Ce Ce clearly best in Beholder Mile

Trainer Michael McCarthy thought so highly of Ce Ce last year that he ran her in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes last June in only her third career start, against the likes of Guarana and Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress.

She had been off since that race until returning with an allowance victory last month, and off that win was pitched right back into Grade 1 company on Saturday, in the $400,500 Beholder Mile for older females at Santa Anita.

“Coming out of her comeback race we gave her every opportunity not to run this weekend, but she answered every call,” McCarthy said. “Her last work,” he said, referring to a five-furlong work in 1:01.40 on Sunday, “was exceptional.”

That set her up for a big performance on Saturday, as Ce Ce overhauled odds-on favorite Hard Not to Love in upper stretch and went on to a 3 1/4-length victory under Victor Espinoza.

Ce Ce ($10.40), the third choice in a field of six, completed one mile on a track rated fast in 1:37.33. Hard Not to Love, favored at 3-5, set a sharp early pace of 22.63 seconds for the quarter and 45.72 for the half while tracked first by Der Lu and then by Ollie’s Candy, and that softened her up enough to make her vulnerable in her two-turn debut. She still finished 3 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Ollie’s Candy.

Kaydetre, Zusha, and Der Lu completed the finish, in that order. Mother Mother was scratched in the morning.

The win was worth $240,000. Ce Ce, 4, is a daughter of Elusive Quality out of Miss Houdini, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2002. Both Miss Houdini and Ce Ce are homebreds of Bo Hirsch.

Ce Ce has now won three times in five starts. This was her first stakes win, and her first try around two turns.

“The time off did her some good. We thought we’d have a good spring,” McCarthy said.

The Santa Anita card was, like those at tracks across the country on Saturday, run without fans. Only essential personnel and owners of horses running Saturday were allowed owing to health directives from the state of California related to the coronavirus situation.

Twice during the day Santa Anita’s racing office sent out texts to horsemen reminding them of the new procedures, such as making sure all who brought over a horse to race – “trainers included,” one next said – had their California Horse Racing Board license with them. Another text requested that “if you do not have a horse running or business on the frontside please refrain from coming to the grandstand.”