Sooner or later, a foal produced by Hall of Fame racemare Beholder will make a splash, and a favorite will finally win the Kathryn Crosby Stakes. Both could happen Saturday at Del Mar. The highly regarded 2-year-old filly Teena Ella, produced by Beholder, makes her debut in race 4, after which Burgoo Alley tries to become the first favorite to win the $75,000 Kathryn Crosby, race 7. The turf mile for fillies and mares is being run for the seventh time. While the Kathryn Crosby is the only stakes on Saturday at Del Mar, the most significant races are for 2-year-olds. An allowance turf mile for fillies is race 3, maidens go a mile on turf in race 9. But the most anticipated race Saturday is a dirt sprint that features an unraced filly with speed and pedigree. Teena Ella, by War Front, is the third foal produced by Beholder, and possibly the best. Beholder’s first foal, the gelding Q B One, retired as a maiden and is being retrained for a second career as an event or pleasure horse. Beholder’s second foal, Karin With an I, did not place in her first two starts but is working regularly for trainer Richard Mandella. Beholder’s third foal could be the goods for Mandella and owner-breeder Spendthrift Farm. Expectations are high for Teena Ella. “She is training very sharp, very nice. She’s quick,” Mandella said. “And she’s got finish in her workouts. I’m excited about starting her.” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Teena Ella is named after the trainer’s late mother, Ella, whose nickname was Teena. The filly has shown exceptional gate speed and will be ridden Saturday by Juan Hernandez, who has worked her. Beholder also has a yearling filly by Bolt d’Oro and a weanling colt by Curlin. Beholder was bred this spring to Gun Runner, but “did not catch,” according to Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. Therefore, Beholder will not produce a 2023 foal. Main rivals for Teena Ella are Bob Baffert-trained first-time starters Faiza and Wudi, both purchased as 2-year-olds for $725,000. Faiza is by first-crop sire Girvin; Wudi is by Uncle Mo. In the Kathryn Crosby, Burgoo Alley drops in class. The turf mile is restricted to fillies and mares that have not earned $60,000 winning a non-statebred stakes at a mile or more since April 1. Burgoo Alley set the pace and tired last out in a graded race. The competition is easier Saturday, and the strategy is likely to be different. “We’re going to let Flavien [Prat], with those good hands, figure out where she needs to be,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “She can stalk and pounce.” The 0-for-6 record for Kathryn Crosby favorites is a minor glitch that may be remedied by Burgoo Alley. Her main rival is Bipartisanship, a Graham Motion trainee whose wide-trip fifth in her allowance comeback at Keeneland was outstanding. She was parked four wide start to finish and missed by only three lengths. Hernandez rides Bipartisanship. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Others entered in the Kathryn Crosby include 7-year-old Pulpit Rider, a two-time turf stakes winner at Del Mar who is “training much better for this race than she was in the summer,” according to trainer Mike Puype. Warrens Candy Girl is a four-time turf winner at Del Mar, including a California-bred stakes in summer. In addition to the maiden sprint with Teena Ella, two other races for 2-year-olds offer appeal. As often is the case in Southern California grass races, D’Amato entered contenders in both races. They include Thebestisyettobe, whose best is yet to come in race 3. When he won the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf in September with Comanche Country, D’Amato also started Thebestisyettobe. She finished a disappointing eighth as the favorite. The trainer forgives her subpar effort. “I did something untypical of what I usually do with Europeans,” D’Amato said. “I ran her off the plane pretty quick and didn’t give her time to acclimate. That definitely hindered her chances.” That race was two months ago, and the trainer believes Thebestisyettobe is a better filly going into Saturday. “She’s doing really well, and we added some blinkers which seems to help as well,” D’Amato said. Rivals for Thebestisyettobe include last-out maiden winners Princess Bettina and Pride of the Nile, along with droppers Fast and Shiny and Queenzy. D’Amato’s second-time starter Ransomware should be tough to beat in race 9, based on his promising runner-up debut at six furlongs. “I think he’s a horse that wants to go two turns,” the trainer said. D’Amato also starts Irish import Paulliac. “I would have liked another couple weeks of acclimating, but he’s training well enough,” he said. Race-9 entrants also include dirt-to-turf second-time starter Secret Treasure, second-time starter Stonks, and Midwest shipper As One Does. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.