On an early morning in late October, champion mare Beholder and her trainer Richard Mandella stood quietly in a saddling stall in the serene hush of Keeneland. Only a small group of onlookers were on hand as she schooled prior to her anticipated attempt at the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Mandella stood with her as her rider moved her from stall to stall, turning to the media present to say with a smile that he didn’t know which stall she’d start from so he was having her stand in all of them. His bond with Beholder was evident, and it felt like a privilege to witness. This is one reason mornings at the track can be so special. Details like that which get lost in the busy spectacle of the racing hours are easy to take in and absorb.

While Beholder did not start in the Classic, that moment lingered in my memory as a taste of what the first Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland still made it possible to see, especially before American Pharoah arrived and the crowds in the morning grew exponentially. It was also my most enduring memory of her until the morning Spendthrift hosted a chance to meet her in retirement four years after that day at Keeneland, which also marked my first opportunity to get to know her temperament and interact with her.

It was a serene drive in the early morning, down Iron Works Pike where trees formed a green tunnel overhead, echoed along the drive to the farm office once through the Spendthrift Farm gates. It did seem reminiscent, too, of that quiet morning when she schooled at Keeneland.

The visit began in the grand farm office, a former home, which now hosts offices and displays racing trophies, as most farm offices do, as well as Beholder’s framed Pacific Classic saddle cloth. “It’s clean because she was in front the whole way,” Autry Graham, Spendthrift’s assistant marketing director who led the tour that day, said. Indeed she was, in an 8 ½ length romp that left no doubt who the best horse in the race was that day, and also indicated overall how good she is.

Beholder today lives in the broodmare barn, stabled across from the gray mare Coup de Coeur, who she is closely bonded to among the field of six or so other mares they are turned out with.

Before Beholder was turned out for the day, I got to feed her carrots. The v-shaped bars in the front of her stall were removed and she immediately came over and put her head through. She has a presence and a look in her eye, the look of a great horse,that made me pause for a moment and just soak that in and then start feeding her carrots.

She has such a laid-back personality, which seemed evident as I saw her school several years ago, that 30 people were present the first time she foaled—a farm manager, an assistant farm manager, a broodmare manager, and so on, and many of them even brought their kids—and it never fazed Beholder at all. Whatever her first foal may become (and he has already shown a tendency to be feisty, which could bode well for a competitive fire on the racetrack, noted by Graham), I think those kids may have quite a story to tell someday of seeing the great mare’s first foal come into the world.

After a few carrots, Coup de Coeur was led out of her stall and hesitated on the pavement, reluctant to go on without Beholder in sight. And then Beholder was brought out. She is captivating to see. She carries herself like she knows she is a multiple champion. Yet many have seen that the greats know they have that “something” that sets them apart. It does show in their eyes too, and that may be what captivated me the most. The sun highlighted the dapples in her coat, making her look even more dazzling. She couldn’t have a more fitting name. It is said beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but she may be one of the loveliest horses I have seen and it is hard to imagine it is just because I am the beholder and that most wouldn’t concur.

She tried to make a beeline for the grass, much more intent upon it than Coup de Coeur was. “She is all about her grass!” Graham laughed.

When turned out in the pasture, she and Coup de Coeur grazed head to head, their bond evident, before wandering off to join the other mares in about the center of the pasture.

Gas Station Sushi was also in the pasture and entertained a notion of coming up to the fence for some of the carrots that remained. While she didn’t come up for interaction, her coming closer offered the chance to get a few photos of her. I remembered her from racing at Keeneland and all the attention she garnered for her name, but had never had a good look at her until then to realize how photogenic she is.

On the visit, Beholder was described as a dream as a broodmare so far, getting in foal on one cover each of the three times she’s been bred, and foaling twice so far quite close to her actual due date and at easier times of the day to attend than the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning. Spendthrift also tends to support the stallions they stand to a large extent with the mares that reside on the farm, so Beholder’s foals have represented some of the only ones they have by the stallions she has been bred to. “I’m curious to see what her War Front (appearing to be a filly, due in February next year) looks like because we don’t have any of those. So far, her foals have looked like her in the head and had the body type of their sires,” Graham said.

Richard Mandella and Gary Stevens have paid visits to Beholder in retirement too. Richard Mandella doesn’t come that often because it is emotional for him. “One time he came to visit, and Beholder was out eating grass. She wouldn’t even look up and he was a bit disappointed. Then he pulled a peppermint from his pocket and that was the key to getting her to leave her grass! She even somewhat weans her foals by herself because they get in the way of her grass eating!” Graham said.

