Santa Anita Renames Vanity to 'Beholder Mile'

Santa Anita Park Feb. 10 announced the stakes schedule for its upcoming spring meeting and the most notable change was a tip of the cap to one of the best mares to ever run at the Southern California track.

The Vanity Mile Stakes (G1), which Beholder won in 2016, will now be called the Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) after the four-time champion and 11-time grade 1 winner.

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Spendthrift Farm's daughter of Henny Hughes only ran in the Vanity once, but was victorious in 13 other races at Santa Anita, including the 2012 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), 2013 Las Virgenes Stakes (G1), 2013 Santa Anita Oaks (G1), the Zenyatta Stakes (G1) three straight years (2013-15), the 2013 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), the 2015 and 2016 Adoration Stakes (G3), and last year's Distaff, which was the final start of her career.

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"(Spendthrift owner B. Wayne) Hughes left me a message yesterday to tell me this and I had no idea they were doing it," trainer Richard Mandella said. "It's very nice."

The Vanity, for fillies and mares 3-years-old and older on the main track, will go June 3 with a $400,000 purse and will be one of four grade 1 stakes during the meet that runs from April 14-July 4. The other top-level events on the schedule are the $300,000 Gamely (G1T) and $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1), both May 27, and the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1T), which will accompany the Beholder Mile on the June 3 card.