Beholder goes for Clement L. Hirsch Repeat

Following the seven-length victory by Beholder in the 2015 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, Hall of Fame  trainer Richard Mandella surprised, shocked and delighted the thoroughbred racing world by announcing intentions to run the mare that had been dominating against her own gender against males in the $1 million TVG Classic.

 

Then Beholder shocked and delighted racing fans by blowing away nine male rivals, among them 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, by 8 ¼ lengths in a time, 1:59.77,  that ranks as the fastest ever for a female at the  1 ¼-mile distance.

 

“In North America on dirt or polytrack, for sure,” said Gary Dougherty, who operates the Twitter account Racing Stats and Info.  Dougherty breached the possibility of Beholder’s accomplishment on Twitter the evening after her Classic victory. “We got a lot of responses and did some pretty exhaustive research (subsequently) and couldn’t come up with anything to top it,” he said.

 

Dougherty, a handicapper for the Seattle Times and later Emerald Downs since the 1980s, founded Racing Stats and Info as a source for an industry whose  facility for archiving, retrieving and distributing information from the most pertinent to semi-trivial has lagged behind, to put it mildly, most other sports.

 

What Dougherty dispensed to his Twitter followers (a little over 3,800 in number) was that the previous record for females at 1 ¼ miles was 1:59 4/5, accomplished by Princessnessian beating males in the 1968 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park and equaled by Coup De Fusil against her own gender in the 1987 Delaware Handicap.

 

Timing to the 100ths of a second wasn’t in place in those years, so the actual clockings could have ranged from 1:59.80-1:59.99  which, in either case, Beholder eclipsed.

 

Retired jockey Don Pierce, a Del Mar resident, rode Princessnesian in the Gold Cup victory. Gamely, also owned by William Haggin Perry and trained by James W. Maloney, was considered the stronger part of the entry with Princessnesian and was the reason it was bet down to 9-10 favoritism.

 

“Princessnesian was a great filly,” Pierce recalls. “She was smallish, but

damn could she run. Past a mile and an eighth she was better than Gamely. I came from out of it, snuck through on the rail and beat Racing Room (with Johnny Sellers) in the last couple jumps.”

 

Pierce returns to Del Mar, where he logged 54 stakes wins from 1958-’81,  at times during summer meetings to see the marquee horses of today run.

 

“I’ve seen Beholder run a couple times,” Pierce said. “If I had to make the choice between Beholder and Princessnesian, I’d take Beholder.”

 

Beholder faces four rivals today in defense of her title in the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 4 at Santa Anita. The Hirsch could be the first step towards a title defense in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic on August 20.

 

 

 

California Chrome galloped almost two miles at Los Alamitos this morning, a routine that could be continued for the next few days, trainer Art Sherman said here Saturday morning.

 

Sherman’s son and co-trainer, Alan, is supervising the activities of California Chrome and other horses at the Los Alamitos base while Art, a Rancho Bernardo resident, handles the Del Mar contingent. California Chrome, the No. 1 ranked runner and all-time money earnings leader in North America, returned to Los Alamitos on the morning after his San Diego Handicap victory a week ago.

 

California Chrome is being pointed toward the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic on August 20 and a potential showdown with defending race champion Beholder.

 

“Alan says Chrome is really doing well,” Sherman said. “He’ll probably work next Thursday or Friday. “

 

With a chuckle the venerable 77-year-old said:  “I’m going to see how Beholder runs today. I may have to change things up (on Chrome’s schedule). She’s a great mare and I’m going to be scouting her out.”