Bal a Bali headlines strong group in Friday's Seabiscuit Handicap
The final weekend of the 2015 Bing Crosby meeting at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is upon us and the stakes action gets started on Friday afternoon with the Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap. The 38th running of the event formerly run as the Citation Handicap will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course for a purse of $250,000. While there is no one in this group as talented as the 1938 U.S. Horse of the Year who gives his name to the race, a field of nine probable runners, including Brazilian champion Bal a Bali will break from the gate at approximately 4:00 PM local time.
The aforementioned Bal a Bali is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the Friday feature. After surviving life threatening laminitis, the winner of 13 out of 16 career starts has had an “up and down” 2015 since returning to the racetrack. After off the board finishes in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile and the Grade II Del Mar Mile, the son of Put It Back defeated a nine-horse field of high level optional claimers on October 30th to get back to the winners’ circle for the first time since his stateside debut at Santa Anita Park in early May. While the “waters” will be tougher on Friday, the confidence boost for the star South American runner can only help. If he can avoid a trip like he had in the Del Mar Mile, when he never found room to run after a ground saving voyage, he certainly is the one to beat. Rafael Bejarano returns to ride for trainer Richard Mandella.
The son of Speightstown, Seek Again returns to Southern California in search of his first win since August of 2014. The Bill Mott trained runner has earned minor rewards in each of his first four races of 2015, including third place finishes in both the Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita and the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, but he likely is not the same horse we saw almost beat Wise Dan in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in 2014. Mott has given Seek Again a bit of time off since his fourth place effort over a yielding turf course at Keeneland in early October in hopes he can get back to the winners’ circle for the first time this year. He has been at his best at the mile distance throughout his career and may be past his prime, but his class alone gives him a shot on Friday.
Five-year-old gelding Avanzare makes his return to the races after a two-month layoff for trainer Tom Proctor. This son of Grand Reward has only raced three times in 2015, but has performed admirably in each of them, including a graded stakes victory over this course in the Del Mar Mile this summer. A likely ground saving trip from just off the early pace and a bullet work on November 14th at Santa Anita make him worth a long look at anywhere near his 4-1 morning line. However, the missed workout around Halloween and the time on the sidelines in 2015 are alarming. The fact he has been off the board only once in 14 starts suggests he will be in the photo.
Alert Bay is the co-third choice on the morning line for trainer Blaine Wright after rattling off three straight victories over the lawn. The son of City Zip has won 11 of his 20 career starts and heads south after winning a tight one as the heavy favorite in an allowance group at Golden Gate. Do not be fooled by that near defeat though as this gelding is in great form and has the class to compete at this level. He demonstrated that on September 27th when he defeated a group of eight that included Avanzare and Talco in the Grade II City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita Park. He has had an arduous 2015 campaign and Wright has struggled at the Bing Crosby meeting, but the California-bred is hard not to root for.
Midnight Storm looked like one of the best turf horses in the States early in 2015, but has really struggled to find his form since a disappointing fifth place finish as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade I Eddie Read. Since then, the Pioneerof the Nile colt unsuccessfully tried the main track in the Pacific Classic and then failed as the favorite in the Grade III Eddie D down the hill at Santa Anita on October 3rd. Trainer Phil D’Amato has given his colt some time off instead of sending him to Lexington for the Breeders’ Cup, in hopes that he can rekindle his past form. He is the “wild card” in this group as his best efforts on the lead will make him tough to beat, but one must wonder if he is the same horse as he was several months ago. Victor Espinoza gets the “leg up” for the first time on Friday.
If you are searching for some value underneath in the exotics perhaps Irish-bred Abbey Vale can help. This five-year-old gelding steps up in class after a fourth place effort in an optional claimer at ten furlongs last month at Santa Anita Park. His 3 for 21 lifetime mark and lack of experience against this level of competition does little to build confidence, but the cutback in distance should help his late kick. The addition of red-hot Santiago Gonzalez for the first time could be a difference maker.
Big Bane Theory is another that likely is not good enough to win, but could help “beef” up the back end of the trifecta and superfecta. This son of Artie Schiller has not won since October of 2014, but he has finished in the money in 3 of 4 tries over this course. Jockey James Graham will likely angle him in early and come with a late run. If they go quick enough upfront, he should be passing plenty of tired rivals in the stretch.
Argentinian-bred Macro Access is coming off a nice win against optional claimers at Santa Anita, but makes a huge step up in class for trainer Paulo Lobo. He is up against it as is Toowindytohaulrox. This four-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday has had success over this course with a win and two third place efforts in five tries, but lacks the speed and class of the top contenders.
The Seabiscuit Handicap is the eighth of nine races on Friday afternoon and starts a closing weekend full of great stakes action on the turf “Where the Turf Meets the Surf.”