A Response to "I Lied"

re: A Response to "I Lied"

asilarabians — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 14:30:42 GMT

I also am a fan, and as I remember back, I had the ''bug'' at an early age, I was unstoppable. But this well written piece of history, this wonderful insightful history, should be read by MILLIONS!!! and should be understood by the industry. THANK YOU for sharing.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Jim Labadini — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:26:28 GMT

I just finished reading Abigail Anderson's magnificant historic account of the thoroughbred history as it stands today. With Zenyatta and her selective bloodlines that created the wonderful magic that we witnessed this past year. As Abigail recounted her moments with her past and how she was introduced to thoroughbreds, I too remembered and it all came back so clearly that I am so honored to read this beautiful masterpiece. In the future as we witness events such as Ruffian, Zenyatta, Barbaro , Kelso, Ridan and Jaipur, and many more, I will always remember Abigail's reminder that this did not happen per chance but by years and years of selective breeding. Read the books of art by Federico Tesio and we will understand a little better where we are today.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Cris — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:33:45 GMT

What a wonderful post. I love bloodlines and search for the stories behind them and reading this was a joy. Lets not let her gift go without a change for Horse of the Year voting. Give Grade One wins a certain amount of points. If the Classic is the most important give it an extra point or two. Weight carried should count. If a horse wins a Grade One carrying the highest weight that should be worth an extra point too. This should stop the bickering because you either have the points or you don't. I think sport writers could use such a system on their own to figure this years votes out. Although I am a Zenyatta fan, I know I would not mind if such a system was in place and if she did not win the HOY. I know if it was because she did not have enough points lined up. All the people out there throwing darts at each other try out a simple 3 point system 1 point each for weight, 2 points each for Grade One wins , 3 points for the Classic win. Enjoy the process and stop fighting over everything.

American racing history is a wonderful history of its people, not just horses. Why can't the American Experience series do a handful of stories on this subject?

By the way, Happy New Year to the horsemen of Maryland. I know they missed the bullet by a hair, but they are alive to race another day.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Marci — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:36:02 GMT

Mr. Haskin,

You cross generations, religions(, happy hannukka late), and opinions so gracefully(thanks for abigail's writing). Thanks for reading our posts.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Sandra Bennington — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:15:15 GMT

WONDERFUL ARTICLE!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS.!!!!:)

re: A Response to "I Lied"

heccateisis — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:30:35 GMT

thanks for catching the errors. i've made corrections for my grandson.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

heccateisis — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:14:10 GMT

Slew- my blog was not a history on racing; it was for my 7 year old grandson to have when he is grown. I wanted to capture his excitement then got carried away.

I was referring to the Swaps Stake, not the horse Swaps, and racing too soon after the Triple Crown. As for Vindication, yes, he was a 2 year old champion but I believe 2 year olds are still growing and should be allowed to mature- the way Z. was. What if he'd been allowed to mature? Would he have raced longer and won more championships? Maybe not, but we'll never know. He was brilliant.

One of the reasons racing doesn't gather more fans (in my opinion) is that there are few long term champions to root for. They retire too early for the public to notice and fire their imaginations. Z did that.

As for the typo, sorry. I don't always see them and the spell check doesn't fix names.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Bellwether — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:40:45 GMT

LONG LIVE "PEPPER$ PRIDE" TOO...HOO GONNA BREAK THAT RECORD???...ty...

re: A Response to "I Lied"

maryann727 — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:42:13 GMT

To Dani ~ Thank you for your final thoughts on Zenyatta in 2010. Beautifully expressed. Your ardent and loving words put a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as you echoed so much of what I feel. You wrote: "...in awe, exclaiming in admiration that they had never seen anything like her before. And this is true because there is no horse in the entire world who is like her." How true!

I don't think there will ever be another like her again, in large part, because of her deep closing style. And, the fact that this style that often makes running races more difficult, she ALWAYS showed up! Amazing.

