Songbird, Stellar Wind drill for Beholder Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s Grade 3 Adoration Stakes at Santa Anita, two champions are lurking behind the scenes for the next race in California’s older-female division, the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on June 3.

Songbird, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2015 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2016, worked five furlongs Thursday from the gate in 1:03.80. The $400,000 Beholder Mile is scheduled to be her first start since a second to the champion Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last November.

The Beholder Mile was previously known as the Vanity Mile. In 2016, Beholder and Stellar Wind were first and second in the Vanity Mile. Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015, worked a half-mile in 47.80 seconds Friday for the Beholder Mile.

“She looked super,” trainer John Sadler said. “It looked like she was galloping.”

Sadler said he timed Stellar Wind in 48.20 seconds. The workout was Stellar Wind’s first major exercise since winning her 2017 debut in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 14. Stellar Wind was fourth in the BC Distaff last November.

“Her second race off a layoff is usually a good race,” Sadler said. “She has three more works before the Beholder. She’s trained well and came back well. The question I had was whether to give her five works or four works. I gave her an extra week. I think she’s ahead of the calendar now.”

The Adoration field is led by Vale Dori, who won the Grade 1 Santa Margarita in March and three other graded stakes from December to mid-February. Vale Dori is a candidate for the Beholder Mile along with Finest City, who was second in the Santa Margarita and was entered for Saturday’s Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs.