Breeders' Cup Distaff: Songbird, Beholder go easy in final prerace workouts

ARCADIA, Calif. – Songbird is all set for her role as Breeders’ Cup Distaff favorite. Beholder is prepared to play spoiler. She also is ready to become a broodmare.

Songbird glided through an effortless five-furlong workout at 6:45 a.m. Thursday at Santa Anita. One hour later, Beholder worked an easy six furlongs under jockey Gary Stevens, who suspected that Beholder was ovulating, based on her mannerisms.

“I knew when I got on her this morning, the way she was swishing her tail,” Stevens said. “A lot of them get super moody and temperamental.”

Beholder was on good behavior in the workout, according to Stevens.

“She had a hold of the bit for one stride, and then she knew what I wanted.”

Female horses often train and race while “in heat.” At Richard Mandella’s barn after the work, Beholder clearly was in heat. The 6-year-old Beholder will make the final start of her career in the Distaff, retire from racing, and be bred this spring.

Songbird and Beholder will be the top betting choices Nov. 4 in the Distaff. Their workouts Thursday were the Distaff training highlights. Land Over Sea also worked.

Songbird went first. She backtracked to the eighth pole under exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez, turned around, broke off by herself, and cruised effortlessly to the wire in 1:01, breezing.

“It was a nice, easy work, and she galloped out nicely, too,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “She’s doing very well right now. [I] couldn’t ask her to be training any better than she is right now.”

The visual matched the Hollendorfer impression. Songbird’s action is effortless and fluid. She does not appear to be working fast. She was scheduled to walk Friday, jog Saturday, and gallop into the Distaff.

Beholder will have a similar pattern. Mandella said her Thursday work was not designed to be strenuous.

“Last week was a big work,” he said. “Today wasn’t meant to be. She looked real good.”

Beholder, who worked from the five-furlong pole to beyond the finish, was given a six-furlong workout time of 1:14.40.

Land Over Sea, the runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks but a longshot in the Distaff, worked seven furlongs in 1:28.60.

Stellar Wind, who upset Beholder in two straight races, was scheduled to have her final workout Friday or Saturday at Santa Anita, pending weather. Stellar Wind normally works on Fridays, but the track could be closed for training.

Curalina, cross-entered in the Filly and Mare Sprint, is scheduled to work Saturday at Belmont Park and ship Sunday to Santa Anita. Trainer Todd Pletcher said a decision on which race Curalina will run in has not been made.

I’m a Chatterbox will work Saturday at Churchill Downs and ship Monday to Santa Anita, according to trainer Larry Jones.