Beholder (Henny Hughes) is the star attraction on Saturday at Santa Anita
Park, headlining a nine-distaffer field in the $300,000
Zenyatta S. (G1).
That 1 1/16-mile race is part of a six-stakes card which
features five guaranteed “Win & You’re In” berths to the Breeders’ Cup in
October at Keeneland.
The Zenyatta offers up a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) starting
gate, a race two-time champion Beholder won in 2013. She was forced to skip a
title defense run in last year’s edition due to illness and her connections may
bypass the 2015 Distaff for a shot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and
year-end Horse of the Year honors.
Beholder already earned an automatic spot to the Classic thanks to her tour
de force triumph in the Pacific Classic (G1) against the boys last out on August
22. The five-year-old mare romped by 8 1/4 lengths that day and could get
another easy win in the Zenyatta.
The $300,000
Awesome Again S. (G1) is the brother-race to the Zenyatta on Saturday and
dangles a guaranteed spot in the Classic gate to its eight entrants. Among them
are the Bob Baffert-trained pair of defending Breeders’ Cup Classic winner
Bayern (Offlee Wild) and Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), neither of whom
could offer a challenge to Beholder when ninth and fourth, respectively, in the
Pacific Classic last out.
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