Beholder, Nyquist Shine on Santa Anita’s Super Saturday

Beholder easily won the Zenyatta Stakes for the third straight year. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Two-time champion Beholder and rising star 2-year-old Nyquist scored Grade 1 wins on Super Saturday at Santa Anita Park on the path to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October at Keeneland Race Course.
Beholder barely broke a sweat in a facile victory in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes that figures to set her up perfectly for a planned start in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Beholder came into the Zenyatta off a dominant and visually stunning victory over males in the Grade 1, TVG Pacific Classic Stakes on Aug. 22 at Del Mar. Her trainer, Richard Mandella, and Hall of Fame jockey, Gary Stevens, did not want to empty the tank five weeks before the big Breeders’ Cup target. They had little reason to worry.
After tracking the early pace from the outside, Beholder moved up on the backstretch and eased alongside pacesetter My Sweet Addiction approaching the stretch. With just the slightest bit of encouragement, Beholder put away that rival and charged clear to win by 3 ¼ lengths with Stevens allowing the star mare to coast to the finish line once the outcome had been determined.
“We were very concerned and didn’t want to take too much out of her,” Mandella said. We wanted to do what we had to do and keep her out of trouble.”
Beholder won for the fifth time in as many starts in 2015. The 5-year-old by Henny Hughes has essentially wrapped up the Eclipse Award as champion older female — she was champion 2-year-old filly in 2012 and 3-year-old filly in 2013 — and figures to be a finalist in the Horse of the Year voting.
The Zenyatta Stakes was her 15th career win in 20 starts. As part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series, the Zenyatta offers the winner a starting spot in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Beholder, however, remains on target to face males in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
“It’s surely what we think about,” Mandella said. “I certainly don’t see any reason not to go for the gold.”
Beholder completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.83 as the 1-to-10 favorite with My Sweet Addiction running a big race to hold on for second, 5 ½ lengths clear of the third-place finisher.
Earlier on the card, Nyquist shook off a challenge on the final turn from Mt Veeder and battled gamely in the stretch to turn back Swipe for a three-quarter-length triumph in the $300,000 FrontRunner Stakes.
NYQUIST WON HIS SECOND GRADE 1 IN THE FRONTRUNNER

Nyquist earned an all-expenses-paid trip and an automatic starting spot for the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with the FrontRunner victory as part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series. With four wins in as many starts, including a pair of Grade 1 wins, the bay colt from the first crop of 2010 champion 2-year-old male Uncle Mo appears to be a very likely candidate to be the favorite for the Juvenile.
The FrontRunner was his first attempt in a race longer than seven-eighths of a mile, and the test of stretching out from a sprint race to a race around two turns can be a significant obstacle for a juvenile. Nyquist looked briefly like he might be running out of gas in the stretch, but he dug in determinedly to prevail by three-quarters of a length as the 1-to-2 favorite.
Trained by Doug O’Neill for owner J. Paul Reddam’s Reddam Racing, Nyquist completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.89 under Mario Gutierrez. Reddam is a native of Canada and Nyquist is named after National Hockey League player Gustav Nyquist, a right wing for the Detroit Red Wings.
The next step for Nyquist is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Keeneland Race Course. Uncle Mo won the race in 2010 en route to the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.
New Shooter Smooth Roller Punches Classic Ticket
Lightly raced Smooth Roller turned in a dominant performance in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes to cap a three-month stretch in which he went from unraced to Breeders’ Cup Classic contender.
The 4-year-old Hard Spun gelding won his career debut on June 27 at Santa Anita Park and followed with a win at Del Mar on Aug. 1. He finished fourth in his stakes debut in the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes later in August, but when stepping into the bright lights of the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Super Saturday, Smooth Roller dazzled.
SMOOTH ROLLER GLIDED INTO BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC CONTENTION WITH HIS WIN

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Bayern, the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic victor, set an easy pace in the 1 1/8-mile race but he had no answer when Smooth Roller drew alongside on the final turn. Smooth Roller pulled away easily and charged to a 5 ¼-length runaway under Tyler Baze with Hoppertunity overtaking Bayern for second.
Trained by Victor Garcia for owner Lucky Charm Stable, Smooth Roller boosted his career bankroll from $81,810 to $261,810 with the win and earned a starting spot in the Classic via the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.
Songbird Strikes in Chandelier
Songbird posted her third-straight dominant victory with a powerhouse performance on Saturday at Santa Anita in the Grade 1, $300,000 Chandelier Stakes.
After winning her career debut by 6 1/2 lengths and the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante by 5 ¼ lengths, Songbird was the heavy favorite in the Chandelier, and the Medaglia d’Oro filly justified her 2-to-5 odds.
SONGBIRD WINNING THE CHANDELIER

Photo by Benoit Photos
She went right to the front under Mike Smith, set a solid pace and rolled to a 4 1/2-length runaway win to earn a starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for owner Fox Hill Farms, Songbird completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.79.
Photo Call Sharp in Filly and Mare Turf Prep
Photo Call was razor sharp on Saturday in the Grade 1, $301,250 Rodeo Drive Stakes, which was her second straight graded stakes victory for trainer Graham Motion. She rallied from off the pace and surged away to a 2 ¼-length victory, completing 1 ¼ miles in 2:00.76 under Drayden Van Dyke.
The victory in the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series race also earned the 4-year-old filly by Galileo a starting berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
After racing in Europe during most of 2014 before making her U.S debut at Keeneland that October for Motion, Photo Call placed in a pair of stakes before earning a breakthrough victory in the Grade 3 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park on Aug. 29. She confirmed her elite class Saturday in the Rodeo Drive and should be formidable in the Filly and Mare Turf for a trainer who won the race in 2010 with Shared Account. Motion has three wins and five seconds with 30 lifetime Breeders’ Cup starters.
PHOTO CALL (brown cap) WINS HER FIRST GRADE 1 IN RODEO DRIVE

Photo by Benoit Photos