Santa Anita Honors B. Wayne Hughes, Adding Late Spendthrift Owner's Name To Beholder Mile

The Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita will be renamed the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile in honor of the Hall of Fame mare’s late owner, track officials announced Saturday.

A racehorse owner for five decades, and proprietor of historic Spendthrift Farm in Central Kentucky beginning in 2004, Hughes is considered among horse racing’s most influential figures of the 21^st century. He passed away on Aug. 21, 2021, at age 87.

“Santa Anita is proud to honor someone who gave so much to the sport,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Mr. Hughes was a true sportsman who made contributions in every aspect of the game. It only seems appropriate that his name stands alongside his greatest racemare in Santa Anita’s most prestigious race for fillies and mares.”

Beholder won 13 stakes races at Santa Anita, the most in track history. Overall, Beholder won 18-of-26 starts and banked $6,156,600 in Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm colors. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 2022.

Beholder won a remarkable four Eclipse Awards during a five-year career that ended with a victory in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. She is one of only three female racehorses in history to be named champion four times.

“The team at Spendthrift, including Wayne's daughter Tammy and me, would like to sincerely thank Santa Anita for renaming the Beholder Mile,” said Spendthrift Farm owner Eric Gustavson. “To have B. Wayne Hughes' name attached to such a prestigious race, named after his best race mare at his favorite place is an amazing way to honor him.

Beholder won 11 Grade 1 races including three Breeders’ Cup events (2012 Juvenile Fillies, 2013 Distaff, 2016 Distaff), the 2015 Pacific Classic against males and the 2016 Vanity Mile Stakes at Santa Anita among other. In 2017, the Vanity Mile was rechristened the Beholder Mile.

“I’ve had a few good horses in the past, but she is the first horse that makes me feel lucky to be the owner,” Hughes said after Beholder’s dominating win by 8 ¼ lengths in the 2015 Pacific Classic. “I’ve never had that feeling before. I think it’s called pride.”

This year’s Beholder Mile will be run today at Santa Anita. It is one of three graded stakes on a nine-card starting at 12:30 p.m. Post time for the Beholder Mile is set for 4:11 p.m. PT.