Beholder scratched from sale, to resume training after recovery

Two-time champion Beholder, declared out of the Breeders’ Cup earlier this week due to illness, will not sell in early November as scheduled and will instead be put back into training after recovering.

The 4-year-old Henny Hughes filly, who had been entered to sell at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale, was among the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 31 after winning the Grade 1 Zenyatta

Stakes on Sept. 27 for owner Spendthrift Farm. However, Beholder was withdrawn from Distaff consideration on Oct. 19 after spiking a fever.Beholder was projected to be one of the marquee offerings of the Fasig-Tipton November sale, but the illness had not subsided to a satisfactory level to consider shipping the filly from her base at Santa Anita to Fasig-Tipton’s sale grounds in Lexington, Ky., in time for the sale on Nov. 3.

“Beholder continues to recover from her illness, and while her fever is down and she’s acting much better, veterinarian Jeff Blea of Von Bluecher, Blea, and Hunkin Inc. in California has advised us not to ship her cross-country to Kentucky right now,” Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift, said. “We had radiographs taken of her lungs [Friday] and she did have some inflammation, so we’re going to do right by Beholder and allow her to continue to get better. She’ll be scratched from the November sale, and Dr. Blea believes she probably needs 30-60 days to recover. Then Beholder should be ready to resume training, pending a full recovery.”

Beholder has won 10 of 15 starts for earnings of $3,368,300 racing for B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm and trainer Richard Mandella Six of her wins have come in Grade 1 competition, including the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the 2013 Distaff, helping her secure Eclipse Awards as champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old filly.

“We are so happy to announce that Beholder will resume training once she recovers from her recent illness,” Spendthrift posted on its Twitter account Saturday night.