zhenya: a SAD end for a potential star

You may recall a few references to Magic Beans throughout this website and their wonderful ability to buy horses for the Horsplay Syndicate. Well after Our Valentina's win at Navan, we were able to acquire another filly with said beans fund, this time by Scorpion and out of a successful broodmare called Topanberry (bought out of the Hamiltons' pre-training yard, contacts of Stuarts, based just outside of Comber, Co. Down). In line with how we had bought our previous horses, it was once again a case not of what we knew but who we knew and given this formula had served us well so far, we certainly were not inclined to change it! This purchase now also meant we had increased our thoroughbred portfolio by 100% in one fell swoop and so we  now had 2 horses in training for the first time! While Stuart wasn't quite yet thinking we were on our way to being his very own Gigginstown Stud, we did at least get to enjoy seeing twice as many horses than we were used to on our stable visits .....

We named the filly Zhenya, (for reasons to this day few of us can explain) but at least we knew there were very few owners whose horses names would score more points in a game of Scrabble.....And while Our Valentina was enjoying her trips to the races in various locations around the UK, so Zhenya, an athletic and quite light framed filly, went about her work at home in Larne with the minimum of fuss. Yet as with her stable mate, Zhenya was now starting to show the occasional sparkle on the gallops that gave all concerned reasonable cause for optimism. Satisfied with what he was now seeing, Stuart was content that she would certainly hold her own in company and that it was now time to let her embark on her racecourse debut.

So there we were again....our merry band of syndicators, fuelled by positive gallop reports and our own usual thermos flask full of optimism. Zhenya's work at home had been gradually stepped up in intensity and pleasingly everything she had been ask to do, she had done so both efficiently and with a good attitude. There had also been a couple of gallops away from Stuart's own yard and on the second such visit Zhenya had shown signs she was getting the hang of her raceday role. Heartened by this display an entry for a Mare's bumper was made and so off we went to Navan Racecourse on a typical January afternoon for another Horsplay Syndicate debut!

Ridden by Staurt's better looking brother Ben, Zhenya settled in a 12th place (a polite way of saying last) in the early stages but then as the race developed a mile from home, we saw our colours (accompanied by our horse and jockey I should add) making rapid progress on the outside of the field.  So much so that approaching 3 furlongs from home Zhenya found herself with a share of the lead. From this point though, more experienced, older rivals closed in on her and eventually she was to finish 5th with by no means being given a hard time once her chance of winning was gone

Despite fading in the closing stages however, her performance was easily the best debut run in our colours and left us all in great spirits as we watched the replay a mere 29 times in the following few weeks.

Stuart too was very happy with Zhenya's run and so again began looking through the fixture list for a suitable opportunity to build upon this initial outing. We again had a horse with a nice attitude and clear ability and the future was once again Green and African Violet!

With one very encouraging run under her saddle, Zhenya charted a course towards her next bumper outing and the encouraging subsequent runs of other horses from the same race further fuelled our enthusiasm.

Stuart found a suitable opportunity at Down Royal in mid March and we were ready for Zhenya Part Deux!

Running in mid division for most of the race, Zhenya then circed the field approaching the last half mile and took the lead still travelling easily entering the home straight. Alas though, just as Stuart was thinking of suitable quotes for the press in the winners' enclosure, another horse who can't be named for legal reasons (actually that's not true but it's not really important anyway) came past Zhenya and we had to instead settle for a still highly encouraging second place! Once again replays were watched and watched again (and then watched some more) and all appeared rosy in the Horsplay Syndicate's paddock.

Devastatingly though for all concerned, after a summer's break and in the lead up to a concerted effort to win her bumper at only her third attempt, Zhenya suffered an ultimately fatal injury at an away day gallop, ending a genuinely promising career before it had really began.

Once more we were forced to reflect on the loss of a horse who we'd all become very fond of and who had been fatally injured training to run in our colours. Again though we had to remind ourselves all our horses are bred to race on the track and are given the very best of treatment and care during their racing life. There can be no disguising how upsetting Zhenya's loss was but as ever the syndicate regrouped and looked ahead to a new arrival in Stuart's yard.