When your mother is one of the greatest race mares of the last decade, the expectations can be unspeakably high. And thus, when Spendthrift Farm’s homebred Teena Ella , daughter of the exceptional Beholder , stepped up to the gate for her first start in a Nov.12 maiden special weight at Del Mar, the world was watching. After leading the field through a quarter mile the filly quickly retreated and those hopes fell flat. However, Richard Mandella, who also trained her Hall of Fame dam, admitted Teena Ella was “fat” on debut, and following a third-place finish second time out Jan. 6, the conditioner decided to take a different approach with his prized pupil.
Mandella then entered Teena Ella on the turf, a surface never touched by her dam, but a course that has been consistently favored by the progeny of the 3-year-old’s sire, War Front  . The gamblers approved of the move, and bet down as the 2-1 favorite, Teena Ella powered clear late to a 1 1/4-length victory Feb. 12 at Santa Anita Park.

Displaying rankness early on when jockey Juan Hernandez refused to allow the speedy filly the opportunity to grab the lead, she closely stalked a pace of :22.76 and :45.71 between rivals. Tipped to the outside of her rivals turning for home, Teena Ella accelerated willingly down the lane and surged to the wire in a final time of 1:09.42 for the six furlongs on a firm turf course.

Teena Ella became the first winner produced by Beholder, whose first two foals failed to reach the winner’s circle on the track. Although Teena Ella has never been beyond six furlongs, her pedigree would suggest two turns could be in her future. Beholder, an earner of over $6.1 million on the track, was a champion at the ages of 2, 3, 5, and 6 and captured two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).