Beholder not fully cranked for Santa Lucia Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Her reputation secured by two championships in as many years, Beholder begins her 4-year-old season in Sunday’s $75,000 Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita.

The Santa Lucia will be Beholder’s first start since an emphatic win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff here last November. Getting back to the same race this fall is the goal for owner B. Wayne Hughes and trainer Richard Mandella.

“I haven’t seen any reason not to keep dreaming,” Mandella said.

The Santa Lucia is run over 1 1/16 miles and is restricted to fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes at a mile or longer this year. Beholder can win the seventh stakes of her career in the Santa Lucia.

In recent weeks, Beholder has had several quick workouts, including six furlongs in 1:12.20. She worked a half-mile in 51.40 seconds Thursday in a final blowout for Sunday’s race.

“That’s the great thing about Beholder,” Mandella said. “I can work her in 38 [seconds], and if you want to go in 58, she’ll do that, too.”

The field of seven is expected to be reduced by one, with the withdrawal of Magic Union. Trainer John Sadler said Magic Union had a bout of stomach cramps Friday.

Mandella considers the Santa Lucia to be a prep for the $1 million Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park on June 7. With that in mind, Mandella said Beholder is not 100 percent ready for the Santa Lucia.

“I don’t think she’s ready for her best, but I didn’t plan it that way,” he said. “I think she’ll get enough out of this to do what we want to do. I haven’t tightened the belt. I’d have a strong mile in her if I wanted her at her best.”

Beholder’s longest workouts in recent weeks were over seven furlongs April 4 and 12. By Henny Hughes, Beholder has won 8 of 12 starts and earned $3,075,000. She was the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2013.

Beholder is the only stakes winner in a field that will include Eblouissante, a half-sister to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta. Eblouissante has won 2 of 4 starts. She was last of six in her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Shuvee Handicap at Saratoga last July, her final start of 2013. Eblouissante was second to Macha in an allowance race over 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 13.

Eblouissante raced as a stalker in the allowance race. Trainer John Shirreffs said the same tactics will be used in the Santa Lucia.

“We’re always looking to see improvement,” Shirreffs said. “You want to see if you’re on the right track.”

Sadler runs Legacy, who won an optional claimer over a mile March 23. The other runners are Moulin de Mougin, trained by Mandella, and the outsiders City at Dawn and Irish Presence.

Beholder and Legacy were supplemented to the Santa Lucia for $1,500 when entries were taken last Sunday. Sadler knows how difficult the Santa Lucia will be.

“We’re in the deep end of the pool,” he said.