Bal a Bali Retired to Calumet Farm
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Bal a Bali and Mike Smith take the June 3 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita
Multiple grade 1 winner Bal a Bali has been retired from racing, trainer Richard Mandella said Oct. 27.
The Hall of Fame trainer was attempting to get the 7-year-old son of Put It Back ready for the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), but ultimately did not feel the 2014 Brazilian Triple Crown winner was at the level he needed to be for the race.
"We tried to get him back to his best," Mandella said of Bal a Bali, who won the June 3 Shoemaker Mile (G1T) and March 11 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1T), along with the 2015 American Stakes (G3T), since he relocated to the United States.
NOVAK-CROSBY: Comeback King Bal a Bali Takes Shoemaker Mile
After he won a battle with laminitis upon his arrival stateside, Bal a Bali continued to have physical issues throughout his time with Mandella, and although the horse showed up on the Calumet Farm stallion roster for 2017—he'll stand at Calumet, the farm that owns him, in 2018—his conditioner said he was simply "training too well" to be retired early in the year.
That sage evaluation resulted in the ultimate rewards this year, as Bal a Bali won the pair of grade 1 turf races in Southern California.
"He's had problems ever since he came here and he's dealt with them and had success—success beyond expectations," Mandella said.
Add in his 11 victories in Brazil—including four group 1 races—and Bal a Bali's record stands at 15-1-4 from 26 starts, with more than $1.2 million in earnings. He won four races in the U.S. and has four other placings in graded events.