Leading contenders dot the work tab

ARCADIA, Calif. – Two fillies who will keep the pace honest in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff worked five furlongs within minutes of each other Monday at Santa Anita, while a turf specialist has joined the list of possible starters.

Iotapa worked in company at 8:10 a.m.; Tiz Midnight worked alone at 8:20. Neither drill was crucial; the key works for Distaff contenders, including early favorite Beholder and longshot turf mare Parranda, will take place next weekend.

The workout by two-time Grade 1 winner Iotapa was her second drill since she was compromised by a slow start and finished third in the Grade 1 Zenyatta on Sept. 27.

“She went great last week, and we’ll give her a little company today, a little bit of a rabbit,” trainer John Sadler said before the work. Iotapa broke off outside her workmate, finished evenly, and was timed in 1:00.40.

“It was nice ... nice and smooth,” Sadler said. Iotapa, a front-runner, will be ridden by Joe Talamo in the Distaff.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: See DRF’s top contenders

Tiz Midnight worked alone for trainer Bob Baffert, five furlongs in 59.80 seconds. “She’s huge,” Baffert said. “She’s a big, long-jumping, one-paced filly.” Baffert caught Tiz Midnight galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.80.

Victor Espinoza, who rode Tiz Midnight to a runner-up finish in the Zenyatta, will ride her again in the Distaff. Tiz Midnight set the pace in three of her four recent starts and will be among the early leaders in the Distaff.

Meanwhile, the early Distaff favorite, Beholder, came out of her Sunday workout and recent Zenyatta comeback victory in top shape, according to trainer Richard Mandella. “She couldn’t be better; she’s actually gained weight out of [the Zenyatta],” Mandella said Monday.

:: Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Results, replays, charts, and more

Beholder worked five furlongs Sunday in 1:02.20, her second work since her comeback. The next workout will be the key. “I’ll come back Saturday or Sunday and give her a serious work,” Mandella said.

Beholder, 8 for 9 at Santa Anita and a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner (2012 Juvenile Fillies, 2013 Distaff), will be ridden again by Mike Smith.

Untapable, the 3-year-old filly currently listed by Daily Racing Form as the co-second choice with Close Hatches in the Distaff, was in good shape Monday after working five furlongs Sunday for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Parranda, a Grade 2 winner on turf, has been added to the list of potential Distaff starters. The runner-up last out in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive on turf, Parranda will be considered for the BC Filly and Mare Turf and the Distaff. “We’re going to look at both races,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Monday.

Parranda has never raced on “fast” dirt but has trained very well over the new main track at Santa Anita. Parranda has raced on turf most of her career. Her two starts on a main track resulted in a third-place finish on synthetic at Del Mar this summer and a fourth on a muddy track at Monmouth in 2013.