Eblouissante, a half-sister to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, kept her unbeaten record intact when she rallied for a convincing victory in a 1 1/16th allowance optional claiming race on January 17th at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by John Shirreffs, Eblouissante was racing for the first time since winning her debut by 4 1/4 lengths on November 16th. Sent off as the 3-2 favorite under jockey Corey Nakatani, Eblouissante was off to a mildly slow start, and soon found herself racing in last place as longshot Folk Dancer led the way through fractions of :24.52 and :48.11. Pink Blossom was tracking the pace in second, followed by Viva Carina, Double Ante, and Eblouissante.
Rounding the final turn, Nakatani asked Eblouissante for run, and the four-year-old filly responded with an eye-catching burst of speed that carried her past everyone but Pink Blossom by the time she reached the homestretch. In a manner reminiscent of Zenyatta herself, Eblouissante seemed to idle upon striking the front, but she soon responded to Nakatani's continued urging and drew off late to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
The final time was 1:44.89 seconds. Pink Blossom stayed on gamely to finish second, followed by Folk Dancer, Double Ante, and Viva Carina.
Eblouissante is a daughter of Bernardini out of Vertigineux, by Kris S. Owned by Eric Kronfeld, Eblouissante's next start is expected to come in a stakes, with the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) on February 16th and the $300,000 Santa Margarita Stakes (gr. I) on March 16th being possible options.
-Keelerman
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