Beholder, Warren's Veneda Meet in Adoration

The highly-anticipated matchup between Beholder and Warren's Veneda in the Vanity Stakes (gr. I) was derailed by Beholder's illness prior to the May 9 race, but the pair will get another opportunity to go at it in the $100,000 Adoration Stakes (gr. III) June 13 at Santa Anita Park.



The potential rivalry has taken a hit, however, as Warren's Veneda fizzled to third at odds of 1-10, a length back of winner My Sweet Addiction, in the Beholder-less Vanity.



BALAN: My Sweet Addiction Surprises in Vanity



"She was giving five pounds to the winner and the winner got to walk the dog," said Craig Lewis, trainer of the Benjamin Warren-owned mare by Affirmative, who had previously claimed the Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) and the Santa Margarita Stakes (gr. I). "Not making excuses, but that's horse racing. The race had interesting issues in it, and on top of it, the winner is a very good mare."



Spendthrift Farm's Beholder, the champion 2-year-old filly in 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly in 2013, won the Santa Lucia Stakes impressively April 10 in her 5-year-old debut before a familiar illness put her on the shelf.



BALAN: Beholder Scratched From Vanity Due to Illness



Since then, the daughter of Henny Hughes and six-time grade I winner has worked three times—a handy five furlongs in 1:01 flat May 21, a bullet six furlongs in 1:11 1/5 May 27, and a mile drill in 1:38 4/5 June 4—all at Santa Anita.



"She couldn't be better," trainer Richard Mandella said.



Both trainers decided to pass up more lucrative stakes outside of California to keep their mares at their Santa Anita home base. A budding rivalry (the pair figures to meet again at Del Mar and maybe beyond, if all goes well) might be the byproduct.



"(My Sweet Addiction) left town because she didn't want to run against Beholder," Lewis said. "We were contemplating running in the Odgen Phipps (gr. I, on Belmont Stakes Day) and reflected on that, but decided it was in her long-term interest to run in California. She likes it here, she's comfortable, and loves Santa Anita. We can take her out of town, if all goes well, if we run in the Breeders' Cup."

HAMMONDS: 'Addiction' Nice Addition to Fleur de Lis

Mandella also mentioned the Breeders' Cup as the top priority for his mare.



"It's the next stakes on the program," Mandella said of the Adoration. "Either you go in here or you ship in somewhere else. I didn't want to ship off and he didn't want to, either... The Breeders' Cup is the big deal. We don’t want to fool around and not have her at her best for that."



Although both conditioners were more than complimentary of the other's mare, Lewis wasn't all that happy with the race's conditions, which put Warren's Veneda as the high weight in the 1 1/16-mile dirt test at 124 pounds, three more than the two-time champion. Warren's Veneda has found recent success in her 5-year-old year, but doesn't bring the complete résumé Beholder boasts.



"I would like it better if we were getting weight from her, not the other way around," Lewis said. "They don't write handicaps anymore, so we're giving weight to a two-time Eclipse Award winner with $3.5 million in earnings.



"I guess the grade I wins she had in years prior didn't count," he added with a laugh. "That mare is too damn good to get weight on anybody."



Beholder will break from post 4 with Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens in the irons, while Warren's Veneda will be a slot to her right, in post 5 under Tyler Baze.



Also entered in the Adoration are stakes winners Wild in the Saddle and Oscar Party, stakes-placed My Monet, and allowance/optional claiming winners Grandiose Tactics and Cast in Silver.