Bal a Bali training well for Breeders' Cup Mile
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
ARCADIA, Calif. – The turf miler Bal a Bali worked six furlongs in 1:13 at Santa Anita on Thursday, and trainer Richard Mandella confirmed he will start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 4.
Bal a Bali was sixth in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 20 in his most recent start, but has worked to Mandella’s satisfaction in recent weeks.
“He looked really good,” Mandella said. “He runs well fresh.”
Mandella said he timed Bal a Bali in “1:12 and change,” but joked “maybe I was nervous” and stopped the watch too soon.
Earlier this year at Santa Anita, Bal a Bali won the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile in March and the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in June. The win in the Shoemaker gave Bal a Bali an automatic berth to the BC Mile. A 7-year-old, Bal a Bali is owned by Calumet Farm.
Mandella hopes to have runners in three Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 3-4. On Nov. 3, he starts the 3-year-old filly Paradise Woods in the BC Distaff. The same day, Mandella hopes to start Retro in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf if the filly can gain a spot in what is likely to be an oversubscribed field. The race will be limited to 14 starters.
Unique Bella works a half
Unique Bella, the leading contender for the BC Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 4, worked a half-mile from the gate in 47.20 seconds Wednesday at Santa Anita.
“She broke straight and true,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “It was a really nice workout.”
The workout was the first for Unique Bella since she won the Grade 3 L.A. Woman Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 8, her first start since early March. Unique Bella was sidelined with sore shins in late March.
Hollendorfer has a contender for the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 in the 3-year-old Battle of Midway, who was third in the Kentucky Derby in May. Wednesday at Santa Anita, Battle of Midway worked six furlongs in 1:14.80.
Soi Phet done racing for year
Soi Phet, a 9-year-old gelding with six stakes wins, has been turned out for the remainder of the autumn and will race as a 10-year-old in 2018.
Trainer Leonard Powell said earlier this week that Soi Phet is at a local farm.
“He’s going to be at the farm until Christmas,” Powell said. “We’ll bring him back in the new year and get him ready to run in April.”
This year, Soi Phet won 2 of 5 starts, highlighted by a win in the E.B. Johnston Stakes at Los Alamitos on Sept. 9.
