Spendthrift Farm’s Beholder did not go to the track Tuesday morning for what would have been her first day of training at Keeneland because of a fever.
“She has a little fever,” said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. “We are going to draw some blood and see how things look.”
Beholder arrived at Keeneland Monday afternoon after a flight from Southern California. Trained by Richard Mandella, she is being pointed to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Oct. 31.
Spendthrift Farm’s nine-time Grade 1-winning mare Beholder arrived at Keeneland for an anticipated matchup with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31.
Beholder, winner of six consecutive races, landed at Blue Grass Airport a little after 1 p.m. and arrived at Barn 60 on Rice Road at 1:40 p.m. with trainer Richard Mandella leading her off the van.
Mandella said Beholder, a 5-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes, was to have gone to the track Tuesday for a “simple, short gallop” and would have one work leading up to the 1¼-mile Classic, but that was postponed.
Beholder, already a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner with victories in the 2012 Juvenile Fillies and 2013 Distaff, both at Santa Anita, has faced males once in her 20-race career. That was in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic in August at Del Mar when she won by 8¼ lengths.
Also on the plane with Beholder coming to Barn 60 were Lucky Charm Stable’s Smooth Roller and Budget Stable’s Dressed in Hermes.
Trainer Victor Garcia was on hand to greet Smooth Roller, winner of the Awesome Again at Santa Anita, a triumph that earned him a spot in the gate for the Classic.
Dressed in Hermes, trained by Janet Armstrong, won the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita on Oct. 10 and is a candidate for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Oct. 30.
Greenpointcrusader puts in first work for Breeders’ Juvenile
St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing Stables and Brooklyn Boyz Stables’ Greenpointcrusader put in the first of two scheduled Keeneland works for the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 by working five furlongs in 1:01.80 over a fast track Monday.
Waiting until the first wave of workers following the morning renovation break had completed its activity, Greenpointcrusader produced fractions of :13.40, :25.60 and :38 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.40 with jockey Joe Bravo aboard.
“This was just a maintenance move and he doesn’t have to do too much,” trainer Dominick Schettino said. “We will come back with something similar Saturday or Sunday depending on the weather. There is rain in the forecast for Sunday, so we may move it up a day.”
Greenpointcrusader, who is a neck away from being undefeated in three races, won the Champagne in his most recent start with Bravo aboard for the first time.
“I did not work him before the Champagne,” Bravo said. “This was the first time and he was awesome. He is pretty pleasant to ride and he wanted to do it.”
Greenpointcrusader will be part of a busy Breeders’ Cup weekend for Bravo, who participated in his first World Championships in 1991. Bravo has had eight Breeders’ Cup mounts total; this year alone he has six with the addition of multiple graded stakes winner Merry Meadow for the Filly & Mare Sprint.
Bravo’s other Breeders’ Cup mounts are Sheer Drama (Longines Distaff-G1), Big Blue Kitten (Longines Turf-G1), Watsdachances (IRE) (Filly & Mare Turf-G1) and Conquest Daddyo (Juvenile Turf-G1).
American Pharoah second Triple Crown winner to run at Keeneland
Zayat Stables’ American Pharoah is pointed to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland, where his performance would represent a connection to a unique piece of track history. The Pioneerof the Nile colt would become the second Triple Crown winner to race here.
The first? Whirlaway.
Bred and raced by neighboring Calumet Farm, the 1941 Triple Crown winner opened his 4-year-old season at Keeneland in April 1942. He was second to Devil Diver in the April 9 Phoenix Handicap (now the Grade 3, $250,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix, which is run during the Fall Meet) and was second to Sun Again in a handicap six days later.
Keeneland was an occasional stop for Whirlaway, who in four campaigns won 32 races in 60 starts with 15 seconds and nine thirds and earned $561,161. In the fall of his 2-year-old season in 1940, the Blenheim II colt captured an allowance race on Oct. 8 and 11 days later won the Breeders’ Futurity (now the Grade 1, $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity).
In April of his 3-year-old year, Whirlaway made two starts at Keeneland, winning a handicap on April 11 and running second to Our Boots in the April 24 Blue Grass. Whirlaway went on to become the fifth horse to win the Triple Crown.
American Pharoah became the 12th Triple Crown winner earlier this year. Fans can read all about the colt and watch his workouts and past races on a special section of the Breeders’ Cup website.
From Keeneland Communications