I noted that you wrote final thoughts 2010 so I hope there are more thoughts of Z in 2011.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

maryann727 — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:19:11 GMT

Ms. Anderson ~ What an extraordinary equine essay! Your writing thoroughly engaged my heart and mind. The opening epigraph was perfect and I've copied it into my journal. I'll also be saving a copy of your essay in my 'Zenyatta Collection' file so I can savor it again and again.

Because of your essay, I now know more about Zenyatta's ancestors, and how the past informs the present through thoroughbred bloodlines. Oh, how I love the stories that are a part of every thoroughbred. I was once blessed with an OTT mare and enjoyed knowing that War Admiral was her great grandsire. Thanks to you, I now know my mare, on her dam's side shares an ancestor with Zenyatta. Hyperion! That the two mares I have loved the most share an ancestor is almost unbelievable. Thank you for sparking my curiosity so that I checked my mare's lineage in more detail. I feel grateful to you.

Thank you Santa Haskin for this present. The gift of Zenyatta, in many forms, keeps on giving including in the heartfelt and interesting posts here. The goodwill on this blog is enriching.

Happy New Year everyone.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Aluminaut — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:31:43 GMT

Bellwhether mentions John Henry. He was the most wonderful horse. I didn't think I could care about another horse like that until Zenyatta came along. And it took me until just after the '09 Lady's Secret to buy in on her legend, although I followed her career earlier.

The way the stands shook at the '09 Breeder's Cup and the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar on August 7th was how it used to be everytime John Henry came down the stretch on or going for the lead.

The ovation for Zenyatta as she crossed the finish line at Del Mar rocked the whole grandstand. I turned to my guy and said, "Did you feel that? Well, you're never going to feel the stands shake like that again." I hope I was wrong.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Tiznowbaby — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 01:23:27 GMT

Slew,

I think the "Swaps debacle" references the Taylors' insistence that Seattle Slew be sent west for the Swaps after his hard TC campaign -- something trainer William Turner did not want to do. It, of course, resulted in Slew's first loss, so I guess you could say that was a poor decision too.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Barbara W — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:29:11 GMT

I printed all this info. for my "horse notebook".

If you haven't done so already today, go to www.zenyatta.com and read diary post #43. It's about our Abigail here.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Laura — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:25:38 GMT

Amazing and awesome article...goose bumps and tears at the same time!! Thanks for sharing.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

starmoth — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:36:27 GMT

This brilliant essay has finally let me grieve because I'll never see Zenyatta race, again. I am so grateful to her people for retiring her sound, but I needed to be able to cry, too. Thank you, Steve and thank you, Abigail.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Betty, Ontario,Canada — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:01:41 GMT

Wonderful article. You speak for many. Thank you for sharing! Happy New Year!

re: A Response to "I Lied"

JayJay — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:23:26 GMT

Man, what a way to end the year, great read! Thanks for sharing this Steve and thanks for your wonderful reply Abigail.

Just saw Secretariat the new movie and I don't know how well they represented the story of Big Red but as Steve has said before, it was probably targeted towards an audience who does not follow horseracing closely. I do hope it brought some fans to the game though.

Hope everyone had a happy holidays and ring in the new year with good health, positive attitude and hope you hit the big ticket next year. I'm still waiting for the news from the Mosses / Lane's End as far as the plans for her fans to visit her, anyone hear anything yet ? Steve ? Got any inside info ?

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Sophie15 — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:04:10 GMT

I just wanted to post my idea for a point system for the eclipse awards. I tried posting it on another blog but it was not posted. At the bottom I analized Zenyatta and Blame using this system.

Grade 1 10 pt + # of horses

Grade 2 8 pt + # of horses

Grade 3 6 pt + # of horses

Upgraded stakes 4 pt + # of horses

2nd place in these races will earn half the number of points as first place. 3rd place will earn half of the second place points.

