Beholder Mile Preview: Harvest Moon Makes 2021 Debut

ARCADIA, CA – After winning 4 straight last summer prior to finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), trainer Simon Callaghan’s Harvest Moon makes her 2021 debut in Saturday’s $300,000 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

The Beholder Mile is a 1-mile dirt route open to fillies and mares ages 4 and up. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 9-race card and has a local post time of 4:20 PM.

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Here’s a look at the full field for the Beholder Mile:

1. Swiss Skydiver 8/5 – Like Harvest Moon, she makes her first start since the Distaff, where she finished seventh for her first off-the-board finish in her past 9 starts, all in graded stakes. She was voted the 2020 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly after winning 5 graded stakes, including the Preakness (G1) against males and the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks (G2).

2. Golden Principal 8/1 – The first of two from the Tough Luck Bob Baffert barn has finished first or second in her past 4 starts, including the La Brea Stakes (G1) and the Santa Monica Stakes (G2) in her most recent 2. Her lone victory in that span was her only try routing, a mile-long Del Mar route against optional claimers that she won by 3 1/2 lengths.

3. Harvest Moon 5/2 – She won her first 4 dirt route attempts, including the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) going 1 mile at Del Mar and the local 1 1/16-mile Zenyatta Stakes (G2). The latter earned her a shot in the Distaff, where the 3-year-old Uncle Mo filly challenged the pace before finishing fourth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Callaghan’s runners win just 10% after similar layoffs.

4. Sanenus 4/1 – She will scratch after reportedly tying up leading up to the race, Daily Racing Form announced.

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5. Miss Stormy D 20/1 – She returns to dirt after nearly wiring a turf mile optional claiming field last time out, where she set the pace but yielded late and finished fourth. Prior to that, she was well-beaten in both the La Canada (second) and the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) (fourth). Each of those were on dirt, the site of all 3 career wins.

6. As Time Goes By 4/1 – It took her 3 starts to break her maiden, which she accomplished in a 6-furlong Los Alamitos sprint, but she was a dominating 9-length winner next time out against allowance rivals over this course and distance. The second Tough Luck Bob stable representative earned a strong 99 Beyer Speed Figure which tops the career bests of all rivals, save for Swiss Skydiver.

7. This Tea 30/1 – She broke her maiden at eighth asking over this course and distance, clearing off by almost 5 lengths as the 1/2 favorite. She was second behind As Time Goes By in that one’s impressive last-out victory and was an improving fifth going 1 1/8 miles over the local turf. Dirt is where she belongs, but her speed figures still need major improvement to contender here.

8. Clockstrikestwelve 20/1 – She exits a strong last-to-first victory going 6 1/2 furlongs over this course against $25k starter allowance rivals for her fifth straight victory. She won mile-long routes at Golden Gate Fields (twice on turf, once on synthetic) and Los Alamitos (dirt) during that span; the latter netted her a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.