Zenyatta Retired to Lane's End

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I am writing this entry on November 18th and just yesterday, the Moss Family announced that Zenyatta would retire to Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky to begin her career as a broodmare.  She will move in early December.  I am sure she will be pretty surpirsed by the change in her life.  I wonder how long it will take for her to slow down and smell the roses.  They haven't announced who she will breed to at first, but this farm includes the likes of Curlin, War Pass, A.P. Indy and Candy Ride! 

Breaking News! Zenyatta sets World Record with 19 Straight Wins!

This photo is taken from The BloodHorse, and was taken after her 19th straight win and her third straight win of the Lady's Secret Handicap.  She's awesome.  She's large.  She's in charge.  She did her little dressage posting kicking strutting piaffe dance before the race.  She ran last forever and ever and ever and then finally went wide around around wide around the horses and at the 1/16th pole, put her ears forward and blazed by the leader for a half-length win.  The girl does like to give her money's worth.  Then she stopped in front of the stands dead in her tracks to receive her adulation and to make her fans weep weep weep with ecstasy and then she did an impatient pawing dance in the winner's circle -- boring!  This gal is headed to the Breeders Cup Classic in November to attempt her 20th straight win and her second straight win of that race -- She is the only female horse in all history who won the Classic.  After that race, she will retire.  She has mostly run on synthetic surfaces and this Classic is on a dirt track, so her trainer, John Shirrefs, is hoping to demonstrate her true range by closing out her career with a second straight win on that type of surface. There are no words for this horse.  Her trainer said that she is a gift.  And that's all he could muster.  She has passed beyond being described with words.!

Gorgeaus Zenyatta!

Wow!

Breaking News! A Big Week for Big Girls!

This has been a big week for Thoroughbred girls! Personal Ensign, the mare who retired with a 13-0 record and who earned an Eclipse Horse of the Year Award, Champion Older Female, and then a Kentucky Broodmare of the Year for her fine babies and who also delivered a defeat to Winning Colors in the Breeder's Cup Distaff before retiring passed away at Claiborne Farms this past Thursday. I want to remind you that Winning Colors was only one of 3 mares who ever won the Kentucky Derby, so Personal Ensign's achievement is amazing.

Then the next day, just yesterday, Zenyatta showboated and bowed and danced to the Oaklawn track in Arkansas and snapped up her 16th win in history without even breaking a sweat or taking even a little instruction from her loving jockey, Mike Smith. She just smoked it with her usual "don't get me dirty, run along ahead, I'll catch up later" strategy. She is one big bold girl!

She ties Citation and Cigar's 16-0 records, but they earned theirs over longer durations and with more races, so she really is a stand-alone in the 20th century and is matching records by a few amazing horses in the 19th century. Let's just put it this way -- I was right to place my vote on her for Horse of the Year -- just wish I could have a little vote for her for horse of the 21st century! Much love, you beautiful beautiful girls -- Zenyatta, Personal Ensign, Winning Colors, Violet, Hailee, Better than Honour, Rachel Alexandra and Rags to Riches!

Breaking News! 15-0!

Today was a big wonderful day! I spent a birthday Saturday with my Clara, Emma and Stephen, celebrating Clara's 4th. And then while I was relaxing at Elena and Steve's home, the news rolled in. Rachel Alexandra came in second at the Fairgrounds to Zenyatta's stablemate. And then Zenyatta rolled it out in the Santa Margarita in Santa Anita, starting out behind and then going in to the rail on the far turn, fighting traffic for a big breakaway and a dusting cool winning finish. Her jockey, Mike Smith, says he's a big fan and that he had every confidence she'd find her way because "she's a bit of a bully." And look at her in this photo by Benoit photos -- she's got that look again -- that look that says, "Well, that was nice. I wonder what's up for supper?!" 15 wins out of 15 starts! That big engine is at the top of her game in her 6th year. You go, girl! She's supposed to face off with Rachel in April. I wonder if she will!

Breaking News! 2009 Eclipse Awards Announced!

