Beholder wins the Zenyatta Stakes; onto Breeders' Cup

She made it look easy – again!

In another impressive performance, Beholder, the two-time Eclipse award winner who was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, stalked the race leaders until the home stretch, and then pulled away to win the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) by 3-1/2 lengths over My Sweet Addiction.

Beholder, with jockey Gary Stevens riding, easily won the 2015 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Sept. 26, 2015 by 3-1/2 lengths. (Photo by Benoit Photo)

Finishing third in the eight-horse field of fillies and mares 3-years-old and up was Savings Account.

"I hate to say easy, but it really did look easy," said winning trainer Richard Mandella, who trains Beholder for Spendthrift Farm. "She's good. She's really, really good."

Rounding out the order of finish was My Monet in fourth, followed by Big Book, Wild in the Saddle, Warren's and Kyriaki.

Beholder, a 5-year-old filly by Henny Hughes-Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek, ran the 1-1/16th-mile race in 1:42.83. She now has 15 wins, three seconds and $4,436,600 in earnings in 20 career starts.

According to a Sept. 27, 2015 BloodHorse.com article, the victory was the sixth straight for Beholder, her ninth Grade 1 win, her 11th win at Santa Anita and her third straight win in the Zenyatta Stakes, which equaled Zenyatta's own mark. (At the time she won it three times, the race was called the Lady Secret Stakes (G1).

If all horses stay healthy, the win sets up a potential match-up between Beholder, the 2012 champion 2-year-old filly and 2013 champion 3-year-old filly, and 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

"I'm not going to make any predictions, but I can't wait to get to Keeneland," said Stevens. "I just hope everybody shows up like they did today. I'll probably feel less pressure going into the Classic than what I felt today. I knew we had to get through this one as easy as possible and it was."

Also expected in the Classic is Keen Ice, who recently defeated American Pharaoh in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Frosted, Honor Code, Liam's Map, and Tonalist, to name just a few.

(Information gathered from EquiBase.com, SantaAnita.com, BloodHorse.com, BreedersCup.com, and PedigreeQuery.com.)