Cozmic One | Horse Racing Free Tips

Real Rider Cup Kentucky Raises $78,000, Woodall Repeats as Champion

News — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 15:36:17 +0000

The Real Rider Cup–a showjumping event featuring off the track Thoroughbreds ridden by racing industry participants–returned to Kentucky and Mereworth Farm for the second year this past weekend and the event raised more than $78,000 for Thoroughbred Aftercare. Six teams comprised of 26 riders donned silks representing their employers, colleagues, and clients within the racing industry and completed a jumps course with the fastest clear rounds taking home top honors.

Some notable participants and sponsors included Aaron Gryder, Adena Springs, Richard Mandella, Calumet Farm, Godolphin, Bonne Chance Farm, 1/ST Racing and Margaux Farm. Celebrity equine participants included Cozmic One (Bernardini), the first foal out of Hall of Famer Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}); MGSW The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}); and millionaire United (Giant's Causeway).

Defending 2022 Kentucky champion Jesslyn Woodall clinched a repeat victory with Storm Threat (Midnight Storm), who won his Young Event Horse class earlier in the day and is headed to the Thoroughbred Makeover at the Kentucky Horse Park in October. The Backside Beauties (Keira Nygaard, Brooke Baker, Lucy Hoeppner, Kara Lee, Sophie Doyle) took home top honors in the team division.

Junior rider Aurea Dove won the Highest Earner Award, having raised over $17,000 and eclipsing the record previously held by her mother, Larkspur Carroll.

“When the event began in 2017, none of us could have imagined it would have the impact or touch as many lives as it has,” RRC founder Anita Motion said. “We're honored and humbled to be the stewards of this phenomenal cause and it brings us so much joy to hear members of our community say that the Real Rider Cup is on their bucket list.”

The second leg of the Real Rider Cup set to be held at Fair Hill Sept. 15. Rider registration is open through Sept. 8.

For full results and to learn more, visit the Real Rider Cup website.

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MVP and Riley Win TAKE2 Finals

News — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:51:46 +0000

A total of 35 horses from 14 states participated in the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park Sunday during the Kentucky National Horse Show. In a repeat of last year's results, MVP took the TAKE2 Hunter Final and Riley captured the TAKE2 Jumper Final.

“It's so much fun to see the Thoroughbreds from all over the country competing,” MVP's owner/rider Tess Fortune said. “This is my third year doing the Finals, and I have a great time every year.”

MVP raced briefly without success under the name Kit's Captain before retiring through the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Galloping Out program. He was adopted by Fortune as a 3-year-old in 2014. The reserve champion in the TAKE2 Hunter Finals was 11-year-old gray Mo Bandit, who was retired through After the Races, a Thoroughbred rehabilitation and rehoming center in Maryland. The popular Cozmic One, son of Zenyatta, finished 11th in the jumper division with Hidden Brook's Sergio de Sousa in the irons.

Cyanea Robine and Riley also had one rail and earned the championship sash once again. Robine was also named this year's top TAKE2 Junior Rider, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, in the Jumper division. Riley, whose Jockey Club name is Pic Me First, had a couple of less-than-impressive workouts at Delta Downs before it was decided he was not cut out for a racing career.

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Real Rider Cup Makes Successful Lexington Debut

News — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 01:50:17 +0000

LEXINGTON, KY–With a rainy, cloudy afternoon turning into a perfect sunny and 72-degree evening, the racing industry was out in full force to support retired Thoroughbreds in the Real Rider Cup. Typically held in the fall at Fair Hill, it was the first time the event was being held in Lexington at New Vocations' Mereworth Farm and the rail was packed with familiar faces, such as Christian Black, Mike McMahon and Aidan and Leah O'Meara, to support this great cause initiated by Anita Motion.

Thirty-one riders completed a 2'6″ jumper course Saturday evening, all sporting the racing silks of a sponsor stable and all riding off-track Thoroughbreds. Some of the human standouts were jockeys Rosie Napravnik and Aaron Gryder and the equine celebrities included Cozmic One (Bernardini), first foal out of Zenyatta, and GSW Stickstatelydude (First Dude).