Well, I was surprised. I thought Zenyatta had it in the bag. She is the only mare to ever win the Breeders Cup Classic. She's won all 14 of her starts. She beat all the best boys. She's awesome. But Rachel Alexandra with her Preakness and Haskell Stakes wins and 8 wins in 2009 edged her out, 130 to 99 votes, for Eclipse Horse of the Year. Both girls are preparing for a 2010 season, so hopefully they will meet in a race sometime this year! Obviously, both girls won their divisions, Z for Champion older female and RA for Champion three year old.

In other Eclipse news, the champion two year old filly and colt are She Be Wild and Lookin at Lucky. The Champion three year old male is Summer Bird. Gio Ponti won two Eclipse Awards as Champion older male and Champion turf horse. The Eclipse female and male sprinter champions are Informed Decision and Kodiak Kowboy. And the female turf champion is Goldikova with Mixed Up winning the Eclipse for Steeplechasing. The Eclipse Award winning jockey and apprentice jockey are Julien Leparoux and Christian Santiago Reyes. Steve Asmussen won his second Eclipse Award as trainer, and he should because he has trained the winners of the Eclipse Horse of the Year for the past three years straight -- with Curlin winning Eclipse Awards in 2007 and 2008 and now Rachel Alexandra. Juddmonte Farms with Jess Jackson won the Eclipse Award for breeding and Godolphin Racing won the Eclipse Award as owner!

I am disappointed. I wanted Zenyatta to win or both fillies to share. But what a great batch of years we've been having -- Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Rags to Riches, Sugar Swirl, etc. I am delighted that I lived in a year where a filly won the Preakness and Haskell, and a filly won the Breeders Cup and where fillies were the only ones nominated for the Horse of the Year. Rock on! This photo of the Eclipse Award itself was taken by Anne M. Eberhart.

Breaking News! Missing My Herd and the Eclipse Awards!

All right, so this past Saturday, I had an accident and my car was towed to the shop. The estimate arrived yesterday and the cost of repair was 90% of the 75% bluebook value -- almost at the cutoff for being totaled. But still repairable. So, the nice man at the body shop said that they ordered the parts and had a tentative completion date of January 15th. So, I am grateful that it'll only be about a week and a half without my car. But I am so very much missing my herd. The nice thing is that today Julie contacted me and said that Carissa would be very happy to give my herd love and care while I'm out of comission. So, I am relieved that my horses are at St. George. It's nice to be at a place where people are so outgoing and caring and such obvious horse lovers with great skills. But still! I want my herd! I want to see their cheerful goofy faces!

Here is a photo from New Year's Eve, a few hours before Hailee began to really display colic symptoms. I should have known something was up because she was determined to follow Violet in as I went to pasture.

Anyway, the big news is that the Eclipse Awards were announced today and the ONLY two horses who were nominated for Horse of the Year were Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. I am so excited. I hope that either the nominations committee lets them share the honor or that Zenyatta takes it. They are both amazing fillies, but Z girl really puts on a show!!!

Breaking News! Winner Take All!

Miss Things goes 14-0. Namaste.

Breaking News! Speeding Wishes to Speedy Zenyatta

Look at the expression in this photo. That's the face of a relaxed confident absolutely mellow athlete, blazing away to another win. Of course, this is a photo of Zenyatta, the older mare who has won all 13 of her 13 starts and who ran 12 of those 13 in California where they love, love, love, love her! They think she is all that and a bag of chips and tomorrow she gets to run in the Breeders Cup Classic against the Kentucky Derby winner, the Belmont winner and the best of the best of the best of the European, Asian and U.S. colts. I am hoping she shows them a nice tantalizing view of her big gorgeaus rear as she blazes away with just that expression on her face. Namaste, sweetness. I hope you are having a nice snack and getting ready for sweet dreams, even as I write this news!

Breaking News! Laurel Wreath Farm Announces Top 6 TBs of 21st Century!

1. Velvet Tenderness by Groomstick out of Wining Effort.

2. Rags to Riches by A.P. Indy out of Better than Honour.

3. Zenyatta by Street Cry out of Vertigineux

4. Rachel Alexandra by Medaglia Doro out of Lotta Kim

5. Better than Honour by Deputy Minister out of Blush with Pride.

6. Indian Blessing by Indian Charlie out of Shameful.

Breaking News! Zenyatta Takes the G1 Lady's Secret, Again!

