Slight Fever Keeps Beholder Off Track

Two-time champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) was forced to miss her first day of training at Keeneland Tuesday due to a slight fever believed to be the result of shipping from California to Kentucky Monday, according to Spendthift’s General Manager Ned Toffey.

“The blood work came back pretty good, basically right on the border of high normal,” Toffey said when reached by phone Tuesday afternoon. “Her white blood count was very slightly elevated and it seemed to be more indicative of stress, presumably related to shipping, less so than infection. At the same time, we are very much on the front end of this. It is something that just came up this morning and if there is going to be something more to this, sometimes these things take a little bit of time to play out.”

Toffey added, “We also ultrasounded her lungs and as of this morning they were clear. They were normal. I would say in general terms it is very good news. We have to see how this plays out in the next day or so.”

Beholder was forced to miss last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff and was scratched from the Fasig-Tipton November sale due to a fever, but she has not been ruled out of her expected start in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Oct. 31.

“She has been treated with antibiotics and at last check her temperature was normal and her attitude was very good,” Toffey remarked. “We are just taking it one day at a time. She is definitely not ruled out [of the Classic]. Sometimes when you treat a horse they respond initially then a few hours later you come back and you are back in the same boat. We just won’t know for sure until we get to that point.”