The riders were split into nine teams and, in addition to their stable sponsorships, were tasked with garnering monetary donations, all of which went to aftercare organizations, such as New Vocations and the Retired Racehorse Project.

After 31 exciting rounds in the ring with Terence Collier on the mic, New Vocations' Anna Ford announced that over $89,000 had been raised so far and they were still counting.

In the individual results, first place went to Jesslyn Woodall, who rode Lead Player (Posse), while sporting the WinStar silks. Second went to Keira Nygaard, wearing the Thord-Bred silks aboard Judge Johnny (Empire Maker) and third was awarded to Tara Coombs, donning the silks of September Farm on the unraced Baptizo (Magical Eight).

The top team of the evening was team Blood-Horse, comprised of Woodall, trainer John Ennis on Sound Prospect (Eastern Echo) and Lauren Gash aboard Collaborator (Any Given Saturday). Second went to the Breeding and Bloodstock team, comprised of Sergio de Sousa and Cozmic One, Jocelyn Brooks on Perpetual Optimism (First Defence) and Nygaard. The third-place team was Off-Track Sporthorse, led by Napravnik on Banana Thief (Kitten's Joy), Emily Crow and Emily Swirsky, who both rode Old Ironsides (Rubiano), Anne Czerwonka on Subtle Hope (Dialed In) and Kelsey Buckberry on Docktarri (Preachinatthebar).

The Real Rider Cup returns to its traditional home at Fair Hill Sept. 16.

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Real Rider Cup to be Held Before Fasig July

News — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 13:48:43 +0000

The Kentucky leg of the Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping event created by Anita Motion to benefit Thoroughbred aftercare, will be held Saturday, July 9–two days ahead of the start of the Fasig-Tipton July sales–at New Vocation Racehorse Adoption Program at Mereworth Farm in Lexington.

Among those set to participate are Zenyatta's son Cozmic One (Bernardini), who will be ridden by Real Rider Cup veteran Sergio de Sousa; and Grade III winner Sticksstatelydude (First Dude) with exercise rider Kristin VanMeter.

1/ST Racing is furnishing an entire team coming in from the West Coast, consisting of Jodie Vella-Gregory, Manager of Innovation; Aaron Gryder, Vice President, Industry Relations and former jockey; and Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer.

Fasig-Tipton's longtime announcer Terence Collier will announce the Real Rider Cup event. Riders are still accepted, and fundraising continues through the Maryland leg of the event in mid-September. Title sponsorships are also available for the Kentucky event. All proceeds benefit the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations Thoroughbred Adoption and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show. For more information, visit www.therealridercup.com.

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Where Are They Now: Zenyatta’s Sons, Cozmic One and Ziconic

News — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 14:32:06 +0000

In this new TDN column, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of popular and/or accomplished former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc.

The first two foals out of the mighty Zenyatta, Cozmic One (Bernardini) and Ziconic (Tapit), never reached the winner's circle during their brief careers on the racetrack, but they are both thriving in their second careers as jumpers and ambassadors for off-track Thoroughbreds.

The elder brother, Cozmic One's second career has been well documented in these pages (Cozmic One: Shining New Light on OTTBs and Checking in on Cozmic One) in the past, but we checked in with Hidden Brook Farm's Sergio de Sousa and his daughter Isabela for the latest update.

When Cozmic One first came to the de Sousas, he was Isabela's charge. An accomplished equestrian, Isabela was consistently in the blue ribbons with her OTTBs at the annual Thoroughbred Makeover, which was her first goal with “Coz” back in 2018.

When Isabela started traveling to pursue her career as a professional equestrian, Sergio took over the reins on Cozmic One. The two have been competing in jumper shows, focusing on the Take2 program, which partners with United States Equestrian Federation-rated horse shows that offer C-rated Thoroughbred hunter and jumper divisions, which are restricted to Thoroughbreds registered with The Jockey Club. They will also be competing in the Real Rider Cup for the second time this year in their new Kentucky-based event July 9.

