Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Iva Kimmelman — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:12:32 GMT

I would breed her to Smart Strike. I like his structure, and don't care about the pedigree with hers.

I breed dogs, and many times what looks good, does good, no matter the genes. This is true of racing dogs a high percentage of the time.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

sremel9 — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:54:22 GMT

Congrats!

Rock Hard Ten

Offlee Wild

Hard Spun

Distorted Humor

Not in that order but I'd like to see those foals eventually. Along with Galileo and Sea The Stars if he proves decent.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

nyracinggrl39 — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 04:08:58 GMT

My picks are Dynaformer, AP Indy, and Medaglia D'Oro. If I could narrow them down, it would be Medaglia D'Oro.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Mademoiselle Mondatta — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:06:59 GMT

My vote(s) goto a few nice stallions....

Afleet Alex crosses well with her...Tapit too (both at Gainseway)

As for Lane's End stallions...I would choose Mineshaft or After Market but can understand that they might want to squeeze on last drop (pardon the pun) out of AP Indy before too long. WIsh Kingmambo would have lasted for her....How abotu Pleasantly Perfect?

Also, EINSTEIN is awesome...or how about Slew City Slew???

Medaglias D'Oro is good too!

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

mz — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:51:34 GMT

OK, if a la Draynay, she can be bred to geldings, what about being bred to deceased sires?

Northern Dancer. Would help with the sizing issue.

Hyperion. Ibid.

(fantasy, fantasy)

(p.s. Bellwether: I still can't translate most of your comments but I actually got "moe nads" -- I think.)

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

katethegreat — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:03:54 GMT

Stevie Wonder Boy.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Fran Loszynski — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:26:16 GMT

Like the people that think Afleet Alex would be a great match! Zenyatta had stamina and heart with an instinct to get across that line, it didn't matter what other horse was on the track. If you watch Alex's races he didn't care if there were 50 other horses every race was his race alone, he could focus. Perfect match

Name for the foal: ZenextAfleet.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Karen in Indiana — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:28:46 GMT

iluvz, it doesn't give a height to Vertigineux, but the Zenyatta commemorative issue does say she's big boned & rangey & that Zenyatta takes after her more than Street Cry.

As far as breeding, looking for soundness, speed and crosses, my choices (as if they matter LOL!) are:

1. Heatseeker - raced through 5, gives crosses to Roberto, Mr. P. & Halo

2. Lewis Michael - raced through 5, gives crosses to Halo, Roberto, & Hoist the Flag

Both of those two also are descended from Rahy. Zenyatta was never tried on grass, but I have to think with her pedigree and ability on synthetics, she would have been just as awesome.

3. Hard Spun - Like the first two is a speed horse that can carry it, crosses are Raise a Native & Roberto.

Whoever they pick for her, the chances of her reproducing herself are slim to none. Most of the other great mares didn't. Personal Ensign produced champions, but they still were nowhere close to her level. So I'm just planning on enjoying whoever it is she produces with no expectations. Then I can be pleasantly surprised.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Brownfan — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:12:59 GMT

Big Brown, Pamplemousse, Street Sense - size, acceleration, will to win and temperament...

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Zen's Auntie — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:37:31 GMT

For the best possible looking horse of all time

ROCK HARD ZEN

gotta gettcha sum more Kris S baby

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

iluvz — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 10:50:57 GMT

answer to NotRealQuiet-Street Cry is 16.1 hands-I would like to know how many hands Vertigneaux is-I cannot find the answer-please comment if you find it. Also, in reply to the foals size-Don Robinson who owns Winter Quarter Farm where Z was foaled claims that he was very concerned the night Z was born because her dam always had a tendency to have very large foals and that she had complications in birth because of this. Maybe she is an unusual case.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Susan from VA — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 04:30:32 GMT

slewDee-va -

Please read my post above about foal size.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Pedigree Ann — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 03:22:47 GMT

slewDee-va, it's not the size of the foal at birth that is the problem; it's the size the foal will grow to when he/she matures. Zenyatta is already at the top end of the range where height/weight/stride can combine efficiently for a running horse. But she has exceptional talent. It is highly unlikely any of her foals will equal her in talent, and if they are her size, they will likely be lumbering sorts, suitable for 3-mile steeplechases. Some regression toward the mean is desirable, if the babies are to be successful under US flat racing conditions.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

slewDee-va — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:01:29 GMT

Obviously by my nic, I would like to see her with a Slew decendant, but that being said, A.P. Indy is an A++ breeding, he is available and handy. Pulpit could be an interesting match as well.

