Beholder sticks it to rivals in Torrey Pines

Wittgenstein, Charlie Em, Becky Lou and Sweet Tess completed the order of

finish after Miss Empire was withdrawn.

Beholder was returning to Del Mar for the first time since missing by a nose

in last September's Del Mar Debutante. Prior to that one, the bay lass broke

her maiden by 3 1/4 lengths over the Polytrack for Mandella. She

would go on to record an 11-length allowance victory before wrapping up

two-year-old filly champion honors with an easy win in the Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Fillies.

Beholder made her seasonal bow a runner-up finish in the Santa Ynez on

January 21, but wouldn't taste defeat again until the Kentucky Oaks. She added

scores in the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks, both Grade 1s, to her resume

before tangling with Princess of Sylmar at Churchill Downs. Despite leading in

the lane, Beholder just could not hold back that rival, who has since gone on to

take the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama.

"She ran like we

expected her to," Mandella stated. "This is horse racing; sometimes it can look too easy and

everything goes wrong. But she's a beautiful animal. I didn't really have any

moment of worry. She was very much in control and she does everything so easy.

"We'll look at (the Grade 1, $250,000 Zenyatta) at Santa Anita (on September

28) and then the (November 1) Breeders' Cup Distaff."

Now owning a 6-3-0 mark from 10 career races, Beholder has banked $1,825,000

lifetime.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com