“Isabela is around this summer, so if she wants to jump him she can, but he is basically my fun horse now,” Sergio said. “I just want to continue having fun with him and doing things like the Real Rider Cup. We did the .85 [meter jumpers] last week at the [Kentucky] Horse Park. I hope to qualify for the Take2 finals with him at the Horse Park in September.”

Cozmic One is now 10, which is considered old for a racehorse, but is the prime age for show horses.

“He has really matured,” Sergio said. “He is a much stronger horse now and I have improved my riding. We are just having fun and enjoying each other.”

“Coz is doing great and him and my dad are developing a lovely partnership,” Isabela added. “They both are learning from one another and are enjoying themselves while doing it.”

Ziconic & Sarah Pollock | Told By Film

While Cozmic One is enjoying the lush Kentucky bluegrass, his year-younger half-brother Ziconic remained on the West Coast when he left trainer John Shirreffs's barn three years ago. He was placed under the care of Linda Moss and her husband George Bedar, who already had a former Shirreffs trainee campaigned by Zenyatta's owners, Jerome and Ann Holbrook Moss, in her barn in Milyone (Maria's Mon).

Linda Moss became friends with Ann Holbrook Moss and Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs back in 2011 when she honored Zenyatta at a local conference for women in business.

“I am a board advisor to the Professional Business Women of California and we have a conference every year,” Moss explained. “The theme for our conference in 2011 was connect, explore, inspire and I was responsible for producing the inspire section. I wanted a special woman to represent the inspired section and I chose Zenyatta to do that.”

The next thing Moss did was head to Hollywood Park to meet the queen herself.

“Shortly after the conference, I went down to the track and met Zenyatta,” said Moss, who had owned Arabs in the past, but always loved Thoroughbreds. “My older Thoroughbred Milyone was there, about three stalls down from Zenyatta. He just kept calling out to me as I was walking down the barn aisle. When I went up to his stall, he just put his head in my neck. John said, 'He has never done that with anyone before.' I jokingly said, 'Well if he ever needs a home, he has one.' A year and a half later, Dottie called me and said, 'Do you still want Milyone?'”

Of course, Moss said yes. Then, in June of 2019, she received another call from Ingordo-Shirreffs.

“When Ziconic was ready to be retired, Dottie called me and said John and I feel he should go to you,” Moss said. “We talked about it and that is how we got him exactly three years ago.”

According to Moss, Ziconic is well aware of his royal heritage and enjoys the attention that comes along with it.

“Ziconic is the type of horse who knows who he is and likes to be treated special,” she said. “He is extremely proud. He is probably the smartest horse I have ever been around. He is also very playful and loves an audience.”

Moss said Ziconic has taken to off-track life very well. He started his retraining as a jumper with trainer Sarah Pollock and the pair even won their first show together back in 2020. Unfortunately, Ziconic's show schedule was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and an EHV outbreak in the state of California.

“He is really enjoying his off-track life,” Moss said. “We give him a lot of diversity. He is kind of the king of the farm he is at right now, Eclipse Equine Sports Therapy Center in the Santa Ynez Valley. He was originally at a sporthorse farm, training with an amazing trainer, Sarah Pollock. She did an amazing job transitioning him.”

She continued, “He really loves to jump and be in the arena, getting all the cheers and being photographed. It has been a very inconsistent show career for him because of COVID and the EHV outbreak. We gave him the winter off. He is back in a jumping program now with the goal of showing in the fall jumping circuit. We will probably start him back at the .80 or .85 [meter], but he was jumping a meter previously.”

Under the care of Moss and the de Sousas, both of Zenyatta's boys have found their callings. They have taken the athletic ability and winning attitude they inherited from their superstar dam to new venues, shining a brighter spotlight on off-track Thoroughbreds everywhere in the process.

