Beholder Looking to Dazzle in Breeders’ Cup Classic

Beholder put in her final pre-Breeders' Cup Classic timed workout on Monday at Keeneland. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gary Stevens experienced a magical ride when he gunned the filly Winning Colors to the lead in the 1988 Kentucky Derby and she fought bravely to stave off Forty Niner by a neck in a memorable Run for the Roses.
Stevens has been a go-to jockey for some of the finest Thoroughbreds for decades now, so it is worth taking note when he said of prime Breeders’ Cup Classic contender Beholder, “She’s as good as I’ve ridden.”
If there were any doubts left about the quality of the 5-year-old mare, those were eliminated on Aug. 22 at Del Mar.
She became the first mare to win the Pacific Classic – and she did it in style. She bested the boys by 8 ¼ lengths, convincing Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella and owner B. Wayne Hughes that she should go on to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Keeneland Race Course.
“We had the feeling of doing this in the back of our minds,” Mandella said, “but it was one step at a time. And that was a huge step.”
Mandella went on, “Nobody could have expected her to do what she did. It was a Herculean effort. It really did show how good she is.”
BEHOLDER WINNING THE PACIFIC CLASSIC

For those who might ask whether Beholder can defeat Triple Crown champion American Pharoah and the rest of the loaded field she must face in the Classic, it is worth noting that she was awarded a 114 Beyer speed figure for the Pacific Classic. American Pharoah earned his best Beyer when he was eased under the wire in the Haskell Invitational at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park as a 2 ¼-length winner against Keen Ice. He received a 109 Beyer for that impressive effort.
Beholder has the chance to make all kinds of history against a Classic field in which nine of the 10 starters own Group 1 or Grade 1 victories. She would be the first horse to sweep three different Breeders’ Cup races, having taken the Juvenile Fillies as a 2-year-old followed by the Distaff in 2013. She spiked a fever that forced her to miss last year’s Distaff.
She would join Zenyatta (2009) as the only females to take the mile-and-a-quarter Classic. Since she already boasts $2,180,000 in Cup earnings, a victory would propel her to the top in that category. Either way, Hughes hopes to campaign her for another year if she remains sound.
BEHOLDER WINNING HER FIRST BREEDERS' CUP RACE

It is with good reason that Keeneland oddsmaker Mike Battaglia established her as the 3-1 second choice from far outside in post 10 behind favored American Pharoah, who has an enormous following and is rated at 6-5 from post four.
“She’s sensational,” said Randy Moss, an analyst for NBC. “She is not only extremely talented and fast but she has enough tactical speed for Gary Stevens to position her perfectly behind American Pharoah.”
When Beholder is in position to pounce, she almost always gets the job done. She is 15-for-20 lifetime, including 5-for-5 this year, with three second-place finishes. Her career earnings stand at a cool $4,436,600, with most of that damage done on the West Coast.
Her two most recent defeats occurred far from home. She ran fourth in the Ogden Phipps at New York’s Belmont Park on June 7, 2014. She placed second in the Kentucky Oaks on May 3, 2013 when she was so fractious before the race that she dumped her jockey, Garrett Gomez.
Travel still does not appear to agree with her. She spiked a fever that cost her two days of training after she arrived at Keeneland on Oct. 19. An encouraging sign was that she worked five furlongs in a sharp 59 2/5 seconds on Monday.
Mandella believes the key will be whether Beholder can repeat the dazzling show she staged in the Pacific Classic. “I don’t know how she could run any better than that,” he said.