Stellar Wind outduels Beholder in the Clement L. Hirsch

In making just her second start of the year, Stellar Wind, with jockey Victor Espinoza in the saddle, used what she learned in her seasonal debut to her advantage. Hounding champion Beholder from the start, Stellar Wind looked her rival in the eye and edged past late to post an upset victory in Del Mar's Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes.

The break was a good one for all five fillies and mares, and Beholder and Gary Stevens went straight to the lead from their rail post. Breaking right next to her, fellow Eclipse Award Champion Stellar Wind immediately glued herself to Beholder's flank. Divina Comedia (FR), The Dream (CHI), and Off the Road (BRZ) took up behind the top two.

Continuing to race 1-2 down the backstretch, Beholder and Stellar Wind posted splits of :23.63, :47.38, and 1:10.70 for the opening three-quarters. Heading into the far turn, the two fantastic mares began to draw clear of their fellow three rivals.

As the duo hit the top of the stretch, Stellar Wind headed Beholder, but Beholder was not done yet. Battling back like the champion she is, Beholder came back and stuck her nose back in front. The two continued to duel down the Del Mar stretch, and though it looked like Beholder would prevail, it was Stellar Wind who won the skirmish by the sea. The final time was a solid 1:41.24 for the 8.5 furlongs with the winning margin just 1/2-length.

Divina Comedia (FR) nabbed third, 9 3/4 lengths behind Beholder, Off the Road (BRZ) rounded out the superfecta, and The Dream (CHI) finished fifth and last.

Winning jockey Victor Espinoza said post-race, "There were no special instructions (from trainer John Sadler). It was just a matter of ‘Ride the race the way it comes up.’ She came out of there a little slow and I had to move her up to get position. But she was good (with it). The last time (Vanity, June 4, Santa Anita Park), she needed the race. This time she was ready. This was exciting. I knew I was riding against a Hall of Fame jockey on top of the best mare in the country. That’s hard. That’s not easy at all. But some luck and some skill got it done. I knew she was working well. Her works were excellent. So I had a lot of confidence in her today. When I came up alongside Gary, it was exciting. She’s a special filly. She showed it today."

Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, who was aboard Beholder as usual, gave full credit to Espinoza and Stellar Wind for pulling off the upset.  “She ran her race. You’ve got to give them (Stellar Wind connections) credit," he stated. "She (Beholder) was comfortable up front. The fractions weren’t hard for her. At the three-furlong pole, I saw that shadow (Stellar Wind) and I knew we might have a race. My mare hit another gear at the three-sixteenth (pole), but she (Stellar Wind) stayed right with us. I was surprised that she was staying with us. All credit to them. They were ready and they ran great.”

As the 9-2 second betting choice, Stellar Wind paid $11.00, $2.20, and $2.10. Beholder, the 1-9 heavy favorite, returned $2.10 and $2.10, and Divina Comedia (FR) returned $2.60 for the show. The $1 exacta paid $6.50, and the $0.50 trifecta returned $5.50. There was no superfecta wagering.

By Curlin and out of the Malibu Moon mare Evening Star, Stellar Wind was bred by Keswick Stables and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC. As a yearling, the Virginia-bred filly passed through the auction ring twice before ultimately ending up with Hronis Racing, LLC and trainer John Sadler. Now a 4-year old, the chestnut filly has posted a career record of 10: 6-2-1 for total purse earnings of $1,173,200.

Birthday boy John Sadler had plenty to say after his filly's stunning upset of Beholder. “You usually don’t get what you want on your birthday, but this year, I did," he enthused. "She’s been training well. She won here last year. And if you think about it, she probably was the best in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff -- I don’t think anybody would dispute that. She had a prep race (Vanity, June 4) that was a good race. Victor got off her and said ‘You know, I think we can beat (Beholder) next time.’ I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to look like an idiot, but we thought we had a chance. The difference was having a race and this one (1 1/16 miles) being a little longer. It’s good for her and she’s an improving, lightly-raced horse. We’re kind of following Beholder a little bit. She’s a lightly raced mare and we’d like to race her two more years."

While Beholder is likely to defend her Pacific Classic title if all goes well, Sadler has different plans for Stellar Wind. "She’s not a horse to run every month, so we’ll probably run her in the Zenyatta and then the Breeders’ Cup Distaff," he explained.