Grooming a Weanling Colt Soliloquy

Hey buddy. Come over here.

Look how you've grown. What a big boy.

Ouch. Knock it off.

Very good boy standing there.

Whhhhoa.

You're mom says "Hi".

Look no more fuzzy coat.

You're so handsome.

Yes I am going to brush your belly, it belongs to me.

This bit is mine too.

Stop. Stop it.

Not so bad.

Give me your foot.

Oww.

Behave yourself.

OK, this foot.

Come. Come up.

Next.

Easy. Easy there.

OK last one.

Very good fella.

Hold still, I'm cleanin' your nose.

Look at those big boy teeth.

You're a race horse.

Scratchy ears, scratchy ears.

Kisses.

Give me the brush.

Here's a treat.

She is Simply ... Zenyatta

Credit: Matthew Stockman, O, The Oprah Magazine Getty Image

She Dances


Credit: moonwalker424

She Guzzles Guinness


Credit: jonshfs05

She Is a Premier Athlete, Winning Over $5 Million


Credit: Breeders' Cup


She Is Profiled in O, The Oprah Magazine as one of O's 2010 Power List Personalities

"She's absolutely perfect at her profession, and that is very rare--not just in sports but in all things. It's difficult to win even one race, let alone 18.


"She always makes me think of those great war beasts of Greek sculpture, or the beautiful horses carved on the Parthenon. She is absolutely enormous--not only very tall [more than six feet from the top of her head] but also very broad, very muscular. She is simply drawn on a different scale from other racehorses.

"In just about every race, she starts out last and then comes flying at the end, breaking her opponents' hearts. The crowds love it. She clearly knows exactly where the wire is. And she has such a huge stride, it looks like she's moving slowly when she's actually covering a lot of ground very fast. We haven't seen how fast she can really go, because she only goes fast enough to catch the other horses at the wire!

"I've seen 40 or 50 thousand racehorses in my life, and I've never seen any other horse do that (the dance). I think she's playing around. She's definitely enjoying herself--psyching herself up before a race."

-- Laura Hillenbrand, author of 2001's best-seller Seabiscuit, "The 2010 O Power List", O, The Oprah Magazine , October 2010.

She is Zenyatta. The iconic six year old Thoroughbred race mare who has stormed down every homestretch to victory, eighteen times. And twice in the World Championship Breeders' Cup series. She's preparing to take an unprecedented third Breeders' Cup World Championship title in November.

Clearly besotted with his charge, trainer John Shirreffs strapped a camera to the helmet of Zenyatta's exercise rider so her fans can experience the view from the back of a champion. Enjoy the ride!


Credit: jonshfs05

Best Horses, Top Money

With the end of summer, the focus of Thoroughbred horse racing turns to the Breeders' Cup, billed as the World Championship of Horse Racing. This year the venue for the Breeders' Cup is Churchill Downs, Louisville KY, with racing on Friday, November 5 and Saturday, November 6.

The Breeders' Cup is returning east after a two year stint at California's Santa Anita Park. Horses from across the globe will convene to determine the preeminent athlete in each of the fourteen divisions. A total of $25.5 million will be disbursed as winnings, earning the Breeders' Cup (BC) the distinction of being the world's richest prize money event. A purse of $5 million goes to the the BC Classic (G1) run over 1 ¼ miles on the dirt.

Five year old Zenyatta Cruising
(Benoit/AP)

It appears that the great undefeated mare Zenyatta, will travel east from her southern California base to have the opportunity to once again vanquish those who challenge her.

Having won the 2009 BC Classic (G1) and the 2008 BC Distaff (G1), both on Santa Anita's synthetic surface, a third BC win would further enshrine Zenyatta in the pantheon of racing legend.

Quality Road and Bob Duncan
at "Gate School"
(Albany Times Union)

First, however, she must defeat her peers. Quality Road had a meltdown being loaded in the starting gate at the 2009 Classic and was withdrawn from the race. He has since become a model of pre-race deportment and will face Zenyatta for the first time in the 2010 Classic.

Quality Road winning the Met Mile
(Nicholas Godfrey)

This has been a good year for Quality Road. In February he broke his own record, set in 2009, winning the Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream Park, FL. On Memorial Day, he was the convincing winner of the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park, NY.

Blame (left), Quality Road in the Whitney
(Post Star)

There was a slight hiccup in early August at the Saratoga Race Course, NY when Blame nosed Quality Road into the two spot in the final strides of the Whitney Handicap (G1). Redemption was found when Quality Road bested all in the late summer Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

By winning the Whitney, Blame won a berth in the BC Classic as part of the BC Challenge's "Win and You're In" series. With earnings of close to $1 million for 2010, you can be assured when Blame shows up he will be a contender. Tentative plans have Blame running in the October 2 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), at Belmont, as a prep for Louisville.

Rachel Alexandra(yellow silks) winning
the 2009 Preakness Stakes
(New York Times)

Plans for 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra are unclear. She would fit well in three BC races - the Classic, the Mile (dirt) and the Ladies Classic.

Stay tuned.

It's Time to Voice Your Thoughts On Horse Racing

     If you ask three horse racing fans one question, without a doubt, you will get three different answers, loaded with opinions. And, all will be correct, or you will be worn down until you agree that, indeed, they are!

     In order to reach out to horse racing enthusiasts, fans and the curious, I've put together a list of questions and statements that cover the many points of conversation that arise when fans convene.

     Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Results will be posted in about ten days. Your responses will be anonymous, upon my oath, and mostly due to my limited technical abilities.

     Certainly, if you know of anyone who could be intereted in this, please pass on to them this link, http://bit.ly/dBNpjW.

     I'm not sure what to expect from this enterprise, but I am sure the responses will be interesting! Thanks for joining in the adventure, Liz.

N.B.: The survey scrolls down in its window, see the vertical scroll bar on the right hand side of the survey window. Cheers!

Thanks. Remember to check back by September 27, 2010 to see the initial results.