Beholder Mile (Grade 1)- $400.000 Mile
SA- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
June 2, 2018

There will be a field of seven in the 13th running of the Beholder Mile, a grade one event on the main track for older females that is a mile in length. Four of the seven horses in the race belong to Smokey Stover and Mb Stables, and they look to be the top bets in the field. This is a race that is a good head to head between two of the top trainers in the game, while a few others look to knock off both of them. An Mb victory would be his third in the race, and if Smokey were to win, it would be his first. Let’s look at their runners, and the complete field for this race.

#1- Gherdaiya (Chili King Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- On the rail, we have a four year old filly by the late Laffin Skylark that has been able to have success with the FL-bred condition, including winning the $150.000 SSM Fillies & Mares Turf at the beginning of the year. When Chili King has tried to take her another step forward into the graded level, Gherdaiya has struggled. She likes to jump out on the lead, so Chili King will hope that J R Leparoux csan run a smart tactical race with her.

#2- Dreamin Of Lys (Smokey Stover, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Smokey Stover acquired this filly at the end of February in a $175.000 private sale, and in two races it has proven to be a sound investment. Her last start saw her handle the muddy CD track in early May at the Humana Distaff, winning the seven furlong race. She has a pair of wins at over a mile as well, highlighted by the $250.000 Empire Classic for NY-breds. Expect Dreaming Of Lys to be a top contender in this race.

#3- Chase (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- This filly has won four out of fifteen in her career thus far, with her biggest win coming on the same day that Dreamin Of Lys won the Empire Classic, as she took the $150.000 Iroquois for NY-breds earlier in the day. She’s run quite well with the NY-bred condition, and almost picked up a graded victory last December in the Go For Wand. She has not been quite as good in 2018 thus far, but there is time to change that stat.

#4- Queenwood (Smokey Stover, ridden by R J Albarado)- One of the more well known three year old fillies of 2017, her resume included wins in the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 3 Honeybee, as a part of a five win season. In the BC Distaff, she was not as good, and that may have played a role in opening 2018 with two allowances. Her last start was her first stake of the year, and she ran fourth in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom. This race will provide a strong look at how she will fare in 2018, because the Queenwood of last year figures to win against this crowd. She still might.

#5- Toleration (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The first of the two Mb Stables entries also had a fantastic 2017, scoring three wins in nine starts, highlighted by winning the $500.000 WO Oaks, for ON-breds. The year also featured in the money finishes in strong graded events. Where she might not been quite as impressive as Queenwood last year, she has turned the tables on her this year, included getting the upper hand in a head-to-head matchup in the Apple Blossom in April, which she won outright. So far she has been lightly raced this year, and things point to her running a big one here. Will it be big enough to win? I think so, and perhaps it will be graded win #500 for Mb Stables, who found himself stuck on 499 last weekend.

#6- Forgotten Past (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- In covering her last race, the Grade 3 Doubledogdare, I recall pointing that as being a critical race for her to determine where she would be headed for the rest of 2018. She stepped up, got a big win, and now finds herself in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile. Forgotten Past won three of nine last year, including the Grade 1 Zenyatta, but with her we like to forget the past and look at the present, and that is seeing some very good form. She is a top threat here as well.

#7- Shoot The Moon (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by J Talamo)- The five year old mare is the veteran of the group, and prepares to make her 24th start here. All three of her wins, however, are on the grass, where she raced most of last year. Recently, we have seen her transition back to the main track in sprints, and she did get up for second at the Grade 2 Inside Information. The trainer has done a fantastic job with her since he acquired her in private sales as well. Tough to get a read on her, as she really only has one race at a mile or longer recently on the grass, and that wasn’t her best start.

Prediction: 5-4-6-2

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES