Kopion will miss Beholder Mile with illness

ARCADIA, Calif. – Kopion, the outstanding winner of two graded stakes for female sprinters at Santa Anita this winter, will miss an expected start in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares on March 8 because of illness.

Trainer Richard Mandella said on Sunday that Kopion spiked a temperature of 102 degrees over the weekend. Kopion was scheduled to have a workout on Monday.

“It’s going around,” Mandella said of a barn area illness.

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Kopion, 4, returned from a layoff of more than eight months to win the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at odds of 37-1 on Dec. 26. Kopion raced against older fillies and mares for the first time in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 1 and won by 4 1/2 lengths as the 6-5 favorite.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Kopion has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $434,600.

Over the weekend, Mandella said that the graded stakes winner Seal Team will miss Saturday’s Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf because of illness. Seal Team was second in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at one mile on turf on Feb. 1 in his last start.

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