Beholder to Remain With Trainer Mandella

Two-time Eclipse champion Beholder will remain with Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella for the time being as she recovers fully from a fever that forced her out of Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I).

"We are so happy to announce that Beholder will resume training once she recovers from her recent illness," B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm tweeted Oct. 26. He previously announced the filly would not be offered for sale at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale Nov. 3.



Beholder was withdrawn from consideration for the Distaff after she spiked a 104-degree fever the morning of Oct. 19. The 4-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes would have likely been favored Oct. 31 at Santa Anita Park to repeat her victory in last year's Distaff.

 

She also won the 2012 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I). Beholder won Eclipse Awards in 2012 as champion juvenile filly and in 2013 as champion 3-year-old filly.



"Beholder continues to recover, and while her fever is down and she's acting much better, veterinarian Jeff Blea of Von Bluecher, Blea and Hunkin in California has advised us not to ship her cross country right now," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift.



"She got pretty sick, and the risk of having her get sick again from the stress of shipping (to Kentucky) was just too much to chance, so Mr. Hughes decided to keep her and run her again," Mandella said of the plan to keep Beholder in California for now.

"She's doing very well now. She'll be here for a while but eventually we plan to send her to a farm to recover further before bringing her back to the track."