SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017 A BOUNCE-BACK >PERFORMANCE= STELLAR WIND GAME Last year=s GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Turf hero Oscar Performance (Kitten=s Joy) had been a puzzling no-show in his IN BEHOLDER two prior starts this season, but the talented >TDN Rising Star= bounced back in a big way in Saturday=s GIII Pennine Ridge S. to assert himself as a major contender for next month=s GI Belmont Derby. Taking up his preferred spot at the pole position early, the Amerman homebred faced little resistance as a very headstrong Secretary At War (War Front) fought with his rider in second through splits of :24.43, :49.92 and 1:14.74. Jose Ortiz remained very confident as he and Oscar Performance strode past the quarter pole with the cavalry charge stacking up just behind them, and he shook off Secretary at War in upper stretch before easily holding heavily favored late runner Good Samaritan (Harlan=s Holiday) at bay by 1 3/4 lengths. Ticonderoga (Tapit) rounded out the trifecta. Cont. p6 Stellar Wind | Benoit Photo IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Hronis Racing=s Stellar Wind (Curlin), who faced off against WINGS OF EAGLES SWOOPS FOR DERBY WIN champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) in several memorable 2016 Wings of Eagles (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}), at 40-1, came with a clashes, forged past a game Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) in late rally to deny stablemate Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) deep stretch to earn a neck victory in the first running of the in Saturday’s G1 Investec Derby. GI Beholder Mile, formerly the Vanity, at Santa Anita Saturday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. AShe=s so game, that=s why she wins these races,@ said winning owner Kosta Hronis. AShe=s back--our whole deal with bringing her back this year was if she was healthy and training well. This reminded me of running against Beholder.@ Vale Dori bounded out to the lead as Stellar Wind, caught slightly flat-footed at the break, trailed the short three-horse field in the early strides. Victor Espinoza sent Stellar Wind through a seam between the pacesetter and Finest City (City Zip) going into the first turn and the 1-2 favorite took up a tracking position as Vale Dori set fractions of :24.12 and :47.64. Stellar Wind drew on even terms with the pacesetter at the top of the lane and looked set to sail on by, but Vale Dori, riding a six-race win streak, battled back bravely along the rail. Stellar Wind found another gear late, though, and put away the Argentinian miss in the dying strides to earn the fourth Grade I victory of her career. AShe=s so tough,@ trainer John Sadler said after watching Stellar Wind earn her second Grade I win of 2017. AShe doesn't lose photos. This was closer than I thought it was going to be, but that other mare is really a top mare now. We=re thrilled.@ Cont. p4 PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Sunday, June 4, 2017 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Assistant Editor Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Unscheduled Dismount. Cali Thirty Seven and jockey C. J. McMahon part company Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants during the post parade before Saturday’s G3 Eatontown S at Monmouth Park. Horse Alexa Reisfield and rider were uninjured and ran in the race. | Sarah Andrew Michelle Benson Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution IRISH WAR CRY BELMONT BOUND 9 Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Irish War Cry (Curlin) breezed six furlongs in 1:13 3/5 [email protected] at Fair Hill Saturday morning and is being pointed for the June 10 GI Belmont S., trainer Graham Motion Social Media Strategist Justina Severni confirmed later in the day. Director of Customer Service TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Vicki Forbes EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 2:40a Yasuda Kinen (Japanese Derby)-G1, TOK --------------- ----- Director of Information Technology 4:05a Lion Rock Trophy-G3, SHT HKJC PPs ----- Ray Villa 8:20a Prix de Royaumont-G3, CHT --------------- ----- [email protected] 8:55a Prix de Sandringham-G2, CHT --------------- ----- WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 10:15a QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club-G1, CHT --------------- ----- International Editor 11:00a Grand Prix de Chantilly-G2, CHT --------------- ----- Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 11:40a Prix du Gros-Chene-G2, CHT --------------- ----- [email protected] 12:00p Diana Trial-G2, HOP --------------- ----- European Editor Emma Berry 4:55p Hendrie S.