Sweet Azteca goes gate-to-wire under Flavien Prat to win Saturday’s GI, $300,000 Beholder Mile. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
The Pamela Zeibarth homebred was making just her 4th start and first around two turns
Grade I Beholder Mile To Be Renamed B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile In Honor Of Hall Of Fame Mare’s Late Owner
*The highly influential Hughes passed away in 2021 at the age of 87. *
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Making just her fourth career start and first around two turns, Sweet Aztecabecame racing’s newest Grade I winner with a front-running victory in Saturday’s $300,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Sweet Azteca broke the quickest of all under Flavien Prat and led what was a bunched field through an opening quarter mile in 23.40 seconds. Down the backstretch, Sweet Azteca was pressed by Eastern invader Green Up for Todd Pletcher when posting a half-mile split of 47.40 seconds. Tracking that pair were Interstatedaydream, also for Pletcher, and 6-5 favorite Adare Manor, who was racing on the rail under Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez.
Sweet Azteca continued to race comfortably around the second turn, extending her advantage to two lengths when reaching the quarter pole in 1:11.36. At that point, Adare Manor and Juan Hernandez angled out for clear sailing, but they could not get to the winner. Despite having never gone beyond 6 ½ furlongs, Sweet Azteca had enough left in the tank late to fend off the favorite and score by three-quarters of a length.
Dispatched as the 3-1 second choice, Sweet Azteca returned $8.80, $4 and $3.60. Adare Manor paid $2.80 and $2.30. Green Up, off at 4-1, finished 5 ½ lengths back of Adare Manor in third and paid $3.20.
Sweet Azteca races as a homebred for Pamela Zeibarth. She is by Sharp Azteca out of multiple stakes winner So Sweetitiz, by Grand Slam, who Zeibarth also bred.
Sweet Azteca was a debut winner sprinting last May at Churchill Downs then was sidelined the remainder of the year. She resurfaced Jan. 1 in the GIII Las Flores here going six furlongs and had to settle for third after drifting out badly in the stretch. Sweet Azteca got back on the beam when dropped into a 6 ½ furlong allowance here Feb. 2, which she dominated by 12 lengths.
Sweet Azteca is now 3-0-1 in four starts and the $180,000 winner’s share pushes her earnings to $301,200.
Racing resumes Sunday first post time for a nine-race card is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
Grade I Beholder Mile To Be Renamed B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile In Honor Of Hall Of Fame Mare’s Late Owner
The Grade I Beholder Mile at Santa Anita will be renamed the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile in honor of the Hall of Fame mare’s late owner, track officials announced Saturday.
A racehorse owner for five decades, and proprietor of historic Spendthrift Farm in central Kentucky beginning in 2004, Hughes is considered among horse racing’s most influential figures of the 21st century. He passed away on Aug. 21, 2021, at age 87.
“Santa Anita is proud to honor someone who gave so much to the sport,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Mr. Hughes was a true sportsman who made contributions in every aspect of the game. It only seems appropriate that his name stands alongside his greatest racemare in Santa Anita’s most prestigious race for fillies and mares.”
Beholder won 13 stakes races at Santa Anita, the most in track history. Overall, Beholder won 18-of-26 starts and banked $6,156,600 in Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm colors. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 2022.
Beholder won a remarkable four Eclipse Awards during a five-year career that ended with a victory in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. She is one of only three female racehorses in history to be named champion four times. “The team at Spendthrift, including Wayne’s daughter Tammy and me, would like to sincerely thank Santa Anita for renaming the Beholder Mile,” said Spendthrift Farm owner Eric Gustavson. “To have B. Wayne Hughes’ name attached to such a prestigious race, named after his best race mare at his favorite place is an amazing way to honor him.
Beholder won 11 Grade I races including three Breeders’ Cup events (2012 Juvenile Fillies, 2013 Distaff, 2016 Distaff), the 2015 Pacific Classic against males and the 2016 Vanity Mile Stakes at Santa Anita among other. In 2017, the Vanity Mile was rechristened the Beholder Mile.
“I’ve had a few good horses in the past, but she is the first horse that makes me feel lucky to be the owner,” Hughes said after Beholder’s dominating win by 8 ¼ lengths in the 2015 Pacific Classic. “I’ve never had that feeling before. I think it’s called pride.”