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Could Zilkha Be the One? Zenyatta’s Youngest Daughter Shows Promise at Shirreffs Barn

News — Sat, 28 May 2022 18:30:12 +0000

The youngest progeny from Hall of Fame superstar Zenyatta recently arrived at John Shirreffs's barn at Santa Anita. The 2-year-old chestnut filly by Candy Ride (Arg) named Zilkha is already well on her way to making her debut this year.

Zilkha's big personality became abundantly clear during my interview with Shirreffs. The juvenile was front and center, peering over Shirreffs's shoulder as she was hamming for the camera, and at one point put her nose right in it. Perhaps she is more like Zenyatta than we know?

When I posed that question to Shirreffs, he hedged and went on to describe Queen Z's early days. Back then, the only person to get on her was Heather Gonzales because she was bucking everyone else off.

“Heather didn't care,” he said with a chuckle. “Zenyatta would buck her off too and run back to the barn. Then she would do it all again the next day.”

As for this youngest daughter of Zenyatta, Shirreffs is enthusiastic in his praise for the regally bred filly. When I pressed him about the latest Z baby to show up at his barn, his face lit up.

“She's fabulous,” quipped the usually reserved trainer. “She really gets over the track well and she's almost the perfect size. She's got a big stride on her and a great attitude.”

Zilkha began her early training just as her famous mother did at Mayberry Farm in Ocala. Shirreffs is quick to credit the operation as Zilkha has taken her relocation to California in stride.

“She came here in great shape and is acting like she's been here for weeks, but it's been six days!”

Shirreffs is not the only one who has thought that Zilkha could be the best of Zenyatta's foals.

Back in 2020 when the filly was just a few months old, Lane's End Farm's broodmare manager Jenn Laidlaw said in a TDN interview, “She's been a superstar since day one….She's probably my favorite of Zenyatta's foals.”

Admittedly, Zenyatta's first four foals to reach the Shirreffs barn did not inherit their dam's rare athletic ability.

Shirreffs described them one by one while Zilkha eagerly searched for the carrot tucked neatly in his back pocket.

“Cozmic One (Bernardini) was a big, strong horse,” he recalled. “He probably would have done great when they had four-mile heat racing.”

It's clear that Zilkha inherited her dam's big personality | Zoe Cadman

Cozmic One was unplaced in five starts, but is now thriving as he competes in jumper classes with Sergio and Isabela de Sousa in Lexington, Kentucky. Watch our TDN interview with Isabela here.

Shirreffs described Zenyatta's next foal, Ziconic (Tapit), as one of the toughest horses the septuagenarian conditioner has ever trained.

“I can remember leading him onto the track one day and suddenly I heard a noise behind me only to turn around and see Ziconic coming towards the pony on his hind legs as fast as he could.”

Now gelded, Ziconic is enjoying a second career as a hunter jumper with Sarah Pollock in California.

Zenyatta's third foal to reach the Shirreffs barn, Zellda (Medaglia d'Oro), never made it to the races and recently retired to Lane's End. Sheriffs described her as a pretty filly, but said she didn't have the size or scope to be a racehorse.

Zenyatta's fourth foal to get to Shirreffs, Zilkha, was named after the late Cecile Zilkha, who owner and breeder Ann Holbrook-Moss described as “a beautiful and strong lifelong philanthropist.” Cecile had a significant impact in her involvement with a number of charities, including the Hospital for Special Surgery and the Metropolitan Opera, where she served as a member of the board of trustees and its vice chairman.

I followed the philanthropist's equine namesake one morning, expecting her to train at 9:30 a.m., which is when most tracks are flooded with rowdy, unraced 2-year-olds at this time of year. But Shirreffs, who literally could author his own book on training, sends her out every morning at 8 a.m., coincidentally with two other juveniles she trained with at Mayberry Farm.

“It's busy out there and it's good for them,” Shirreffs told me.

