Santa Anita: Shared Belief works toward Robert Lewis

ARCADIA, Calif. – Shared Belief, a top contender for the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old male of 2013, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 at Santa Anita on Friday morning.

Shared Belief could have done much more, jockey Corey Nakatani said.

Nakatani noticed in early stretch that Shared Belief had caught a glimpse of two horses working in front of him, and he quickened noticeably.

“He wanted to go,” Nakatani said. “He was just waiting for me to give him the cue to go.”

Nakatani did not give Shared Belief the opportunity to catch the other workers. The goal of Friday’s workout was to keep Shared Belief on schedule for his 3-year-old debut. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday that Shared Belief is being pointed to the $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 8.

“That’s the schedule we’ve worked out,” Hollendorfer said.

The first stakes of 2014 for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita is the $100,000 Sham Stakes over a mile next Saturday.

Shared Belief is unbeaten in three starts – a maiden race at Golden Gate Fields in October, the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes over seven furlongs on Nov. 10, and the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity over 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 14. Those races were on synthetic tracks.

Nakatani was aboard for the two stakes wins.

Shared Belief has worked twice on Santa Anita’s dirt track since the CashCall Futurity.

The Hollendorfer stable will have runners in two major stakes for older horses in coming weeks.

Blueskiesnrainbows and Rousing Sermon will start in the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 11. Hear the Ghost and Zeewat are candidates for the $200,000 Strub Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 18.