Sweet Azteca, Adare Manor Face Tough Field in Beholder

The six trainers who have entered fillies and mares in the March 9 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park together have amassed 47 Breeders' Cup wins. Three of the Beholder entrants have competed in the Breeders' Cup, and seven of the nine are stakes winners, most in graded events.

Yet the most lightly raced distaffer could reach the wire ahead of all of them, especially if she repeats her most recent form. Michael McCarthy trains Sweet Azteca , who ran third in the Jan. 1 Las Flores Stakes (G3) in only her second start. She then romped by 12 lengths in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita Feb. 2. Top rider Flavien Prat piloted the 4-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca  that day and returns from post 6.

"Since day one this filly has shown plenty of quality," McCarthy said of Sweet Azteca. "I thought her allowance win the other day was spectacular. She also galloped out well, which gives us confidence she'll handle the added distance Saturday."

Sweet Azteca has her work cut out for her. Adare Manor , who put together an impressive string of four consecutive graded wins last year for trainer Bob Baffert, is making her first start since running seventh in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). She didn't get as good a start that day as usual and encountered tight quarters late in the race.

"She got away a little slow," Baffert said a couple of days after the Breeders' Cup. "We knew we were up against it with those good mares. She didn't get her trip. But she came out of it fine and she's going to run again."

Adare Manor, a 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo  , last year captured the Santa Maria Stakes (G2), Santa Margarita Stakes (G2), Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1), and Zenyatta Stakes (G2), all but the Hirsch at Santa Anita. She is the only millionaire in the field and gets the services of leading rider Juan Hernandez from post 2. Hernandez partnered Adare Manor in all of her graded wins last year.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, for whom McCarthy worked for many years as an assistant, is sending multiple stakes winners Interstatedaydream  and Green Up  to the Beholder. European superstar jockey Frankie Dettori will pilot Interstatedaydream from post 5, while jockey John Velazquez will travel to California for the mount on Green Up from post 3.

Brad Cox trained Interstatedaydream through last season, when she scored in stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, Laurel Park, and Pimlico Race Course. The daughter of Classic Empire  at 3 in 2022 won the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) and Indiana Oaks (G3). This is her first start for owner Repole Stable after being purchased for $1.4 million at the 2023 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Green Up is a three-time stakes winner. The lightly raced 5-year-old daughter of Upstart   won two stakes at Parx Racing in 2022 and the Nov. 5 Pumpkin Pie Stakes at Aqueduct in her most recent outing.

Phil D'Amato brings two graded winners to the Beholder in Desert Dawn  (Antonio Fresu, post 4) and Turnerloose  (Edwin Maldonado, post 8). Desert Dawn, a 5-year-old daughter of Cupid  , won the 2022 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and is coming off a victory in the Jan. 20 La Canada Stakes (G3).

"This is the track where (Desert Dawn) got her two graded stakes races," D'Amato said. "This is the race we've been pointed to. Hopefully it's all systems go."

D'mato's other entrant, Turnerloose, is a 5-year-old daughter of Nyquist   who took the 2022 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) when trained by Cox and is multiple graded stakes placed.

Richard Mandella has entered Window Shopping  and Coffee in Bed . A 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah  , Window Shopping won the 2023 Summertime Oaks (G2) and will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura from post 9. Coffee in Bed, a 4-year-old daughter of Curlin  , most recently finished second in the La Canada. Mandella has named Mike Smith to ride from the rail.

Kirstenbosch , a 5-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute   trained by John Sadler, completes the field under jockey Hector Berrios from post 7. She won the 2023 La Canada and last fall's Chillingworth Stakes (G3).