Balnikhov barrels home to win Bryan Station

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the Del Mar Derby on Sept. 3, Balnikhov had no pace at which to run, his strong closing kick good only for fourth as the horses racing on the lead had too much left in the homestretch. There was plenty of pace in the Grade 3, $271,088 Bryan Station Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, and Balnikhov, under a nifty ride from Tyler Gaffalione, got home by a neck.

Racing 11th of 12 much of the one-mile trip, Balnikhov got a contested 46.72 half-mile split at which to make a run and made the most of it. He found his best stride at the three-eighths pole, rumbled into the stretch near the inside rail, came off the fence to split Portfolio Company and Double Clutch before the furlong grounds, and reeled in favored Wit in the final strides.

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“The plan was kind of just let him find his stride, get in a comfortable position,” said Gaffalione, who rode Balnikhov for the first time Saturday. Gaffalione credited jockey Umberto Rispoli, who’d ridden Balnikhov to his fourth in the Del Mar Derby and a win in the Oceanside Stakes, for providing insight on the gelding’s racing habits. “On the second turn he started to pick it up. I just had to find some room.”

It’s easier to find room when your mount is full of run, and Gaffalione’s had plenty. Off a six-furlong split of 1:11.87, Balnikhov still several lengths behind the leaders, ripped off a final quarter-mile in about 22.50 seconds to post a winning time of 1:35.48 for one mile on firm turf. Balnikhov paid a generous $15.28.

Wit raced well in defeat, making the lead at the stretch call before being outfinished by the winner.

“I had a good trip. He was traveling nicely,” said jockey Jose Ortiz. “When I asked him, he exploded – he just got beat.”

Axthelm, an 18-1 shot, fought gamely to the wire to get fourth, a half-length behind Wit and a half-length in front of late-running fourth-place finisher Portfolio Company. Play Action Pass finished fifth, and Classic Causeway, who set the pace as the 4-1 second choice, was a fading sixth of 12.

Trained in California by Phil D’Amato, Balnikhov campaigns for Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Old Bones Racing Stable. The gelding with a Russian name was bred in Ireland and made his first seven starts in France before being privately purchased and sent to D’Amato. Balnikhov is by Adday, a fairly obscure stallion by Kodiac, and out of Leeward, by First Defence – and on Saturday at Keeneland, no one could hold off his final assault.

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