Zenyatta, the 2010 Horse of the Year, became one of America's most beloved new moms when she delivered a healthy dark bay colt at about 10:10 p.m. EST March 8 in Lexington, Kentucky.
The colt is a son of Bernardini . Mother and son were reported doing fine at Lane's End Farm.
The 8-year-old Street Cry mare and her owners, Jerry and Ann Moss, announced the arrival at midnight via Zenyatta's online diary at www.zenyatta.com, which also has photos of mom and foal.
Zenyatta retired in November 2010 after losing to Blame in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the only blemish on her record after 19 consecutive wins. The superstar mare became a pop culture sensation while racing mostly in Southern California. She was trained by John Shirreffs and was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
"Dear, dear, dear friends, I am so proud and elated to share the news with you that I am now a MOM," read the diary. "I just gave birth to a lovely dark bay COLT, March 8th, at approximately 10:10 p.m. Eastern Time. My adorable foal weighed in at 130 pounds, has a white star on his forehead….and some white on his feet."
Ann Moss said, “He has polka dots on his feet, Zennie, just like YOU.”
"All went very well with the foaling. I must say….I did it like a CHAMP!" the diary read. "My foal is absolutely precious."
A 50-second YouTube video showed the mare licking her son soon after his birth.
The celebrated baby arrived a day before expected, on International Women's Day. Zenyatta's due date was March 9.
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