Zenyatta still in light training, looks no worse for wear

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Although Zenyatta ran 1 1/4 miles in the Breeders’ Cup Classic six days earlier and then flew home the next day, she looked remarkably fresh on Friday morning, walking briskly under the shed row of her trainer, John Shirreffs.

“I still have to walk her two hours every morning,” Shirreffs said. “She hasn’t gone back to the track yet. I usually give them about a week off to let them clear their heads.”

Zenyatta will stay in light training until she heads to Kentucky to be bred. Her owners, Jerry and Ann Moss, have not yet officially announced her retirement, nor made a decision on to whom she will be bred.

Shirreffs said the Mosses would be meeting next week to start finalizing her future plans.

Well wishes continue to pour in. A gift of a bouquet of flowers arrived at the barn Friday morning and was placed alongside a bouquet that arrived on Wednesday.

Shirreffs smiled when reminded of the scene Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, when numerous cars stopped alongside a road next to the stable area when motorists realized Zenyatta was out grazing.

“That was so nice,” he said.

Van Berg campaigns for Zenyatta

He doesn’t have a vote, but he has a voice -- a booming one, actually -- and Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg intends to use it.

“She should be Horse of the Year,” Van Berg said Friday morning of Zenyatta. “I don’t see anybody going to see Blame. She’s the greatest thing to happen to racing. I thought Alysheba was the best horse to look through a bridle, but she’s phenomenal. And they shared her with the public.”

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