Zenyatta, who has won all 18 of her starts for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, is among 14 fillies and mares nominated to the $250,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes Presented by TVG (gr. I).
Scheduled for 1 1/16 miles over the Cushion Track at Hollywood Park, the Lady’s Secret is one of six grade I races that will be run over the first weekend of the inaugural Oak Tree at Hollywood Park meet.
The 22-day season begins on Sept. 30. Four of the grade I events will be run on Oct. 2. In addition to the Lady’s Secret, the others are the $250,000 Norfolk Stakes, $250,000 Goodwood Stakes, and $250,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes. Entries will be taken for those events on Sept. 29.
The remaining pair—the $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship Presented by TVG, and the $250,000 Oak Leaf Stakes—will be contested on Oct. 3. Entries will be taken Sept. 30.
The most significant of the Lady’s Secret nominees besides Zenyatta, who has won the race the last two years and who is seeking her eighth win at Hollywood Park, is Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Blind Luck. A 3-year-old daughter of Pollard's Vision trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Blind Luck scored one of her most significant victories locally in 2009, winning the Hollywood Starlet (gr. I) by seven lengths.
Shirreffs also nominated Zardana, who won the 2009 Bayakoa Handicap (gr. II) at Hollywood and is best known for her upset of Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies Classic in March at the Fair Grounds.
Eleven 2-year-olds were nominated to the Norfolk, which is run at 1 1/16 miles over Cushion Track. Heading the list is J P's Gusto, who has won four stakes in a row for owner Gem, Inc. and trainer David Hofmans.
Among the 14 nominees for the Goodwood, which will go at 1 1/8 miles over Cushion Track, are 2010 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) winner Awesome Gem, 3-year-old division leader Lookin At Lucky , two-time Pacific Classic (gr. I) hero Richard's Kid , and Twirling Candy , fresh off a victory in the Del Mar Derby (gr. IIT).
