Beholder to face Stellar Wind and three others in Clement L. Hirsch

Champion Stellar Wind and three other older fillies and mares were entered Wednesday morning to face mighty Beholder in Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes.

Post position draw was scheduled Wednesday afternoon but the field, in alphabetical order is:  Beholder, Divina Comedia, Off the Road, Stellar Wind and The Dream.

The 1 1/16-mile main track event, won by Beholder in 2015 as a stepping stone to her historic victory over males in the TVG Pacific Classic, is a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge race for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 3 at Santa Anita.

Beholder, who worked five furlongs in :59.20 on Sunday, galloped around the Del Mar oval Wednesday morning, as she will do every day leading up to the 23rd career start for the 6-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes, a three-time Eclipse Award winner and earner of more than $4.7 million.

Trainer Richard Mandella nominated two stablemates of Beholder, Juno and Off the Road, to the Hirsch. The Hall of Fame conditioner said Monday morning that Off the Road is a go, but Juno will be pointed to the Osunitas Stakes on Sunday, August 7.

Off the Road, a 5-year-old, Brazilian-bred daughter of Quick Road owned by Quick Road Stable, was imported from Brazil and made her U.S. racing debut last October at Santa Anita. She is winless in five starts, all at Santa Anita, at both the allowance and overnight stakes level under five different riders.

“It’s a Grade I and I hope to get some black type (graded stakes success) on her record,” Mandella said. “I don’t think she can beat Beholder, but you never know.”

Stellar Wind, the top 3-year-old filly of 2015, was runner-up to Beholder, beaten a length and a half, in the Grade I Vanity at Santa Anita on June 4. The race was the 2016 debut for Stellar Wind, the second of the year for Beholder, who has won eight straight races.

Divina Comedia, a 5-year-old French-bred mare trained by Simon Callaghan for Marsha Naify, was fifth in the Vanity,  but came back a month later to win the Southern Truce in 1:42.89 at the Hirsch distance.

“It’s a pretty stiff task for our filly, but she just won the listed stakes and is training well,” Callaghan said. “Beholder and Stellar Wind are clearly a class above, but we’re hoping we can get a part of (the purse).”

The Dream is a Chilean-bred Group I winner in her native country making her U.S. debut for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club