An extra ten points will be awarded to a horse that does the following:

- Break a record

- Win the Triple Crown

- Win the Filly Triple Crown

- Break the earnings record for colts

- Break the earnings record for fillys

There are probably more times when bonus points can be earned, this list I just came up with off the top of my head.

Winning certain races counts towards the different divisions. The division winning horse that has the most points wins HOY.

Zenyatta:

-Santa Margarita 17

-Apple Blossom 14

-Vanity 15

-Clement L Hirsch 15

-Lady’s Secret 14

-BCC 10.5

Total 85.5

Blame:

-BCC 21

-WDS 14

-Stephen Foster 20

-Whitney 15

-JCC 7.5

Total 77.5

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Slew — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:23:16 GMT

Hecaiteisis: my apology...you mentioned Swaps...not Swale. Swaps was also not owned by the Taylors, but by Mr Ellsworth who also bred him. He re-injured a foot in a workout that took him out of racing, but not until he was raced against Nashua on that injured foot. It was a poor decision.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Slew — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:15:40 GMT

heccaiteisis: "There are owners who do love their charges. Mickey and Karen Taylor spent Slew’s last hours with him. They learned from their Swaps debacle. I believe the Motts will also do right By Z. After all, they allowed her the time to mature and grow before racing her. I often wonder what great things Vindication would have done if he’d been given the same chance. Would he have eclipsed his sire’s accomplishments?"

First...Swale was a SON of Seattle Slew. There was no debacle; he had a heart attack. He was not a Taylor horse, he was a Claibourne horse.

2nd...The Moss's, not the Mott's own Zenyatta.

3rd..Vindication won the Eclipse for best 2 year old. He was then injured and retired to stud before the Derby was ever run. In 2008 he had to be euthanized due to a stomach rupture...(and yes, he did appear to have the promise of Slew). He was trained by Bob Baffert.

Not trying to be mean, but sometimes a little research makes for a better blog.

Congratulations to HRTV for their Eclipse. "Swale" was beautifully done.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Dani — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:42:38 GMT

My final thoughts on Zenyatta in 2010 -

She has come to mean so many things to so many people. Tens of thousands of people. She not only reached fans who had the good fortune to see her race in person, but to those who watched her with the same excitement on their televisions. With each race her legend blossomed as did her legion of loyal fans. Love and admiration for her started at one race track with one race, and eventually spread across the entire world. She became a star nearly reaching heights like that during the days of Beatlemania - able to bring tears and screams of joy at the mere sight of her.

Her athleticism on the track was a thing of beauty. Powerful strides lengthening as she picked up incredible speed down the back stretch, her magnificent rippling muscles a sight of 'poetry in motion', her face a picture of courage, determination and utter will power. She won 19 races and to most, her final race and her only loss by a slim margin, ended up being her greatest triumph. It stamped her greatness forever, turning even some of the most grizzled race fans, as well as titans of the industry, into believers and in awe, exclaiming in admiration that they had never seen anything like her before. And this is true because there is no horse in the entire world who is like her.

She has calmed and brought strength and courage and a ray of sunshine into the lives of those during sadness and troubling times. She has taught gentleness and kindess in a world which needs it badly. She has brought joy and laughter to everyone who knows her. She has reached into souls with a spiritual connection that cannot be logically explained but is accepted as real and true. She has taught the will to never give up, to keep going even when the end seems far away and impossible to reach. She has given the gift of love and shown what the gift of love can do when shared with others. She has embodied all that is good in life. She has entered our lives and our hearts and our souls. Her intelligence and intuitiveness are apparent when you look into her eyes or watch her gaze out into the distance with a thoughtfulness and sense of serenity. She is caring and she is kind and she has brought us all together as we pronounce our love and admiration for her. And she has dazzled us with her glorious beauty.

How can a horse have such an impact on so many human lives? How can a horse be more than a horse, but more like an angel sent to earth to heal, to make happy, to bring joy into lives? Does it really matter that this riddle is solved? No. All that matters is that she is here and that we are the lucky ones with whom she shares her magic.

