Three-time Eclipse Award champion Beholder, well on her way to recognition as one of the truly outstanding female runners of all time,  will seek her ninth consecutive victory Saturday when she heads a field of five older fillies and mares in the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar.

 

Beholder, developed and masterfully trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, won the Hirsch a year ago by seven lengths as a prelude to her memorable triumph in the Grade I $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, creating history as the first female to win Del Mar’s signature contest of the summer season. Regular rider Gary Stevens again has the call on Spendthrift Farm’s brilliant six-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes, a winner of 17 of 22 races and $4.7 million.

 

Heading Beholder’s opposition will be the champion three-year-old filly of 2015, the accomplished Stellar Wind, who returned from a lengthy vacation to finish a strong second to Beholder in the Vanity Handicap at Santa Anita in early June, beaten only a length and one-half.

 

Victor Espinoza has the mount on Stellar Wind, a daughter of Curlin who has won five of nine races and almost $1 million in her career. She represents Hronis Racing LLC and is conditioned by John Sadler. Beholder is topweighted at 123 pounds, two more than Stellar Wind.

 

Completing the line-up are The Dream, 119 and Martin Garcia; Off the Road, 119 and Martin Pedroza, and Divina Comedia, 119 and Joe Talamo.

 

Beholder’s ultimate goal this summer again is the mile and one-quarter TVG Pacific Classic, and a confrontation with 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, recent winner of the San Diego Handicap in a hard-fought battle with Dortmund.

 

The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is a “Win and You’re In” race, entitling the winner to an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 4 as well as other considerations.

 

Post time for the first of ten races on a strong program of Thoroughbred competition is 2 p.m.