

          Pete had switched the horses around and we landed in the pasture with the yearlings,thought the calm ole paint horse was in there. Well, all you know what broke loose. She kept saying…act like a horse,act like a horse. We were in the middle of the pasture,of course,finally made it to the other side.That was a time to remember. Those young bucks thought we were there to play. One took a nip on my shoulder.

          Didn’t make it home on time. Pops said the yearlings took care of any discipline that needed to be handed out!

          Max, you are correct. The yearlings were honest that night.Kept us honest too.Pete and Pops got a huge chuckle out of the yearlings disciplining the young teens! We had been visiting Boone’s Farm.

        • Dear Ann,
          Love the yearling story.
          Guess they still think we are play toys, not quite at that aged.

          TOO CUTE !!!

  18. / Reply

    Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian Z-ster friends, known and unknown: Abigail Anderson in Montreal, Cindy McConnell in Ottawa, Brenda S and her granddaughter Vic in Fort Erie, Wiggy in Toronto; and in Ontario, but in undisclosed cities: twelve-year-old Madison, and Annette Reynar; and then Jenn, whose family is in Vancouver; and others who I may have missed!

  19. / Reply

    Thank you for the good wishes Trina, hope all the Canucks enjoy our national holiday. Fort Erie hosts the Friendship Festival and joins with Buffalo to celebrate Canada Day and July 4th and, this year, the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812.

  20. / Reply

    I know some of you do not use facebook….but while checking mine ….
    there was a big picture of Zenny ….Old Friends fb site says that who ever won
    the “visit with Z” contest has donated it to OF to be re-auctioned….it is for 4 people …
    going to OF web site to check it out….
    A VISIT WITH ZENNY…..in my wildest dreams ….maybe

    • / Reply

      What a great person.

      Double money from the Queen, to her favorite
      Charities and then for the retired TB at Old Friends.

      Zenny just brings such joy in whatever she does
      And the bonus is hope the visit will be before August
      When 12 Z is weaned.

      • / Reply

        The write up said it would just be with Zenyatta. From that, I’m guessing it will be after 12Z is weaned.

        • That’s what I thought too Marty. When I looked earlier this afternoon, the bid was already $900 (and it runs until July 10th!). I guess I won’t be going :-(

        • That’s what I thought, too.

          Wow $1600 amazing.

  21. / Reply

    Well, I’m off for a week’s vacation, I’ll miss you, and “see” you all after July 8. :)

    • / Reply

      Does that mean we won’t get to meet you on Saturday, Hollywood Gold Cup Day? Oh well, I hope you’ll have a good week wherever you are!

  23. / Reply

    Whoopeee! A horsey parade!

    I’ll Have Another Will Be Paraded Saturday, July 7

    INGLEWOOD, Calif. (July 1, 2012)—Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another will be paraded between races Saturday, July 7 at Betfair Hollywood Park.

    Jockey Mario Gutierrez, who was aboard for both of those stirring victories and undefeated in four collaborations with the Flower Alley colt, and trainer Doug O’Neill, who conditioned the chestnut for owner J. Paul Reddam, will have an autograph session prior to the start of a program highlighted by the 73rd running of the Grade I, $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup. Gutierrez and O’Neill will be available between 12-1 p.m. near the Paddock Tote Board.

    • / Reply

      Keep us posted, KG

      Still not happy with this situation.

      Maybe the money will burn and they will keep him ????

    • / Reply

      Karen. If you go, let us know if Lava Man appears. This is so sad that IHA is heading to Japan and not to Kentucky or someplace else in the US.

      • / Reply

        It really is confusing to IHA fans. A little birdie peeped that they heard he would be only over in Japan for one year of stud and then return home I KNOW! I had not heard that before! Rumors flying everywhere, so have to wait to hear it from his connections eventually.

        • Thanks for the “inside information” on IHA. Keep us posted.
          I would be too sad to go to his retirement.

          Wonder why Mario is racing at Charlestown not Santa Anita ???

          Maybe Redham changed his mind after all of the “negative press”.

          CASH CALL has no conscience, though.

          Just robs people with no money.

  25. / Reply

    Love this Louisana bred, Star Guitar, His petite owner lead him into the winner’s circle,
    and before she did, she kissed him on the nose. It is so great to see owner’s love
    their horses sooo much. He is such a talent. Wish he would race with a more diverse company. Guess when you are going good, is is best not to venture out too far.

    http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/70948/star-guitar-rocks-in-record-performance

    • / Reply

      Sign, I love this, but I suspect you are testing us to see if we’re paying attention–Tara is an elephant, but Bella is a dog…high woof!

        • Of myself, too.

          Yes, an elephant and a dog, have horses on my mind when on this site.
          Brain infarct, happens to the best of us !!!

  30. / Reply

    Bodemeister Updates from Twitter July 1
    ClockersCorner: Bodemeister with Bejarano up worked 4F in 46.3 with barn mate
    My Selection w/Lopez in 47.2 for Baffert Stable” #GoBodeGo

    And, an interesting Oops!!
    Justin Zayat‏ tweet
    @theTDN the picture of “Bodemeister” on page 4 isn’t Bodemeister!
    Thats Contested Bobs ghostzapper filly

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