Zenyatta handed 129-pound impost in Vanity

Zenyatta won the Milady with ears pricked (Benoit Photo) Undefeated champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) has been assigned the high weight of 129 pounds for Saturday’s $300,000 Vanity H. (G1) at Hollywood Park. The John Shirreffs trainee captured last year’s Vanity by a half-length, her shortest margin of victory in 10 career starts, while carrying 124 pounds. Zenyatta would carry the most weight in the nine-furlong Vanity since Horse of the Year Azeri repeated under an impost of 127 pounds in the 2003 running. Hall of Famer Gamely won under a record 131 pounds in 1968, while fellow Hall of Famer Silver Spoon carried 130 pounds to victory in 1960. Champion Cascapedia scored by a nose when lugging 129 pounds in 1977, and Next Move, a three-year-old filly, won beneath 128 pounds en route to her divisional championship in 1950. Hall of Famer Paseana garnered the 1992 Vanity with a 127-pound impost.

Should Zenyatta defend her title in the Vanity, she would join the club of
repeat Vanity winners comprising Annie-Lu-San (1957-58), Convenience (1972-73),
It’s in the Air (1979-80) and Azeri.

Zenyatta, who sealed the 2008 Eclipse Award for champion older mare in the
Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1), returned to action with a comfortable 1
3/4-length triumph in the May 23 Milady H. (G2). On that occasion, the
five-year-old shouldered 126 pounds when defeating stablemate LIFE IS SWEET
(Storm Cat).

Zenyatta worked six furlongs in a bullet 1:12 3/5 at Hollywood on
Friday, which Shirreffs termed on Sunday “a very good work.”

“She came out of that last race better than ever,” said regular exercise
rider Steve Willard, flashing the thumbs-up sign.

Life Is Sweet, an impressive winner of the Santa Margarita Invitational H.
(G1) in her start prior to the Milady, comes next on the list of Vanity weights
at 122 pounds. Co-owner Martin Wygod has suggested, however, that Life Is Sweet
may opt to face males in the July 11 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) instead.

The complete list of Vanity weights follows:

Zenyatta, 129; Life Is Sweet, 122; DAWN AFTER DAWN (Successful Appeal), 116;
BRIECAT (Adcat), 114; MODIFICATION (Vindication), 114; YOU LIFT ME UP (Lord
Carson), 114; ALLICANSAYIS WOW (Street Cry [Ire]), 113; FOREST MELODY (Forest
Camp), 113; and HOT N’ DUSTY (Unusual Heat), 111.