While many have scoffed and ridiculed those of us who seem to idolize or devoutly admire her, we can simply say that we are sorry that they are not able to open their eyes and their hearts and see what we see. That she may not be justly awarded Horse of the Year will sting immensely. But her legacy and her name will be reverently repeated for years and years to come during races and debates. She will be honored for the bar she set in racing herein and thereafter. Her connections will also always be remembered by the standards which they set in making her available to fans so that they might share in and feel a part of an industry that is in bad need for such things. A standard which could go a long way towards curing some of the ills of that industry.

I like many will cherish and love Zenyatta for all of these things she has done for us. She will live on in our hearts as one of, if not, the greatest horse we will ever have the fortune to know intimately and experience.

So I wish upon her every joy she has given us. Every happiness for those values she has taught us. And all the peace and love she has spread into our lives ten fold over. All blessings to Zenyatta.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Dr Drunkinbum — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:02:56 GMT

Tony

I'm going to send you some marvelous fruitcake. Lots of nuts, nutmeg, wicked spirits, and age. (Don't worry, the green stuff kills bacteria). It's one I've been saving for many years for a special occasion. Made when they really knew how to make a fruitcake, supposedly another one from the batch was sent to our boys in WW2 and they loved it so you should too !!!! Enjoy.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Fran Loszynski — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 13:11:12 GMT

When you read articles like this and read publications like Bloodhorse; I become confident as a fan of horseracing that the sport will live on forever afterall look at all the magnificent people that are involved and talented writers like you and Ms. Anderson, Steve, The racehorses are our gifts but so are all of you. To our racehorses, keep running with the wind, to our writers of the sport, keep pen in hand! I wish racehorses could read, and then again maybe they do.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

heccateisis — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:45:42 GMT

here is a blog I posted to my own site after the race-

She nearly did it. She was almost perfect. One could argue about the trip she got or the ride Smith thinks he should have given her. But she did not get to the wire first.

As she struggled to catch Blame at the finish I told my grandson, “just like the Slew and Exceller. This loss defines her as one of the greats.” Now I’ve seen other blogs and articles write similar things.

My grandson was crushed. But the heart of the 7 year old is resilient.

Zenyatta has the heart of a great champion. She was the betting favorite but none of the experts pegged her to win. They droned on about facing tougher competition than the prior year. They questioned the ‘lite’ season her owners laid out for her. But in the end, she proved them that she could run with the best of the boys. Another stride and she would have had Blame- maybe. And Slew would have caught Exceller.

But for a moment last Saturday, she was The One. She caught the attention of a nation apathetic at best to racing. For a few brief moments, all eyes were on the big dancing mare. She showed them the best that racing can be. She proved what her fans already knew, she has the great heart of a champion.

Let’s hope Racing lives up to her legacy by returning the sport back to those who love the horses and the joy of watching them run. Let’s hope Racing finds a way to deal with their financial issues and most importantly, find a way to honor it’s athletes by ensuring zero tolerance for slaughter, by rewarding owners and trainers who retire their athletes before they break down and help retrain them for a second career.

There are owners who do love their charges. Mickey and Karen Taylor spent Slew’s last hours with him. They learned from their Swaps debacle. I believe the Motts will also do right By Z. After all, they allowed her the time to mature and grow before racing her. I often wonder what great things Vindication would have done if he’d been given the same chance. Would he have eclipsed his sire’s accomplishments?

And what about rewarding quality over quantity in the breeding shed? Too many horses end up in bad situations or re-bred despite poor confirmation and soundness problems when they are older. Breed for soundness as well as speed.

Zenyatta was a great boon for Racing. She proved how great the heart of the Thoroughbred is. Let racing prove to her how great its heart is by making changes to to protect it’s athletes. In the long run that will draw fans back to the sport.

re: A Response to "I Lied"

Joe — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:23:59 GMT

Another gift would be if every voter read that...thanks to both of you.