Zilkha duly galloped a mile and a quarter with regular rider Amy Vasco in the stirrups, coming home through the paddock and not even blinking as she strutted past the life-sized bronze statue of her famous mother in the paddock gardens.

I posed the question to Shirreffs: What would it mean to Zenyatta's legacy if she was ever able to replicate herself?

Shirreffs was quick to point out that he didn't think it would mean anything, as Zenyatta and her legacy stand alone. However, he later added, “It would be really great to have Zenyatta produce a winner–a nice horse, one we can all enjoy, watch run and think about the days of Zenyatta running.”

I got a stiff 'No!' when I asked Shirreffs if he ever goes back and watches some of Zenyatta's races.

“I have such great memories that I really don't need to go back and watch them,” he said.

Here's hoping we get some good ones from Zilkha!

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First Foal Of Zenyatta, Cozmic One, Joins TAKE2 Thoroughbred League

News — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:14:54 +0000

Cozmic One, the first foal out of the champion mare Zenyatta, has joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League, and will compete in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumper Division at the Kentucky National Horse Show in Lexington Sept. 22-26. The 9-year-old could earn a wild card berth in the Sept. 26 $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals if he finishes in the top 5 in the Division.

The wildly popular Zenyatta, racing's Horse of the Year in 2010 and winner of 19 of her 20 career starts, foaled Cozmic One on March 8, 2012, at Lane's End Farm in Lexington. Before he was named, the royally bred young colt was the subject of media coverage and even had a Breyer horse model created for him (it now sells for $125 on Amazon).

While he did not live up to his bloodlines on the racetrack, Cozmic One became a fan favorite. He still has a following today, according to Sergio de Sousa, who now owns Cozmic One in partnership with Zenyatta's owner/breeders, Jerry Moss and Ann Holbrook, and his daughter, Isabela.

“It's pretty amazing, a lot of people really enjoy seeing what he is up to,” de Sousa said. “People love the mare, and they love him, too. We post things about him on social media – from the horse shows, but also Coz playing with his buddy, rolling in the mud, just being a horse. It makes people happy to see it, and it is simple for us to do that. We get letters, Christmas cards, cookies, birthday cards, you can go on and on. My daughter started it a couple of years ago, so people could follow him, make the connection with Coz, see how he was training. She got a lot of people to participate in his journey.”

Cozmic One retired from racing in 2017 after five unsuccessful starts, and joined the de Sousa family to start a second career as a show jumper. He competed in the Retired Racehorse Project's 2018 Makeover, finishing fifth, then was sidelined for the better part of 2019.

“His transition took a while,” de Sousa said. “He pulled a muscle [after the Makeover] and needed time off. His body was changing, he was learning to use himself, but now he is really coming together.”

While daughter Isabela gave Cozmic One a solid foundation for his new career, she is now off at college, and father Sergio has literally taken the reins. A native of Brazil, he has been a horseman all his life and is the managing partner of Hidden Brook, a full-service Thoroughbred farm outside of Lexington. De Sousa is new to the world of show jumping, but he enjoys the challenge of working with Coz.

“He's a charismatic horse, he has a fantastic personality, a very strong personality,” he said. “He definitely knows we work for him, but in a good way. He knows he's a big boy, you have to be strong with him, but you have to make him think anything new is his idea. He tests me, which is great. He makes me a better rider.”

The two competed together at the Split Rock Horse Show in June and the Robert Murphy Stable Horse Show in July. They have yet to win a ribbon, but that is not the end goal for de Sousa.

“It's the two of us against the course,” he said. “We hope to improve from the day before, we want to do well, but it is not about winning. It's about being in rhythm with the horse. Riding horses for me, it reminds me why I work with the horses. That partnership, that closeness, that's why I do it.”

As for Coz, de Sousa said, “This is his second career, but he really is retired, he is just having fun. He gets excited going to the shows, he loves to watch the other horses perform, he loves to watch the people go by. He's like a boxer, ready to go in the ring. But we're not looking to be in the Olympics, this is just for his enjoyment. He doesn't owe us anything.”

