Balnikhov's late kick too much for Crabs N Beer in Dinner Party Stakes

BALTIMORE — Fifty-eight minutes before Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Dinner Party Stakes for 3-year-olds and up racing 1 1/8 miles on soft Pimlico turf, Billy Koch, the Founder and Managing Partner of Little Red Feather Racing Stable, was somewhat dejected.

After all, his Beer Can Man, last year’s Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes winner, had finished a flat fifth when defending his title as the 5-2 favorite.

Racing is a game of valleys and peaks, however, and Koch was on top of the mountain after Balnikhov unleashed his patented late kick to win the Dinner Party by 1 1/2 lengths over Maryland-bred Crabs N Beer.

Favored Running Bee finished another three lengths behind in third. He was followed home by Highland Chief, Atone, Eons, English Bee, Beatbox and Helms Deep.

Adhamo, Emmanuel and Funtastic Again scratched.

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Balnikhov completed the nine furlongs in 1:58.90 under jockey Frankie Dettori and returned $12.80 to win as the third choice in the betting.

“This game will always do that,” Koch said about the emotional roller coaster. “It’s funny because when he [passed the stands the first time], I was like, ooh, because he was jumping. But then at the half-mile pole, I was watching Frankie, and I was like, he’s cursed [by being down inside]. I was hoping to get out of there, and then he did. That’s his style. You can’t change his style.”

Balnikhov’s style is to stay back and make one run. It’s an exciting run when it works, but there have been times when he falls a little bit short due to various circumstances including the lack of early pace, or wide trips, or traffic trouble that stunted his momentum.

Going into the Dinner Party, Balnikhov (95 Beyer Speed Figure) hadn’t won in over a year, but earned interim graded stakes placings in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes and Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar, as well as the Grade 3 San Francisco Stakes at Golden Gate Fields, his final prep before the Dinner Party.

Longshot Helms Deep set splits of 26.42, 52.77 and 1:18.71 before throwing in the towel. Running Bee made the first run to the lead, but Dettori masterfully saved as much ground as possible before angling Balnikhov into the clear turning into the stretch.

Trained by Phil D’Amato for Little Red Feather, Madaket Stables and Old Bones Racing Stable, Balnikhov pointed to the Dinner Party because “he doesn’t like Santa Anita,” according to Koch, and “we didn’t have a lot of options.”

Bred in Ireland by T. de La Heronnierre and Gestut Zur Kuste AG, Balnikhov is a 5-year-old gelding by Adaay. He has won 7 of 26 starts for lifetime earnings of $953,063. The Dinner Party was his third graded stakes victory.

Crabs N Beer, racing without blinkers this afternoon, took an unorthodox path to the Dinner Party. After finishing second to Running Bee in a second-level allowance at Aqueduct to conclude his 2023 season, trainer Keri Brion ran Crabs N Beer in a 1 1/2-mile training flat race at the Greenspring Valley point-to-point races at Shawan Downs on March 31. He then made his “official” seasonal debut 27 days later when dead-heating for the win in a state-sired allowance at Laurel at one mile.

“I train him a little bit like a jumper,” trainer Keri Brion said. “The mile, at this stage of his career, is too short for him. I wanted to take the blinkers off. He’s older now. He just needs to see the horses. He kind of leaned on [dead-heat winner Vax a Nation] the other day. Everyone told me I was crazy for [removing the blinkers off the win]. I just knew he would like the soft turf today and he would like the [distance].”

Where Crabs N Beer has plenty of options in future starts thanks to his Maryland-bred eligibility and distance versatility, it remains to be seen where Balnikhov heads next. Wherever he goes, you can depend on a late kick.

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