Mastery off Derby trail after injury

Given that four of the last five Kentucky Derbies have been won by horses based in California — Orb was the exception in 2013 — it’s a good idea to pay attention to prep races run at Santa Anita. Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes featured the sophomore debut of Mastery, the unbeaten son of Candy Ride who has been among this year’s most highly regarded Derby contenders.

Mastery could hardly have been more impressive in winning the Grade 2 race by nearly six lengths. Unfortunately, the Bob Baffert-trained colt suffered a condylar fracture of his left

hind leg in the race, and is off the Derby trail. And may not race again. Surgery was scheduled for Monday.

With Mastery out, what had already been considered a wide-open Derby competition has become even more so. Many of the leaders in qualifying points (six of the top ten) are coming off losing efforts, and not all will necessarily be sent to Churchill Downs. Several top contenders who may need additional points to make the Derby field — a group that includes the unbeaten colts McCraken and One Liner — have one more opportunity to do so. All of a sudden, a Derby prep season that had seemed slow to get under way is down to its last dozen or so races.

These remaining races, however, offer more than 60 percent of the total qualifying points awarded. Next Saturday’s lone prep is the Rebel Stakes (G2), which is expected to draw Derby hopefuls Royal Mo, Petrov and American Anthem. Royal Mo won last month’s Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). Petrov and American Anthem are coming off runner-up finishes in the Southwest Stakes (G3) and Sham (G3), respectively.

Bal a Bali

Saturday’s marquee event at Santa Anita was of course the Santa Anita Handicap, which East Coast invader Shaman’s Ghost won by three-quarters of a length over Midnight Storm. It was the second Grade 1 score for the late-developing son of Ghostzapper (he also won the Woodward last summer at Saratoga), who was exiting a second to Arrogate in the Pegasus World Cup.

The day’s most competitive and exciting race, though, was the Frank Kilroe Mile.

Four horses were sent off at odds of 5-2 or 3-1, but it was Bal a Bali, the longest shot on the board at 9-1, who won the day, wearing down defending champion What a View (7-1) late to prevail by a head. Beaten horses included Ring Weekend, Bolo, Conquest Enforcer and Dortmund, who was trying turf for the first time.

With the victory, Bal a Bali establishes his own category of excellence: the first 7-year-old Triple Crown winner (in Brazil, in 2014) and laminitis survivor to win a Grade 1 race off a nine-month layoff. The son of Put It Back has had an up-and-down career since coming to the U.S. – winning once and placing four times in nine graded-stakes tries – but he beat a quality field in the Kilroe Mile. Look for him next in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) on June 3.