Bal a Bali points to Shoemaker Mile
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bal a Bali will have a summer season of Grade 1 races after winning his American debut in Saturday’s Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita.
Trainer Richard Mandella said on Sunday that Bal a Bali will be pointed to the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile, a Grade 1 race on turf, on June 13. Later this summer, Bal a Bali is a candidate for two additional Grade 1 races – the $400,000 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 18, and the Arlington Million at Arlington Park on Aug. 15.
Bal a Bali won 11 of 12 starts in Brazil in 2013 and 2014, including the 2014 Triple Crown. In the $100,750 American Stakes, Bal a Bali closed from fifth in a field of eight to win by a length as the 3-2 favorite.
The performance lived up to Mandella’s expectations.
“I would have been surprised if he hadn’t done it,” Mandella said. “He trained like a really special horse and his race record is phenomenal. He’s had a lot of experience.
“But until you run them, you don’t know. He was off a long time and had trouble.”
A 5-year-old owned by Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farms, Bal a Bali was supposed to join Mandella’s stable last summer, but suffered a bout with laminitis after arriving in Florida from Brazil for quarantine. The illness was severe enough that Bal a Bali was unable to start for the rest of the year, ending any hope for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf here last November. Bal a Bali spent last fall recovering on a farm in Kentucky before joining Mandella’s stable during the winter.
The BC Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31 is a possibility, Mandella said.
“He is eligible to the Breeders’ Cup,” he said.
By the Honour and Glory stallion Put It Back, Bal a Bali has won 12 of 13 starts and earned $570,078. The American Stakes was his first start since a Group 1 win in June, his ninth consecutive win, and the 10th stakes win of his career.