Alert Bay Ready for Seabiscuit 'Cap

Peter Redekop's Alert Bay will head down to Southern California from his Golden Gate Fields home base again to seek his fourth straight victory Nov. 27 in the $250,000 Seabiscuit Handicap (gr. IIT) at Del Mar.



A winner of 11 races in 20 starts, including eight stakes (four graded), the 4-year-old City Zip   gelding was last in the southern half of the Golden State Sept. 27 at Santa Anita Park, when he rallied four wide to win the City of Hope Mile (gr. IIT).



LAMARRA: Alert Bay Rallies to Take City of Hope Mile



Fellow City of Hope runners Avanzare (third) and Big Bane Theory (seventh) return to challenge in the 1 1/16-mile Seabuscuit. Donato Lanni and John Youngblood's Avanzare, who came into the City of Hope off back-to-back wins in the Arcadia (gr. IIT) and Del Mar Mile Handicap (gr. IIT), should loom a threat again and is coming in fresh off a two-month layoff.



The Blaine Wright-trained Alert Bay had a race between, when he gamely held off a field full of stakes winners in an allowance prep for the Seabiscuit Nov. 6 at Golden Gate.



BALAN: Alert Bay Relentless in Seabiscuit Prep



"We thought he'd need a race," Wright said Nov. 6. "We certainly got our prep race in. He was blowing good after the race. He had to reach down and run real hard. This should set us up real nice. I'm glad we got to run him and I'm glad we came out on top."



Alert Bay's streaky nature is well-established. Early in 2014, he won three straight races, went winless in three stakes in the middle of the year, then rattled off five straight wins from September to January all in stakes—the British Columbia Derby (Can-III), BC Premier's Handicap (Can-III), Zia Park Derby, Mathis Brothers Mile (gr. IIT), and California Cup Turf Classic. He went winless in another three stakes before starting his current streak with a victory in the Rolling Green Stakes at Golden Gate Sept. 7.



Another intriguing contender is Richard Mandella-trained Bal a Bali. The 2014 Brazilian Triple Crown winner burst onto the scene when he won his U.S. debut in the May 9 American Stakes (gr. IIIT). The son of Put It Back finished fifth in his next two starts—the Shoemaker Mile (gr. IT) and the Del Mar Mile won by Avanzare—but looked impressive again in his last start, winning a mile turf allowance at Del Mar by 1 3/4 lengths Oct. 30.



Another threat might be coming from the East, in Bill Mott-trained grade I winner Seek Again. The 5-year-old son of Speightstown   hasn't won, however, in six starts since his Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT) score in 2014.



Graded winner Midnight Storm, who bested Seek Again for second in the June 13 Shoemaker Mile, could also be a significant factor and has proven himself on the Del Mar grass before. He won the Del Mar Derby (gr. IIT) by a commanding 3 1/4 lengths in 2014.