-GIII, WO TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 11 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JUNE 4, 2017 GI Shoemaker Mile S. was trying hard up front, but those early fractions began to take their toll and Bal a Bali reeled him in methodically inside the final 70 yards. Farhaan closed off nicely from last to grab second on the wire. Saturday, Santa Anita Fifth in this race two years ago, Bal a Bali was an allowance SHOEMAKER MILE S.-GI, $400,690, SA, 6-3, 3yo/up, 1mT, winner that October, but did not win again for 19 months until 1:32.22, fm. knocking out What a View on the wire in the Mar. 11 GI Kilroe 1--BAL A BALI (BRZ), 126, h, 7, by Put It Back Mile S. under a perfect ride from Javier Castellano, who went on 1st Dam: In My Side (Brz) (Broodmare of the Year-Brz, to win the GI Santa Anita H. with Shaman Ghost (Ghostzapper) GSW-Brz), by Clackson (Brz) later that afternoon. Bal a Bali was exiting a fifth behind 2nd Dam: By My Side, by Ogygian Divisidero (Kitten=s Joy) in the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic 3rd Dam: Blint, by Nijinsky II over a stamina-testing nine furlongs on Derby Day May 6. O-Calumet Farm; B-Haras Santa Maria de Araras (BRZ); T-Richard E Mandella; J-Mike E Smith. $240,000. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. 3yo-Brz, MG1SW-Brz, 25-15-1-4, $1,257,923. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Farhaan, 122, h, 8, Jazil--Alshadiyah, by Danzig. O-Matthew Schera; B-Shadwell Farm LLC (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $80,000. 3--Heart to Heart, 122, h, 6, English Channel--Ask the Question, by Silver Deputy. (C$25,000 Ylg '12 CANSEP). O-Terry Hamilton; B-Red Hawk Ranch (ON); T-Brian A. Lynch. $48,000. Registered Ontario-Bred/CTHS Grad Bought by ALISTAIR RODEN BLOODSTOCK Margins: 3/4, NO, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.10, 2.70, 2.50. Also Ran: Free Rose, Gangster, Bolo, What a View Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Bal a Bali strongest in the finish in the Shoemaker | Benoit Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Cont. p4 Imported into this country with the highest of hopes as Brazil=s Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old, Bal a Bali overcame a well-documented bout with laminitis and shaped as one of this country=s top milers not so long ago while owned by Rick Porter=s Fox Hill Farms and Anthony Manganaro=s Siena Farm. Off form for the better part of 18 months and nearly retired, the Southern Hemisphere 6-year-old seems to have rediscovered his best and earned his second U.S. top-level score in the Shoemaker Mile Saturday afternoon while earning an automatic bid to the GI Breeders= Cup Mile later this year at Del Mar. The connections of Bal a Bali would have loved the potential shape of the Shoemaker on paper with the speedy Heart to Heart and What a View (Vronsky) signed on, and that expected pace duel materialized as Bal a Bali settled in fifth and with plenty of running room through an opening half-mile that went in a taxing :45.07. Heart to Heart, dangerous when left to his own devices, but susceptible when taken on, did manage to put away What a View outside the quarter pole, but it was at that point that Mike Smith had Bal a Bali in full gear. Heart to Heart TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 11 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JUNE 4, 2017 Shoemaker Mile S. cont. 2--Vale Dori (Arg), 126, m, 5, Asiatic Boy (Arg)--Valerina (Arg), AHe's had some problems in his life and he's had some nice by Halo Sunshine. O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al owners, some of the best in the business, that have been willing Maktoum; B-Abolengo (ARG); T-Bob Baffert. $80,000. to let me do what's right by him,@ said Richard Mandella, who was fittingly winning the other Santa Anita feature on a day 3--Finest City, 122, m, 5, City Zip--Be Envied, by Lemon Drop Kid. when the GI Beholder Mile was held. AThe fruits of that are what ($50,000 Wlg '12 KEENOV; $85,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Seltzer you saw.@ Thoroughbreds; B-HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC (PA); T-Ian He added, AIt's very gratifying but you expect him to win every Kruljac.