Zenyatta to face five challengers as she goes for 17th straight victory in Vanity ‘Cap

Zenyatta to take on 5 rivals in Vanity ‘Cap

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Zenyatta will have five challengers as she goes for her record 17th consecutive victory in the $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park.

The 6-year-old mare will try to remain undefeated in Sunday’s 1 1-8-mile race.

A victory would allow Zenyatta to surpass Cigar, Citation and Mister Friskey, all winners of 16 in a row, and claim the record for most victories by a modern day thoroughbred in non-restricted races.

Zenyatta drew post five during Thursday’s entries. She’ll carry 129 pounds, the same weight she had in winning last year’s Vanity, and will be spotting her rivals 9 to 17 pounds.

Also entered was Zenyatta’s stablemate Zardana. Both horses are trained by John Shirreffs. She was originally going to run in the Ogden Phipps on Saturday at Belmont Park, but Shirreffs changed his mind.

Zardana is best known for upsetting Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes on March 13. That loss kept Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta from meeting for the first time on the track in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in April.

Zenyatta easily won that race.

Rachel Alexandra is set to run Saturday in the $200,000-added Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. She’ll face four rivals in the 1 1-8-mile race for fillies and mares ages 3 and older. She is winless in her two previous starts this year.

Majority owner Jess Jackson says his ultimate goal is to run Rachel Alexandra in the Breeders’ Cup in November at Churchill Downs. That’s also the plan of Jerry and Ann Moss, who own Zenyatta, the defending champion in the $5 million BC Classic. Jackson hasn’t specified which Breeders’ Cup race he is pointing his filly toward.

In the Vanity, Zenyatta will try to become the first three-time winner. She won by a half-length in 2008 and by 2½ lengths last year.

Zenyatta’s biggest rival on Sunday could be St Trinians, who hasn’t run since finishing sixth as the wagering favorite in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 6. Martin Garcia will be her new jockey.

Three Vanity runners have never won a graded stakes — Will O Way, Miss Silver Brook and Cherryblossommiss.

The field, from the rail out, with jockey and weight for the Vanity: Miss Silver Brook, Joe Talamo, 112 pounds; St Trinians, Martin Garcia, 120; Zardana, Victor Espinoza, 118; Will O Way, Tyler Baze, 114; Zenyatta, Smith, 129, and Cherryblossommiss, Rafael Bejarano, 112.