Photo: Hollywood Park
Eblouissante, a half-sister to Zenyatta, is scheduled to
make her much anticipated debut in Friday’s fourth race at Betfair Hollywood
Park.
A 3-year-old Bernardini filly out of the prolific broodmare
Vertigineux, Eblouissante’s initial race will come nearly five years to the day
since Zenyatta began her legendary career.
Trained by John Shirreffs - who also conditions Eblouissante
- and owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, Zenyatta earned her first of 19 consecutive
victories Nov. 22, 2007 (Thanksgiving Day), defeating 11 opponents in a 6 ½
furlong maiden event at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Before her 20-race career ended with her only loss – a head defeat
to Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs – Zenyatta had
won 17 graded races – including 13 Grade I `s – and earned $7,304,580. Stabled
at Betfair Hollywood Park
throughout her career, Zenyatta, who was a daughter of Street Cry, was 8-for-8
over Cushion Track.
Owned by Eric N. Kronfeld, who campaigned 2011 American Oaks
winner Nereid with Shirreffs, Eblouissante will have seven rivals Friday in the
$45,000 maiden race at 1 1/16 miles over Cushion Track.
Corey Nakatani is named to ride the dark bay, who has
recorded a dozen works at Betfair Hollywood Park since Aug. 8.
In addition to Zenyatta, Vertigineux is also the dam of
Balance, a multiple graded stakes winner for Amerman Racing Stables and trainer
David Hofmans.
Balance won the inaugural running of the Sharp Cat Stakes in
2005 at Betfair Hollywood Park in addition to the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita
Oaks in 2006 and the 2007 Santa Margarita. The latter three are Grade I races
at Santa Anita.