Rangeview Stud sire Henny Hughes continued his climb up the North American 2YO table when Montezuma Express won a Hawthorne Park maiden in Chicago on Saturday.

The latest winner came just 48hrs after Henny Hughes filly Beholder booked her ticket for the Breeders’ Cup with a massive 11 length victory at Santa Anita.

Henny Hughes has sired 16 Kentucky bred juvenile winners this year and he heads a log-jam of sires chasing the premiership leader City Zip.

City Zip (Carson City) stands at Lane’s End Farm and he has sired 19 winners.  Henny Hughes is next best and joining him on 16 are Songandaprayer (Unbridled’s Song) and Discreet Cat (Forestry).

Champion Vinery shuttler More Than Ready (Southern Halo) is right in the mix on 15 along with Harlan’s Holiday (Harlan) and Put it Back (Honour and Glory).

Beholder (2f Henny Hughes – Leslie’s Lady by Tricky Creek) demolished an allowance field at Santa Anita on Thursday and trainer Richard Mandella is pondering a follow-up in the Breeders’ Cup.  She clocked 1.09s which is the fastest time over 1200m at the current Santa Anita meeting that kicked off September 28.

“She cruised along so easy it’s just amazing,” Mandella said.  “We will make a decision on what Breeders’ Cup race she heads for in the next week.”

The Spendthrift Farm filly has two options going into the Breeders’ Cup on November 2.  She could run in the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint (1200m) against the colts or she could stretch out and go for broke in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (1700m).

Beholder was coming off a narrow loss to divisional leader Executiveprivilege in the G1 Del Mar Debutante (1400m) on September 1.  .  “She’s a really talented filly,” jockey Garrett Gomez said.  “She kind of got away from me the other day at Del Mar but this time she settled into a nice stride and ran a really good race.

“I felt like I could do whatever I wanted with her.  And when I saw she clocked 44s for the half mile and 1:09 flat – that’s a top filly.”

Bred by Clarkland Farm, Beholder is out of the stakes winning mare Leslie’s Lady (Tricky Creek) and was a $180,000 purchase at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Henny Hughes (USA) stands for a $7,700 (inc gst) fee at Rangeview Stud.  For further information, broodmare owners can contact Robert Gray on 0409 243 461 or Jody Gray on 0418 933 707.

– Karl Patterson

BEHOLDER
Massive 11 length winner at Santa Anita