2-year-old filly Zellda gallops at Santa Anita during Breeders' Cup week, wearing her superstar dam's saddle towel

Sporting Zenyatta's Breeders' Cup saddle towel during morning training hours at Santa Anita several weeks ago, the champion mare's 2-year-old daughter Zellda drew a lot of attention from her fans. The Medaglia d'Oro filly has left a positive impression on John Shirreffs with her early training, and the trainer told Thoroughbred Daily News that she should be nearing her first timed workout.

“She reminds me a lot of Zenyatta when she was a 2-year-old,” said Shirreffs. “One of the things I don't think very many people know about Zenyatta is that as a 2-year-old nobody wanted to ride her because she would go in a full gallop and then jump in the air and fire with both hind legs and launch her riders. Zellda can do the same thing but she's not quite as big and strong as Zenyatta was. She hasn't launched any riders but she has that same kind of feisty attitude. That's definitely a positive. It shows she has a lot of energy and she's out there having a little bit of fun on her own terms.”

Zenyatta's first two offspring, Cozmic One and Ziconic, were unable to break their maidens on the track. Shirreffs called Zellda more “focused” and “quick,” compared to her half-brothers.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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