Beholder to miss Breeders' Cup after spiking fever

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - One day after having a workout, two-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder spiked a fever Sunday and has been withdrawn from defending her title in this year's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

"When I came to the barn this morning," said trainer Richard Mandella, "Beholder had a temperature. She had that big work (Saturday), and she's obviously getting sick on us. So after talking it over with (Spendthrift general manager) Ned (Toffey), we are calling off the game. She's not going to be able to make the Breeders' Cup.

"As disappointed and sad as we are about the fact that we aren't going to get to run, we can't have any negative feelings about Beholder because she's been so good to us. We'll monitor her and give her the proper care until plans are made to fly her to Kentucky to go through the November sale at Fasig-Tipton."

Beholder, champion 2-year-old filly of 2012 and last year's champion 3-year- old filly, bounced back from a disappointing fourth in the Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park in June to win her second straight Zenyatta Stakes on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita.

The 4-year-old filly won last year's Distaff by 4 1/4 lengths over Close Hatches.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Beholder is to be sold Nov. 3 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Lexington, Kentucky. She has won 10 of 15 starts, including the 2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and earned $3,368,300.