The classes for the TAKE2 Jumper division at the Kentucky National Horse Show will be held in the Walnut Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park on Sept. 23-25. The TAKE2 Jumper Finals will be the second class of the day in the Walnut Ring on Sunday, Sept. 26.

The TAKE2 Thoroughbred League, launched in 2015, offers $10,000 in year-end high-score awards to the Thoroughbreds competing in TAKE2-affiliated Hunter and Jumper divisions across the country. The $20,000 TAKE2 Finals are held every September. The program was created to promote second careers for retired racehorses.

“TAKE2, promoting Thoroughbreds for jumping, for hunting, it's fantastic,” de Sousa said.

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Zenyatta’s Cozmic One Joins TAKE2 Thoroughbred League

News — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 15:05:57 +0000

Cozmic One (Bernardini), the first foal out of Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}), has joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League and is slated to compete in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumper Division at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 22-26. The classes for his division will be held in the Walnut Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. Cozmic One could earn a wild card berth in the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals Sept. 26 if he finishes in the top five in the division.

Now a 9-year-old and with a huge fan following since his birth, Cozmic One made little impact on the racetrack and retired in 2017. He competed in the Retired Racehorse Project's 2018 Makeover and finished fifth for Isabela de Sousa. The college student owns Cozmic One in partnership with her father, Sergio, who now rides the horse, and Zenyatta's owners, Jerry Moss and Ann Holbrook.

“It's pretty amazing, a lot of people really enjoy seeing what he is up to,” said Sergio de Sousa. “People love the mare, and they love him, too. We post things about him on social media–from the horse shows, but also 'Coz' playing with his buddy, rolling in the mud, just being a horse. It makes people happy to see it, and it is simple for us to do that. We get letters, Christmas cards, cookies, birthday cards, you can go on and on. My daughter started it a couple of years ago, so people could follow him, make the connection with Coz, see how he was training. She got a lot of people to participate in his journey.”

De Sousa, the managing partner of Hidden Brook, competed with Cozmic One at the Split Rock Horse Show in June and the Robert Murphy Stable Horse Show in July.

“This is his second career, but he really is retired, he is just having fun,” said de Sousa. “He gets excited going to the shows, he loves to watch the other horses perform, he loves to watch the people go by. He's like a boxer, ready to go in the ring. But we're not looking to be in the Olympics, this is just for his enjoyment. He doesn't owe us anything.”

TDN won a 2018 Multi-Media Eclipse Award for a feature on Cozmic One in his second career.

The TAKE2 Thoroughbred League was launched in 2015 to promote second careers for retired racehorses and offers $10,000 in year-end high-score awards to Thoroughbreds competing in TAKE2-affiliated hunter and jumper divisions across the country, with the $20,000 TAKE2 Finals held every September.

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Champion Zenyatta Loses 2021 Candy Ride Foal

News — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 16:30:16 +0000

Hall of Famer Zenyatta has lost her Candy Ride foal, which was due later this year, per the official Zenyatta website.

A statement on the site read as follows:

“We at Team Zenyatta and Lane's End Farm are deeply saddened to share that Zenyatta lost her 2021 foal early this year.

“She had been carrying a second Candy Ride filly, and we grieve the loss of this precious life. Thankfully, Zenyatta remains in excellent health and is doing very well.”

The loss continues what has been a rocky broodmare career for the 2010 Horse of the Year. She lost a six-month-old War Front filly in a paddock accident in the fall of 2014, while a colt by the same sire died a few days after his birth in 2016 due to complications from meconium aspiration syndrome, a respiratory issue. In 2018, Zenyatta lost an Into Mischief foal during pregnancy due to low-grade placentitis. She was not bred in 2015 and 2019.

The Candy Ride foal would have been Zenyatta's seventh, counting the two War Front foals who died before they were registered.

Her first foal, the 2012 Bernardini colt Cozmic One, went unplaced in five starts, and he is now in the midst of his second career as a show jumper in Kentucky. He competed in the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover with rider Isabela de Sousa.

