A smashing winner in her much anticipated debut on November 16, Zenyatta’s half-sister Eblouissante will make her second start Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Owned by breeder Eric Kronfeld and trained by John
Shirreffs, Eblouissante will have four opponents in the $48,000 optional claimer
for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over the Cushion Track. It is the
4TH race on a card highlighted by the Grade
1 CashCall
Futurity and Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup.
A three-year-old daughter of Bernardini, Eblouissante is out of
the prolific Kris S. mare Vertinigeux, who also produced multiple Grade
1-winning millionaire Balance as well as Zenyatta, who banked more than $7.3
million in a career that saw her honored as the 2010 Horse of the Year and
become the first mare to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Street Cry supermare
captured 19 of her 20
starts in a spectacular career for Shirreffs and owners Jerry and Ann Moss.
A dark bay who was bred in Kentucky, Eblouissante debuted
at a longer distance than Zenyatta when taking a 1 1/16-mile maiden special
weight on November 16. Zenyata, who also made her racing debut in November of
her sophomore year at Hollywood, won at 6 1/2 furlongs but would never compete
at a distance under 1 1/16 miles again in her career.
Eblouissante, who is called “Ebby” around the barn and by a growing legion of
fans, displayed the same powerful, late-running style as her famous older sister
Zenyatta in her racing bow.
Seventh of eight under jockey Corey Nakatani for a good
portion of that contest, she made a sweeping move around the final
turn, collared pacesetter Saturday Nite Ride with a little more than a sixteenth
of a mile to run and drew off to win by 4 1/4 lengths.
Eblouissante has had two
recorded drills over the Cushion Track since that effort, going a half-mile in :52
2/5 on December 2 and five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 one week later.
Nakatani will be back in the saddle for Saturday’s race as Eblouissante
breaks from
post 3 under a 121-pound impost.
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com