ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Bal a Bali closed with a rush to win the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile by three-quarters of a length at Santa Anita.
Ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, Bal a Bali ran the distance on turf in 1:32.22 and paid $8.20, $4.20 and $3 on Saturday.
Farhaan returned $3.80 and $2.80, while 5-2 favorite Heart to Heart was another nose back in third and paid $3 to show.
The victory earned Bal a Bali an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 4. The 7-year-old owned by Calumet Farm has won the Brazilian version of the Triple Crown and survived a bout with laminitis in his 25-race career.