How to bet the 2025 Beholder Mile Stakes

An excellent but compact field of six will vie in Saturday’s $300,000 Beholder Mile S. (G1) at Santa Anita. The two-turn affair on the dirt is led by a pair of contenders from the Bob Baffert shedrow, including multiple Group 1 heroine #1 Richi (2-1), who will make her U. S. route debut in the heat. By Practical Joke, the five-year-old has improved her Brisnet Speed figure in each try since arriving in the States and has endured a lot of success running long in her native Chile, too. 

Beholder Mile Wagers

$30 win #1 Richi ($30)
$5 trifecta 1,3 with 1,3,6 with 1,3,6 ($20)

The mare has solid gate presence and the ability to be placed in the mix early, and I expect her to be tracking the tempo from the second spot to the top of the stretch in this endeavor. She comes off a third-place run behind the fine Kopion in the Santa Monica S. (G2) at seven furlongs in a race that was better than it appears on paper, and she will improve off of that showing with Antonio Fresu in the silks. 

The unbeaten #3 Cavalieri (9-5) passed the class test with a game score in the La Canada S. (G3) in her latest appearance for Baffert. Purchased for $900,000 as a juvenile, the Nyquist four-year-old is lightly raced with room for improvement, having run just three times in advance of Saturday, and the dark bay could be controlling speed in the field, as well. The Kentucky-bred shows a handful of well-spaced morning works in preparation for her Grade 1 debut and looms large if she breaks well beneath regular pilot Juan Hernandez. 

John Sadler’s #6 Alpha Bella (6-1) has come home second in three graded races in succession since moving to the dirt and wouldn’t be a major surprise from the outside post slot. This Justify mare made the favorite work hard in the La Canada S. (G3) last time out, and if the pace backs up at all in the event, then she will be a menacing figure approaching the turn for home with Hector Berrios in the controls. 

Three-time Grade 2 victress #5 Tarifa (3-1) lands in an ambitious spot for her four-year-old debut for trainer Brad Cox. This Godolphin homebred doesn’t strike me exactly as a ‘miler,’ and she is a mystery on the surface, so even though she is abundantly talented, I will leave her off of my tickets, nonetheless. Mike Smith has the call.