Zenyatta's Bloodlines Return for Mayberry Farm

Zenyatta is widely considered racing royalty. The legacy of the legendary racehorse continues April 17 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training when Shuggy (Hip 668), a son of Twirling Candy and a grandson of Zenyatta, enters the auction ring for Mayberry Farm, agent. Owned and operated in Ocala, Fla., by Jeanne Mayberry and daughters April and Summer, Mayberry Farm played a crucial role in launching Zenyatta's illustrious career. The Mayberrys provided Zenyatta her early training foundation for her owners, the late record producer Jerry Moss, his wife, Ann, and trainer John Shirreffs. A fan favorite affectionately known as "The Queen" due in large part to her athletic prowess but also her colorful personality and dramatic closing kicks, Zenyatta earned more than $7.3 million in her storied racing career, which spanned four seasons. All told, Zenyatta won 19-of-20 career starts, including 13 grade 1 wins. She was named Horse of the Year in 2010 and won a total of four Eclipse Awards in her exceptional career. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016. Now, the Mayberrys have their hands on a confident bay colt named Shuggy, who is out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare Zellda, Zenyatta's first surviving daughter. Shuggy was bred in Kentucky by Ann Holbrook Moss and Jerome S. Moss Trust and the youngster will be making his initial sojourn through an auction ring at OBS. Bringing a direct descendant of one of racing's all-time greats to the market in Ocala carries special weight for the Mayberrys. "The first thing that came to mind is that it makes me feel old," April Mayberry said of training a descendant of Zenyatta. "It's pretty cool, though. It's like coming full circle. And the fact that Mrs. Holbrook bred him makes it even more special. It's been all in the family all the way around." It's perhaps too soon to stack Shuggy against his Hall-of-Fame granddam, but Mayberry shed light on a significant trait that both horses possess. "He has such confidence," Mayberry said of Shuggy. "I wish every horse I have had his confidence. He has an air about him, too, like, 'Here I am, a little bit of royalty.' He does not understand the word no, and I like that in a racehorse. He is super confident." At the under tack preview last week, Shuggy breezed a furlong in :10 3/5. As potential buyers scrutinize the workout times of sale prospects, Mayberry offers a nuanced perspective of Shuggy's breeze, explaining her overall satisfaction with the horse's performance. "I was a little disappointed in his breeze," Mayberry related. "I thought he would breeze a little quicker, but we're going an eighth of a mile. We're asking them to do something that they're never going to have to do again. To me, it's how they move, what they do, and how they come back. And he checked all those boxes perfectly. "He's been perfect all winter, knock on wood," Mayberry continued. "We liked him a lot at home. He is still growing, and he's going to keep going the right way." At first glance, Shuggy might blend into the sea of promising prospects on offer in Ocala this week. But for the Mayberry family, the fall of the auctioneer's gavel will represent more than a transaction. Adding a chapter to Zenyatta's legacy will carry profound weight. "It's not lost on us just how special it is," said Mayberry. "We think about that every time he walks out of the stall; this is her first grandson." In addition to offering Shuggy, Mayberry is high on a pair of other horses in the Mayberry Farm consignment, mentioning Hip 626, an Oscar Performance filly, and Hip 716, a colt by Mo Town. The Oscar Performance filly is out of the winning Old Forester mare Weekend in Malibu. Bred in Ontario by Bernard and Karen McCormack, the chestnut filly was acquired for $60,000 by Pro Selection Stable out of the Cara Bloodstock consignment at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. She breezed an eighth in :10 1/5 at the under tack preview. The Mo Town colt is produced from the Morning Line mare Angel Goodmorning. Bred in Kentucky by Fred and Neil McCrary, the bay colt was a $15,000 purchase by Acesion Stable out of Pope McLean's consignment at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale. He drilled an eighth in :10 1/5 at the under tack preview. "With both of those horses, it's the way they move, and how easy it is for both of them," Mayberry shared. "They are both smooth movers and both horses will get two turns, but they also have speed."