Kentucky Derby: Shirreffs's Zenyatta visit will have to wait

John Shirreffs trained Zenyatta throughout her Hall of Fame career and can’t wait to see her soon, but the demands of the Kentucky Derby will mean the next visit will come later this month, when he returns for the yearling sales. This week, he’s sticking to Churchill Downs like Calvin Borel sticks to the rail.

“It’s hard to leave. You never know when something unforeseen could develop,” said Shirreffs, who trains Honor A. P.

This isn’t idle musing. In 2005, when Shirreffs won the Derby with Giacomo, he took the colt to the paddock two days before the race for a schooling session. While there, he sprung a shoe.

“He had very shelly feet,” Shirreffs said. “We had to bandage that foot before we walked him back, because I didn’t want any of the pea gravel he’d encounter heading back to the barn to get in there and bruise the foot or anything.”

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Shirreffs said he’ll stay in Louisville through the Derby, fly back to California, but return to Kentucky soon for the yearling sales in Lexington, much closer to where Zenyatta resides.

“She’s such a good mother,” Shirreffs said. “I was sent a photo of her the other day and she had five foals surrounding her. The other foals like hanging around with her. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

Zenyatta was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016 following a career that saw her win 19 of 20 starts, including the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic. She won four Eclipse Awards, including Horse of the Year in 2010. She suffered her only loss in her final start, in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.