Santa Anita: Eblouissante back in action in Thursday allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – No matter what she accomplishes in her racing career, Eblouissante will never escape the shadow of Zenyatta, her half-sister and the 2010 Horse of the Year.

“That’s just the way it is,” said trainer John Shirreffs, who trained them both.

Zenyatta won her first 19 races, losing her 20th and final start to Blame in a thrilling running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2010.

The 5-year-old Eblouissante has yet to win a stakes, an accomplishment Shirreffs hopes will occur in 2014. Thursday at Santa Anita, Eblouissante makes her first start since July in a $60,000 allowance race over 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

Eblouissante was beaten for the first time last July when last of six in the Grade 3 Shuvee Handicap at Saratoga. Prior to that, Eblouissante won her first two starts in Southern California – a maiden race at Hollywood Park in November 2012 and an optional claimer at Santa Anita in January 2013.

Since the Shuvee, Eblouissante has changed ownership. She was sold for $2.1 million by the estate of her late breeder, Eric Kronfeld, to Ian Banwell’s St. George Farm Racing at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Banwell is a client of Shirreffs and told the trainer he would bid on Eblouissante.

“He said he was going to bid, but I didn’t think he’d go that far,” Shirreffs said of the price.

Shirreffs said Banwell’s acquisition was a relief since the stable “had Eblouissante so long and knew her so well. She came around after Zenyatta left.”

For Thursday’s race, Shirreffs said that Eblouissante “is ready.”

From his point of view, more than a year has passed since Eblouissante has had a competitive race. He dismisses the Shuvee Handicap because of trouble at the gate.

“It’s been a long time since she really ran,” he said. “You have to throw out the race at Saratoga when she flipped in the gate. She banged herself up pretty good, mostly superficial.”

Mike Smith, the regular rider of Zenyatta, rides Eblouissante for the first time Thursday. Corey Nakatani was aboard for Eblouissante’s two wins. Rosie Napravnik rode Eblouissante in the Shuvee.

Thursday’s race drew a field of five, including Macha, who was third in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap on turf at Hollywood Park last June.