ARCADIA, Calif. – Seal Team was withdrawn from Saturday’s Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita after trainer Richard Mandella said he was unsatisfied with a blood test taken from the 6-year-old horse in days before the race. Another opportunity is not far away. Mandella mentioned the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf on May 25 as a goal. Seal Team was third by 1 1/4 lengths in the Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf on April 18. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I took a blood on him a couple of days ago and it was just a little off,” Mandella said. “Coming back in two weeks, I didn’t want to take a chance. “He’ll go to the Shoemaker.” The $300,000 Shoemaker is the track’s richest annual race on turf. Seal Team, who races for Ramona and Perry Bass, has won 3 of 12 starts and earned $323,776. He won the Grade 2 Twilight Derby on turf at Santa Anita in November 2023, but has lost his last seven starts. Seal Team was sixth of nine, beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the 2025 Shoemaker Mile. The Shoemaker Mile is one of three graded stakes on the May 25 program, along with the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, and the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on dirt. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.