Sanenus to scratch from Beholder Mile

Sanenus, who would have been one of the top choices in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita, will scratch from the race after tying up, trainer Michael McCarthy said Friday morning.

Tying up is a condition in which lactic acid builds up and causes extreme discomfort, similar to cramps in humans. McCarthy said he believed not having access to the main track or training track on Wednesday and Thursday mornings – when both were closed owing to inclement weather – exacerbated the situation. The track was back open Friday.

McCarthy said Sanenus was doing better Friday but would not be able to race again for at least three weeks. He was eager to run in the lone Grade 1 on dirt for older females at Santa Anita. The next Grade 1 on this circuit is not until the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar, more than four months away. McCarthy said the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland on April 3 might be the next target, depending on how Sanenus progresses.

“There’s only one Grade 1 here. The next is at Del Mar,” McCarthy said.

Sanenus, a Chilean import, won the Grade 3 La Canada at Santa Anita in her last start, Jan. 9.

She was the co-third choice, at 4-1, on the Beholder Mile morning line, behind champion Swiss Skydiver and Harvest Moon, both making their first starts of the year.