This visit was all Horse Country aspired to provide in the way of experiences when they were launched, getting to meet the stars once followed on the track, as well as telling the story of the land and enhancing visitors’ connections to the farm and horses.

To the end of further providing experiences that resonate like the Beholder meeting, Spendthrift is going to open up their onsite training track to visits starting at 5:30 in the morning next spring, and also the breeding shed for a morning’s session, since most farms are not doing that.

They also are looking into options for aftercare, with 8 retired mares currently living on the farm. It brings to mind how Mill Ridge Farm offered a very extensive tour of the property, visiting multiple areas, including interacting with the older mares retired from broodmare duties, which Stonestreet also does on one of their tours. If those older mares are one day part of the group that can be visited, that would be quite memorable too, and for those horses they have ownership in that may still be suited to other careers, they are considering whether New Vocations will be the route they want to take for placement for them.

It is gratifying to see the success Horse Country has become, and how it does allow these farms to expand their tours and provide even greater access to visitors, as Spendthrift plans to do with training and breeding shed tours, success that has also seen WinStar add tours of their mare and foal division and Claiborne do the same, areas that had rarely been open to visitors. I also applaud the farms for making the commitment, while operating their business, to opening the doors regularly and welcoming people. Graham noted that they are fans of the great horses that reside on the farm too, and no doubt that helps drive the willingness to let others see these horses who captivated them on the track. It always makes for a memorable occasion.

Rachel Alexandra, still showcasing the trim athletic figure that had helped power her to an amazing array of victories, stood outside of a barn at Stonestreet to meet a group of eager admirers. On that day in March 2011, the people gathered around the recently retired mare had been selected for the farm’s first “Meet Rachel Day. ” The entree into the gates at Stonestreet was a marvelous harbinger of the hospitality and graciousness that was to be a hallmark in years to come. As promised in the first announcement of the “Meet Rachel Day” events, the farm’s illustrious star would be available to meet other admirers around her broodmare duties. While she is breeding sound, there have not been broodmare duties for several years, and the rhythm of her life has only changed in that she has no foal at foot and is pastured with several older pensioned mares for companionship, but she still lives in a foaling barn in a roomy stall.

During that first “Meet Rachel Day,” it was evident the chosen attendees were awed to be in her presence, and grateful to get time to know the mare one-on-one and have pictures taken with her. While the racehorse she had been was evident, at that time she had recently been bred to Curlin and was carrying the colt that would be named Jess’s Dream. There was a sense of reverence among some people there that day that even led stroking her soft stomach, and I for one thought of the little life just beginning. It was amazing to have those moments with her, for she is the horse of a lifetime for many beyond the environs of Stonestreet as well.

 

One of the incredible victories that she still appeared to be in racing condition from eight years ago was the Haskell Invitational in 2009, her second victory against male horses.

As Rachel Alexandra stepped forward into her position in the starting gate that August day, the track announcer said, “The Preakness winning filly is in the gate and there’s one left to load,” indicating even running against the likes of Summer Bird and Munnings in the seven horse field, she was the one likely gathering the most attention, also reflected in her low odds as the field went off.

When the gates sprung open, Munnings rocketed to the lead, with Rachel Alexandra quick to rush up into contention to sit off of his flank, while Summer Bird moved up equally rapidly to take a position on the rail off of Munnings’ other side. 

As those two classic winners flanked Munnings, they ran on even terms by the quarter pole, dark bay head on the outside mirrored by the chestnut head on the rail, in a race all their own even as they chased the pacesetter. Summer Bird began to edge ahead of Rachel Alexandra, breathing down Munnings’ neck while Rachel still kept her position off of that leader’s flank. 

Munnings appeared to be striving with all he had, pushing forward determinedly but it would not be enough. Rachel Alexandra unleashed her move past the ¾ pole and swept to the lead with an effortless surge of power. She left Summer Bird, who had looked full of run and with every chance at victory before she took over, to have to settle for second place.

It was a sublime effort, and thrilling. The track announcer burst in that she turned “for home with a four length lead” and the crowd roared at this display of superiority, unable to contain how it felt to witness such a tour-de-force. 

He got it exactly right when he finished his race call with all the excitement swirling through the crowd and around Rachel Alexandra, who would not let herself be bested throughout her entire 2009 season, no matter what track she went to or what competition she faced.

“Here’s a filly for the ages, a Haskell legend….. Rachel Alexandra did it!”

