Zenyatta’s younger half-sister Eblouissante confirmed she is a filly with a black-type future at Santa Anita on Thursday.  The Bernardini filly claimed a 1700m allowance event at her second start – she had won on debut at Hollywood Park on November 16.

“She’s such a big filly,” jockey Corey Nakatani said.  “What more can you say, except that I’m ecstatic.  She’s tremendous.”

Eblouissante (4f Bernardini – Vertigineux by Kris S) started an odds-on favourite and, after breaking slowly in the five-horse field, showed good tactical speed and took the lead at the top of the stretch.  She drew off to score by next to two lengths.

Eblouissante is French for “brilliant” and is pronounced a-bloo-e-sahn.  She is trained by John Shirreffs and he said her next start would be determined in consultation with New York based owner-breeder Eric Kronfeld.  “She reminds me so much of Zenyatta,” Shirreffs said.  “She moved up nicely. She stayed right where Corey wanted her, and at the end picked it up a little more.  It was very good.”

Kronfeld bred and sold Zenyatta (Street Cry) as a yearling to Jerry and Ann Moss.  Eblouissante, or “Ebby” as she’s known by a growing legion of fans, is also a younger half-sister to G1 winning filly Balance (Thunder Gulch) and Listed winner Where’s Bailey (Aljabr).