Two-time Eclipse Award champion Beholder is the 5-2 morning line favorite to become the first female thoroughbred to win Del Mar’s signature race of the summer season, the Grade I $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, Saturday.
The brilliant daughter of Henny Hughes, owned by the Spendthrift Farm of B. Wayne Hughes and trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, will have another Hall of Fame member, Gary Stevens, in the saddle as she attempts to further enhance an already dazzling resume. A winner of 13 of 18 starts, the mare has won eight of her last nine starts, including the recent Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, the tenth added money triumph of her career.
Previous females to contest the Pacific Classic have been Paseana, fifth in l992; Island Fashion, ninth in 2005; Amani, sixth in 2012, and Byrama, seventh in 2013.
Beholder, who drew post position nine in a ten-horse field, will be opposed by stablemate Catch a Flight, 9-2, Flavien Prat; Hard Aces, 5-1, Victor Espinoza; Hoppertunity, 5-1, Martin Garcia; Red Vine, 6-1, Joel Rosario; Bayern, 6-1, Rafael Bejarano; Imperative, 12-1, Corey Nakatani; Class Leader, 15-1, Mike Smith; Bailoutbobby, 20-1, James Graham, and Midnight Storm, 20-1, Tyler Baze.
Catch a Flight won the San Diego Handicap this summer, Hard Aces took the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and Bayern was the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year.
The TVG Pacific Classic, carded as the ninth event of a stakes-rich 11-race program with a post time of 6:10 p.m., is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifier for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic October 31 at Keeneland race course in Lexington, Ky. The first race Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m.
On the undercard to the TVG Pacific Classic Saturday are the Grade II $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs for older horses and the Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Handicap at a mile and three-eighths on the grass for older turf horses. Both the Pat O’Brien and the Del Mar ‘Cap are Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” races, the former a qualifier for the BC Dirt Mile on Oct. 31 and the latter a qualifier for the BC Turf, also on Oct. 31.