I am a bit disturbed by all the people wanting her to go to a big stallion. We do want her and the foal to LIVE through the foaling, do we not? Or perhaps, they are just thinking of the size of the foal and not what both foal and mare have to go through for him/her to get here.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Bellwether — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:57:00 GMT

DRAYNAY $TRIKES AGAIN???...COME ON MAN...MOE NADS...ty...

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Lorri S — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 04:40:57 GMT

More Than Ready, what a great choice for a future Melbourne Cup winner. I always thought Zen would be great on turf. She has the power to last the longer distances they run on the turf. Maybe she could pass that on to future progeny.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Pedigree Ann — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:23:56 GMT

How about More Than Ready? Horse is hot as a pistol in the Antipodes and I can't help but think Big Z is going to produce turf runners. Her talent may have permitted her to excel on dirt, but her style and stride is all turf. (The immediate family is pretty turfy, too.)

Zenyatta is a huge, heavily-built mare; late-maturing, as well. She is likely to be disappointing as a broodmare if she is not carefully mated to moderate size and bulk in the offspring. You mate her with a behemoth and you are starting to get into Clydesdale country.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Slew — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:40:44 GMT

Dray: You would breed Zenyatta to geldings?????? Have another drink. Maybe your next suggestion will be a real stallion.

I think Zen is specifically at Lane's End because she will choose one of their stallions. Go AP!

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:02:38 GMT

How about Birdstone? He's proven that he can produce quality runners and the cross is rated A+ on TrueNicks. Almost no inbreeding. Plus, he's on the small side. Definitely don't want to breed a giant like Z to another large horse.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Susan from VA — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 04:45:07 GMT

I want to clear up a misconception (no pun intended) on this blog about large stallions producing large foals, that would be difficult to carry and deliver. Foal size is limited by the mare's uterus. Experiments were done in the previous century in which pony mares were bred to draft studs. The foals were appropriately-sized for their dams. Only after birth did genetics take over and the foals grew to their genetically-programmed size. Of course, if you don't want to have to wait to allow Zenyatta's foal grow to its full size (as done with Zenyatta), you might want to opt for a smaller stud. By the way, does anyone know the size of Zenyatta's dam? Street Cry isn't terribly large, so where does Zenyatta's size come from?

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

NotRealQuiet — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:05:38 GMT

To Robert, yes it is an important factor to consider, Z & Blame, thanks for the 3 X 3 factor information . . . I hadn't done my homework. With all due respect, I think it sounds, may not be a fact, but it sounded to me when you stated the owners would not want to breed Z to a Claiborne horse if Blame wins HOTY sounds like sour grapes. I think the Mosses are bigger than that. Claiborne Farms, once the home of my favorite horse, the greatest horse to have ever lived--Secretariet, has Pulpit,had beautiful horses such as Ruffian, Personal Ensign who was undefeated in 13 races after he broke his leg as a 2-year old, and the great Nashua . . . I think Z and Pulpit may make a nice couple as well. Happy holidays everyone!

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

kk — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:40:05 GMT

Zenyatta's hairdresser told me that Zen has a secret crush on Tiznow. He won the Classic twice, so he is a man she can respect, and he sires well-favored foals, which is important if they have a daughter. Yes, he is a big boy, but would Zenny want some wimpy stud?

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

racehorselover — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:37:58 GMT

My first choice would be Afleet Alex. Einstein is a neat thought but probably not as marketable. Quality Road would be interesting, but think they will go with A P Indy. Remember the foal may not be the best at the track expectations too high. But as a second generation breeder could get phenomnal babies.

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Debbi — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:37:50 GMT

What about Distorted humor??very sound.....

Question A P Indy soundness.....

re: Zenyatta: Playing Matchmaker

Lorri S — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:48:13 GMT

Candy Ride, True nicks most popular stallion in 2010 has a B+.

AP Indy - A++

Quality Road - C

Smart Strike - C

All at Lanes End so she wouldn't have to leave the farm. Curlin isn't proven yet but his sire Smart Strike is. The possibilities are endless for Z but I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for making the decision. Not everyone's gonna be pleased, no matter who they choose.