Bal A Bali rallies to win the Shoemaker Mile
Bal A Bali (BRZ), the winner of the 2014 Triple Crown in Brazil, made a closing move down the middle of the stretch to win the $400,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1) on the grass at Santa Anita. This was the first Breeders’ Cup Challenge ‘Win and You’re In’ race of 2017 in North America and it earned Bal A Bali a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on November 4th at Del Mar.
Bal A Bali became only the third horse in history to win the Kilroe Mile (G1) and the Shoemaker Mile in the same year. The last horse to do it was Redattore, who was also a Brazilian-bred and was also trained by Richard Mandella. In addition, Mandella won the Shoemaker in 2007 with The Tin Man.
“He’s [Bal A Bali] a really good horse,” said Mandella. “People don’t realize what a great horse he is. He came here, had laminitis, went through a lot of tough times. To comeback like this is just something special.”
Originally run as the Premiere Handicap, this race was named to honor Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker upon his retirement from riding in 1990. Also, it was moved to Santa Anita in 2014 after the closing of Hollywood Park. Shoemaker won 8,833 races in his career as a jockey.
Today’s race set up perfectly for the off the pace running style of Bal A Bali, when the early fractions were very fast. It was the 5/2 betting favorite, Heart to Heart who dashed to the lead and set the pace while running closest to the rail. What A View was not far behind in second place as the timer clicked off quarter mile times of 22.67, 45.07, and an eye-catching 1:08.21 for six furlongs.
Mike Smith, who was aboard Bal A Bali for the first time in the afternoon, had been up on the seven-year-old in the morning several times. Smith broke alertly from the gate with the eventual winner and settled in fifth place in the early going four or five lengths behind Heart to Heart. There, they were able to relax as no other horses were near them.
First, it was What A View who could not keep up with the blistering pace and it allowed Heart to Heart to open up a lead of 2 ½ lengths in the stretch. It would not be enough of a lead after a seven-furlong time of 1:20.16, not when Bal A Bali was closing stoutly. Bal A Bali got to Heart to Heart to win by a margin of three-quarters of a length. Farhaan was also able to rally and got the second-place money by a nose over the valiant Heart to Heart. The final time for this turf mile was 1:32.22.
As the third choice of the bettors, Bal A Bali paid $8.20, 4.20, and 3.00. Farhaan completed the $2 exacta and that wager returned $28.80. The $2 trifecta down to Heat to Heart yielded $82.40.
Bal A Bali, who won 11 of 12 races in Brazil, upped his career record to 25: 15-1-4. He earned $240,000 for his current owners at Calumet Farm and has banked a total of $1,257,578.
Mandella added, “It was a tough race. He’s doing good. But, I’m a trainer. I’m never real confident. I’m always worried about the others. The mile kind of seems like his race and I’m going to stick to it. The Breeders’ Cup Mile will be the long-term goal.”