Enola Gray stretches out in Wilshire

Enola Gray, a virtual win machine for owner/breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Phil D’Amato, attempts a first in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Wilshire Stakes for fillies and mares, three and up, at one mile on turf.

It will mark the first time the gray daughter of Grazen runs two turns on the grass and, it will also be the first time she’ll be ridden by Flavien Prat, as regular pilot Tyler Baze will be at Monmouth Park to ride French-bred Itsinthepost for Jeff Mullins in the Grade I United Nations Stakes. A winner of six of 10 career starts, the four-year-old California-bred Enola Gray has run once before in a route race, winning the 1 1/16-mile Melair on dirt at Santa Anita May 28, 2016.

She also has won three times on turf over Santa Anita’s unique downhill course at about 6 ½ furlongs, but has never run at one mile on turf.

Those are not primary concerns for D’Amato, even though Enola Gray finished out of the money for the first time in her career on May 27 when she was fifth as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade II Monrovia Stakes at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

“She’s coming into the race really well,” said the meet’s third-leading trainer, second to Bob Baffert in stakes wins with five. “She had a nice three-quarter drill Saturday (a bullet 1:14.60 on the training track), had plenty of air in her, and her exercise rider was pleased.”

The Wilshire: Juno, Gary Stevens, 4-1; Madame Stripes, Joe Talamo, 5-1; Place des Vorges, Corey Nakatani, 5-1; Enola Gray, Flavien Prat, 5-2; Prize Exhibit, Santiago Gonzalez, 7-2; and Sheeza Milky Way, Rafael Bejarano, 3-1.