Beholder Looks to Keep Streak Alive

The speedy Beholder (Henny Hughes) seeks her fourth consecutive win in Del Mar’s GI Clement Hirsch S., a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The Spendthrift colorbearer closed out last term with a victory in the GI Zenyatta S. in Arcadia Sept. 27. She returned from her winter hiatus to annex the Landaluce S. Apr. 10 and tallied a win in the GIII Adoration S. June 13.

The Adoration’s second and third-place finishers Warren’s Veneda (Affirmative) and My Monet (Decharchy), will try to get the best of Beholder this time around. Warren’s Veneda, who opened the year with consecutive tallies in the Paseana S. Jan. 11, GI Santa Maria S. Feb. 14 and GI Santa Margarita Mar. 14, was a flat fourth in the GII Great Lady M. S. at Los Al July 11. She carries co-top weight of 123 lbs. along with Vanity winner My Sweet Addiction (Tiznow).

“I have a very difficult time comprehending it,” Warren’s Veneda’s trainer Craig Lewis said of having to give weight to the likely heavy favorite. “But the reason we’re getting penalized is we won a Grade I earlier this year. Beholder has won multiple Grade Is (five), but none this year.” Lewis added, “She’s going to have to bring her ‘A’ game and Beholder is going to have to stub her toe, because Beholder is the best mare in the country. Chasing Beholder is like when we had Clubhouse Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) and we had to chase Game On Dude (Awesome Again) all over the country. We made a lot of money doing it. As demanding as it is, it’s still good to have nice horses to do it.”

My Monet was second in the off-the-turf Osunitas S. last time out July 18 before going through the Barrett’s Paddock Sale at Del Mar, where she RNA’d for $575,000.