Beholder will miss Breeders' Cup Distaff

ARCADIA, Calif. – Beholder is out of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

The two-time champion filly spiked a temperature on Sunday, was treated with medication, and will not pre-enter the Distaff scheduled for Oct. 31 at Santa Anita.

“She had a temperature, we had to treat it, and she’s not going to be able to run,” trainer Richard Mandella said late Sunday morning. Breeders’ Cup pre-entry deadline is Monday; fields will be announced Wednesday.

Beholder was the early favorite to win her third Breeders’ Cup race, following the 2012 Juvenile Fillies and 2013 Distaff. She was named champion filly both years.

With the defection of Beholder, Distaff favoritism will switch to Untapable or Close Hatches.

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Beholder missed much of the 2014 season recovering from a scraped pastern that she sustained in a June 7 race at Belmont Park, Beholder won her Sept. 27 comeback in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. Since then, she gained weight and trained forwardly.

But the stress of a seven-furlong workout Saturday may have triggered a brewing illness, and Sunday morning Beholder spiked a temperature that, according to Mandella, peaked at 104. The temperature subsided, but after being medicated, Beholder would not be allowed to run.

Beholder is owned by B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm. Spendthrift was expected to provide further details in a press release.

Future plans for Beholder are undetermined. She is scheduled to be sold at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Sired by Henny Hughes, Beholder has won 10 races and $3,368,300 from 15 starts.

Beholder was trying to join elite company by becoming only the second horse to win three Breeders’ Cup races. Goldikova won the Mile three stretch years, 2008-10.

“This is why it’s so hard to win three Breeders’ Cups in a row,” Mandella said