Bal a Bali targets Del Mar Mile

Bal a Bali, the winner of the Grade 3 American Stakes in his United States debut on May 9 but last of five in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on June 13, will be pointed for the $200,000 Del Mar Mile on turf on Aug. 23.

Trainer Richard Mandella said on Saturday that Bal a Bali emerged from the Shoemaker Mile with a wrenched ankle that will prevent a start next Saturday in the $400,000 Eddie Read Stakes, the richest turf race of the Del Mar summer meeting.

“It was not a big deal,” Mandella said of the ankle injury. “We backed up and gave him more time.”

Bal a Bali has had two workouts since the Shoemaker Mile, including a half-mile in 48.40 seconds at Santa Anita on July 5. A 5-year-old horse owned by Fox Hills Farms and Sienna Farms, Bal a Bali, the 2014 Brazilian Horse of the Year, has won 12 of 14 starts in his career.

Saturday at Santa Anita, the Mandella-trained Beholder worked seven furlongs in 1:25 preparing for a start in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1. Beholder, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2013, won the Grade 3 Adoration Stakes at Santa Anita on June 13 in her most recent start.