Bal a Bali heads Shoemaker Mile; Beholder back in Adoration

Bal a Bali exits an impressive win and looms as a potential up-and-coming star of the U.S. turf ranks (Benoit Photo)

An impressive winner of the May 9 American (G3) in his U.S. debut, Brazilian
Horse of the Year Bal a Bali (Put It Back) will seek his second straight stakes
race stateside in Saturday’s $400,000
Shoemaker
Mile (G1). The Richard Mandella-trained five-year-old tops a field of five
entered for the one-mile turf affair.

Hall of Famer Mandella will be represented by another stable star, dual
champion Beholder (Henny Hughes), in the $100,000
Adoration
(G3) on the same program. The outstanding five-year-old mare, an earner of
more than $3.4 million, will be an overwhelming favorite versus six rivals in
the 1 1/16-mile main track event.

A winner of his last eight starts in Brazil, Bal a Bali was purchased by Fox
Hill Farms and Siena Farms following his victory in the Grande Premio Brasil
(Brz-G1) last June. He got sick traveling to the United States in late summer
and contracted laminitis. After recovering in Florida, he was sent to Mandella’s
barn and recorded a one-length tally in the American, displaying a smart turn of
foot into the stretch to easily prove best. Flavien Prat retains the mount.

Beholder enters the Adoration with a 10-9-1-0 record at Santa Anita (Benoit Photo)

Grade 1 winner Seek Again (Speightstown), elevated to third after being
roughed up in the stretch drive of the May 2 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1)
at Churchill Downs, is a fresh challenger as well as 2014 Del Mar Derby (G2)
hero Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile), a 7 3/4-length scorer over
allowance/optional claiming foes on April 16 in his 2015 debut who brings a
three-race winning streak into the Shoemaker for conditioner Phil D’Amato.

Beholder returns to action Saturday and given the state of the older female
division, with 2014 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Untapable (Tapit) losing
two of three starts this season, the talented front-runner looks poised to make
a serious impact this year if she remains healthy. The five-year-old mare came
back from a 6 1/2-month layoff with a 3 3/4-length romp in the April 10 Santa
Lucia at Santa Anita but was scratched from the May 9 Vanity (G1) due to a
fever. Regular rider Gary Stevens will be up.

Santa Margarita (G1) heroine Warren’s Veneda (Affirmative) had a three-race
win skein snapped when third in the Vanity as the 1-9 favorite. The Craig
Lewis-conditioned mare will attempt to rebound with Tyler Baze.