Connections Looking Forward to Beholder’s Return

Beholder winning the Pacific Classic in her first start against males. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Jeremy Balan, @BH_JBalan
When Beholder was scratched from the 2015 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, and a showdown with American Pharoah, the collective gut punch was felt by her connections and fans alike.
The blow came, however, with a silver lining. If Spendthrift Farm's standout, three-time champion would have bested the boys again in the Classic, taking down a Triple Crown winner in the process, she might have been retired on top. But now she's back again in 2016 at the age of 6.
"I would say that it probably, in some way, did cement it," said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey.  "If she had won that, who knows if you bring her back, but those are decisions we never got to anyway. If anything, (owner B. Wayne) Hughes has said she's a once-in-a-lifetime mare, and he's wrestled with what he wants to do.
"We're not sure if he'll get another one again, so we want to enjoy her."
Both Toffey and trainer Richard Mandella have declined to disclose specific plans for the nine-time Grade 1-winning daughter of Henny Hughes—who swept her five-race 2015 schedule with scores in the Santa Lucia, Adoration, Clement L. Hirsch, Pacific Classic, and Zenyatta stakes—but Toffey did indicate a return to racing would likely happen in "late April, early May."
"But that's so tentative at this point," Toffey explained. "It's just a little early. Richard definitely has some stuff in mind, but you know this business—the Breeders' Cup Classic was the plan last year.
BEHOLDER WALKING AT KEENELAND

"(Mandella) is the kind of guy who is going to take his time and make sure everything is good for her before she runs."
Since returning to the Mandella barn at Santa Anita Park Jan. 29—after an extended rest—Beholder has had two three-furlong workouts. The first came March 1, in :36 3/5 and the second was moved ahead to March 5 (:36 4/5), to avoid a pair of Southern California storms. Both earned the rare West Coast "breezing" tag from Santa Anita clockers.
"We've got a long time before we're going to do anything," Mandella said of the Saturday drill. "We just didn't want to be stuck trying to work her on a muddy track."
But the targets don't really matter for Beholder's connections—although the Breeders' Cup on her home dirt at Santa Anita certainly helps for the notoriously bad shipper. They're just ready to soak it all in again. The party line from seemingly all involved is, "She owes us nothing."
"To be honest with you, I've thought about this a lot," Toffey said. "She owes us nothing. She's accomplished things so few horses have accomplished, but I felt like a fan more than anything else (after the Breeders' Cup scratch).
"This year, it's not about one goal. It's the sheer enjoyment of watching a special mare race."