Beholder Arrives at Keeneland

Champion Beholder arrived in the bluegrass on a sun-splashed afternoon Oct. 19, 11 days before her engagement in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) and a showdown with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

The 5-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes shipped via Tex Sutton on a flight from trainer Richard Mandella's Southern California base, and landed at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington at 1:04 p.m. EDT. From there, she took a short ride aboard a Sallee Van over to Rice Road and Barn 60, which will be her home leading up to the World Championships. She will have one work at Keeneland, having completed her final California move Oct. 15.

Mandella said Beholder would have a "simple gallop" Oct. 20 at about 7:15 a.m. He said he isn't sure when the mare will have her final work before the Classic.

Beholder was penciled in for last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) before she spiked a temperature and had to miss the race at her Santa Anita Park base. Mandella said it ended up working out for the better.

"There's good and bad to everything," he said. "It looked like she had a good chance at the Distaff last year, but you can't something like that rock your world. The good news is that out of the bad news she wasn't sold (at auction), and I've got her again this year."

BALAN: Beholder 'Beautiful' in Final SoCal Breeze

Beholder is chasing her third Breeders' Cup win for Spendthrift Farm after taking the 2013 Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) and the 2012 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). In 2015 she has put her talent on display with a perfect five-win season, including a romp over boys in the Aug. 22 $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (gr. I) in her first attempt against males and first time running 1 1/4 miles.

"She's always had a lot of raw tallent, and over the years she's developed mentally into a professional racehorse, and that's a big part of the equation," Mandella said. "She's continued to grow and fill out, and thank God she's been very sound, and when you have a sound horse that gets older, they're supposed to get better at five."

BALAN: Beholder Blows Away Pacific Classic Foes

Last time out Sept. 26, Beholder demolished seven rivals in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (gr. I), winning in the easiest of gallops to collect her sixth straight score and ninth grade I. Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens is her regular rider and will be in the irons Oct. 31 to take on American Pharoah in the Triple Crown winner's final career race before he is retired to Ashford Stud.

BALAN: Beholder Reigning Queen of Zenyatta Stakes

Bred in Kentucky by Clarkland Farm from the Tricky Creek mare Leslie's Lady, Beholder was a $180,000 purchase by Spendthrift at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale. She was named champion 2-year-old filly in 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly in 2013. Her record stands at 15 wins and three seconds from 20 starts, for earnings of $4,436,600.