Beholder wins $100,000 Adoration Stakes at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Three-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder won the $100,000 Adoration Stakes for fillies and mares by 2 1/2 lengths Sunday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Gary Stevens, Beholder ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.73 and paid $2.10, $2.10 and $2.10. She carried high weight of 124 pounds against five rivals.

Sheer Pleasure returned $2.40 and $2.10, while All Star Bub was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $2.60 to show.

''She was supposed to win this race, and that usually makes trainers more nervous than anything because you realize how bad you look if you get them beat,'' winning trainer Richard Mandella said.

Beholder had been idle since winning the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita. She was shipped to Kentucky to face Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and other top males in the Breeders' Cup Classic last October, but Beholder spiked a fever and wasn't able to run.

''Not only am I still thinking about going up against the boys, but I want Nyquist to be the Triple Crown winner,'' said B. Wayne Hughes, who owns Beholder. ''Because we got sick last year, it's very important to us to be able to take a shot at a Triple Crown winner. I think it would be amazing.''

Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. The BC Classic will be run at Santa Anita this fall. Beholder has won 12 of 13 races there.

Mandella said Beholder would be pointed toward the Grade 1 Vanity Mile on June 4.