Okay, so today, Zenyatta danced past her competition to win her 13th-race in 13 starts and taking the Grade 1 Lady's Secret for a second time! She won the 2008 Eclipse Award for Champion older female and she truly deserved that award, oh boy! She's earned $2,774,580 racing dollars in her 5 short years, and she's been only a West Coast kind of gal! She was born on April 1, 2004! Her owners, the Moss family, are trying to decide whether she should go into the G1 Breeders Cup Ladies Classic or the G1 Breeders Cup Classic.

This year, chatter demanded a match race between Miss Thing, the beautiful Zenyatta, and the Kentucky Oaks and Preakness winning Rachel Alexandra. But yesterday, Jess Jackson, Rachel's dad said that she was taking the rest of the year off and going to Churchill Downs for a rest. She had won all 8 of her '09 races and needed a rest because she had been a busy baby, at 3!

So, we won't be able to see these two big-time girls face-off this year, but maybe down the road!

In other news, last night I took a long 3 hour nap, then dined at B-dubs and read the paper, and then slept for something like 12 hours more. Then I went to the stable and spent a leisurely day hand-grazing my herd, Parelliing with Hailee, goofing off with Renny, and riding the wonderful wonderful Violet. I really enjoyed so much the hand-grazing. The sun was beautiful, sky sharp bright blue, big white puffed clouds and yellowing rustling corn. My horses' coats looked so rich and glossy and bright! I am a lucky woman.

Breaking News! Girl Power in My 40s

Here are some fabulous photos of two amazing girls, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. I found these on the images center of google and one is taken by the talented Vanessa Ng and the others by unnamed sports photographers. After Rachel won the Mother Goose Stakes handily this past weekend, news reports came out that the trainers of the two top girls are thinking about having them race against each other in some mix-up in the future or a match race.

Zenyatta is the 2004 filly by Street Cry with the astonishing record of 11 wins out of 11 starts. She won the Breeeder's Cup Ladies Classic last year and she also gave the "moment of the year" in one sports tally. She ended up earning the 2008 Eclipse Champion Older Female award. She has an obviously impressive record for a girl who didn't start racing until she was 3!

And, of course, our Rachel Alexandra is a big old powerhouse herself. She is the 2006 filly by Medaglia Doro and has a 12: 9-2-0 record. She's a machine, a big beautiful powering machine! This year, among her victories was a string of mind-blowing races. She won the Fairground Oaks, the Kentucky Oaks, the Preakness Stakes, the Martha Washington, the Fantasky Stakes, and then this past weekend the Mother Goose. She scared off the competition in the latter, and only raced against two others who she soundly beat. The Preakness hadn't been won by a filly in 86 years, so this girl is a big deal.

It makes me happy to see that in 2009, when I am 45 years old, racing is acknowledging the coolness of the fillies and focusing on these champion feminine athletes. The trainer and owner of Rachel Alexandra even have her signature color as pink and are donating part of her winnings to the Susan Komen cancer fund. They were giving out pink Rachel Alexandra rubber bracelets at the race this past weekend. Sure would have loved to get one of those!

Anyway, as always, here's to the girls! Violet, Hailee and Renny are so proud!

Breaking News! Eclipse Awards 2008 Announced!

Yesterday, the 2008 Eclipse Awards were announced and Violet's darling, Curlin, earned Horse of the Year for a second consecutive year, the first horse to do so since Cigar won a second Eclipse during 1995-1996. Curlin also earned Champion Older Male, and his trainer, Steve Asmussen earned Champion trainer. Curlin has now retired to stud for a first year fee of $75,000 at Lane's End in Versailles, but hasn't figured out his new job. Here's what his dad, Jess Jackson, had to say, "Curlin still wants to run. He's running around the ice-hardened floor of his Lane's End paddock, and when he goes into the stable, he gets depressed. He doesn't know what he's up for. I think he's going to be very pleased." Here's a photo of him at his new home taken just this year by Terence Dulay.

Big Brown earned Champion 3 year-old Male and a nod for Horse of the Year and Zenyatta, the undefeated filly who took the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, was also a nominee for Horse of the Year!

Proud Spell earned Champion 3 year-old filly, and Midshipmanand Stardom Bound earned Champion 2 year-old male and filly respectively. My sweet Indian Blessing earned Champion female sprinter and Adena Springs yet again won Outstanding Breeder. These are just a few of the results for an intense year of racing!