Ziconic, by Tapit, was born a year later and hit the board in eight of 12 starts from 2016 to 2018, but never found the winner's circle. He has also transitioned into a show jumping career in California.

The Medaglia d'Oro filly Zellda, born in 2017, is unraced to date. Zenyatta's latest foal, the Candy Ride filly Zilkha, was born last year, and is a yearling of 2021.

Zenyatta has spent the entirety of her broodmare career at Lane's End in Versailles, Ky.

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A Decade Later, Zenyatta Still Racing Royalty

News — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:59:45 +0000

Whether you choose to believe them or not, people always said that she knew where the finish line was. And there was never any denying the intelligence of four-time Eclipse champion and Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}).

She was quirky and a bit high-strung, and she made a hobby out of throwing exercise riders in the mornings. Her dance when she hit the track during warmup, whether it was to toy with her fans or to release adrenaline, and her ability to switch gears as she weaved between foes and charged down the lane towards the wire were all the elements that made Zenyatta, well, Zenyatta.

Now almost 10 years since that heart-wrenching day at Churchill Downs that kept her just short of a 20-race perfect record, the 16-year-old broodmare still has the same bright eye and the presence of a champion.

“Zenyatta’s probably the most intelligent horse on the farm,” said Jenn Laidlaw, the broodmare manager at Lane’s End Farm. “She knows that she’s important and she knows who she is. She has a real presence about her.”

The Hall of Famer can spot a camera from a mile away and when she spies someone approaching her paddock, she presents her hind end to the fence and awaits expectantly for a good scratching, pawing impatiently if it is not received in a timely manner.

Zenyatta’s exceptional talent on the track has yet to be seen in her offspring, with her first foal Cozmic One (Bernardini) running unplaced in five starts, but now succeeding in the show ring. Her other son Ziconic (Tapit) also never visited the winner’s circle.

But in the next few years, there is new opportunity for Zenyatta’s progeny to succeed.

Her daughter Zellda, a 3-year-old filly by Medaglia d’Oro, is in training under John Shirreffs and recorded her latest breeze on July 13, going four furlongs from the gate at Del Mar.

And this year, a second daughter arrived to carry on the family name.

Zenyatta foaled a filly by Candy Ride (Arg) on May 17.

“She’s been a superstar since day one,” Laidlaw said of the foal. “She popped up and started walking within an hour. She’s been healthy. She’s been happy. She hasn’t put a foot wrong since she’s been here. She’s got a great body and is a fairly correct foal, really typical for a Candy Ride. She’s probably my favorite of Zenyatta’s foals.”

Laidlaw added that this filly has the same gregarious personality as her mother.

“She knows who she is,” she said. “She’ll stand, she’ll pose, she knows when the camera is on her. She enjoys being groomed and she enjoys everybody giving her attention.”

Laidlaw has held various positions at Lane’s End over the last 10 years and has been present for Zenyatta’s entire broodmare career.

“With a foal at foot, she’s a great mom,” Laidlaw said. “She loves other foals. She usually has the other foals around her. She’s just a really smart mare and is great to be around.”

Laidlaw also said she enjoys witnessing the interaction between the champion mare and her adoring fans.

“When the fans get the opportunity to meet her, they’ll just start crying,” she said. “It’s really heartwarming to see how much she affected people’s daily lives and how much they love her. There are stories people tell you about how she’s helped them through situations or how she gave them motivation. We have a girl that works here and [Zenyatta] is what brought her into the industry. She absolutely loves this mare.”

Zenyatta was bred back to Candy Ride this year, and her filly this year will soon be weaned. The Hall of Famer isn’t in the spotlight quite as often nowadays as she was a decade ago, but she will always be racing royalty.

“I think Zenyatta being special is different for different people,” Laidlaw said. “Obviously she was a great race mare, but she just really got you excited every race she was in. She’s an outstanding horse for this industry, to bring people in and get them excited. Everybody loves her.”

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