Santa Anita: Eblouissante a half-sister to Zenyatta is perfect in two starts
January 18, 2013ARCADIA, Calif. - Eblouissante, a half-sister to Zenyatta, is perfect in two starts after a cozy win in a first-condition optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Thursday.
The victory is likely to lead to a stakes appearance later at this meeting, with races such as the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 16 or the $300,000 Santa Margarita Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on March 16 to be considered, trainer John Shirreffs said.
Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Eblouissante ($3) closed from last in a field of five with a three-wide rally to win the race by 1 3/4 lengths over 22-1 Pink Blossom in 1:44.89. Owned by breeder Eric Kronfeld, Eblouissante made her first start since winning a maiden race at Betfair Hollywood Park on Nov. 16.
Shirreffs said he was delighted with the win in Eblouissante’s first trip to Santa Anita. She is based at Hollywood Park.
“She sat nicely and she moved up nicely,” he said. “She stayed where Corey wanted her. At the end, she picked it up a little bit.
“This was a big day for her. She’d never been on this track and it’s a sandy track.”
A 4-year-old by Bernardini, Eblouissante was scratched from a similar race on Dec. 15 when she struck her hip on a door in the Hollywood Park receiving barn. She resumed training the next day.
Zenyatta, the 2010 Horse of the Year, won 19 of 20 starts for owners Jerry and Ann Moss, losing her final race to Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Trained by Shirreffs, Zenyatta won the 2010 Santa Margarita, her 15th win.