She did indeed, and that was a wonderful occasion to celebrate as Stonestreet opened its gates once more July 20 for a Haskell Watch Party to commemorate her emphatic six-length victory that day, and how she rocketed to a four-length lead in almost no time at all.

The occasion was also a fundraiser for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, with attendance capped at 50 people. It was wonderful to be among so many people united by a common admiration of and fondness for Rachel Alexandra. One attendee came from Michigan, and thought when Rachel nearly was lost due to foaling complications several years ago, that she had lost her chance to see her. She reiterated, during the wait for the bus that transported us from Keeneland to Stonestreet (due to limited parking at the farm), how much these things matter, to see these great horses that touch our lives and “speak” to us deeper than any words ever can. I understood perfectly. I love to watch my favorite horses race, but it is wonderful to get one-on-one time with them too, to truly get a sense of who they are as individuals and their temperament and characteristics.

Every party-goer aboard the bus, it meandered through the Keeneland gates, down Rice Road, and past the lovely barns of Fares Farm, where curious broodmares along the fence line nearest the road turned their heads to watch us pass. It is lovely to go down the roads in this region lined by farms and away from the urban sprawl. There is a serenity in seeing fields of corn growing tall, rather than parking lots and shopping centers, a happiness in seeing sleek mares turn to watch us pass—understood best by those that are fulfilled by a life that includes horses–and a joy in seeing a group of weanlings sprint across a pasture, full of wild young exuberance.

Alighting from the bus at Stonestreet, we were ushered inside one of the beautifully crafted barns. All the horses from that barn but Rachel Alexandra were out in the paddocks.

The party was originally going to involve watching the current year’s Haskell, but when excessive heat necessitated it being pushed back several hours later than its originally scheduled post time, the TVs on site played a loop of Rachel Alexandra’s races instead. It was a chance to pause once more and relive her greatness in races I had not often watched since they occurred, while snacking on hor d’oeuvres and chatting about the mare with other attendees. The other plus of the Haskell start time being pushed back—besides the benefits to its entrants—was now those at Stonestreet would have more time to spend with Rachel Alexandra.

The hospitality, as expected, was incredible and is well worth a description. Stonestreet staff greeted everyone warmly as they filed off of the bus, directing us into the cool of the barn. Paper fans were passed out with the names of the 2019 Haskell entrants printed on them, and a variety of Kendall-Jackson wines as well non-alcoholic beverages were on offer, and so were trays of hot browns, and a buffet set up of fruit, cheese, crackers, and mixed nuts, and later chocolate cake. 

Small groups were chosen to greet Rachel outside of the barn, to keep it manageable for her, but she never minded all the people, taking a very relaxed stance as she was led under the shade of trees. She looked magnificient and filled out, and still every bit the powerhouse she had been on the track, the muscles of her frame evident even after beginning her retirement near the end of 2010.

I was chosen with several others to be in the first group to greet her, getting my first opportunity to have a meeting with her other than in her stall or from a field as she was part of the Horse Country tours to Stonestreet but whether she interacted with people then was on at her whim. Not that it made it any less wonderful to see her, but this day was extra special.

Rachel’s dark coat gleamed as she stepped from the barn into the sunshine before being stopped in the shade and people singly or in pairs stepped forward to greet her and get photos with her.

I was content to stand back for a while and observe her, soak in her presence. She is my favorite living racehorse, after all. 

Even when the first group’s turn was over, people gathered at the barn door to watch her. She is deservedly every bit the draw she was when she pulled away in the Haskell and dominated that field, when she showed all determination in the Woodward that same year, and was unquestionably the Horse of the Year for one of the best campaigns it could be hoped a three-year-old would string together, regardless of gender. For even the races that she ran in restricted to gender were evidence of her superiority, most notably the 20-length romp in the Kentucky Oaks.

Rachel hats and shirts were in evidence throughout, including one that honored her Hall of Fame induction which I had not seen before, available from that Saratoga Springs institution at one time. The guest of honor also received gift bags from a few attendees, likely full of treats for her.

As the party wound down, door prizes were drawn outside of the barn, steps away from a pasture where the next generation of Stonestreet foals grazed with their dams, including Good Magic’s brother.

It was an incredible day, full of wonderful memories and further testament to Barbara Banke’s generosity and hospitality, as mentioned by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation staff on site  at Stonestreet, who also noted briefly what fundraisers like this one help them do for the horse and some of what has been learned in the process, like about leg injuries in racehorses.

Disembarking at Keeneland, the grounds quiet, immaculate, and as serene as ever, was a good bookend to the day, and worth lingering for as reflections of the day and the peace of the surroundings flowed through my mind.