Shared Belief appears sound after pulling up in Charles Town Classic

Shared Belief, pulled up by jockey Mike Smith in the early stages of Saturday’s Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, may have an issue in his right hind end but otherwise appeared sound, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Sunday morning.

Hollendorfer said Shared Belief would be going to a clinic near Charles Town for a nuclear scan to determine the extent of any physical issues.

“He seems to be doing very well today,” Hollendorfer said. “There’s a little something bugging him in his right hind, but he walked sound, and he jogged down the road sound. We’re going to give the horse a good going over from head to toe with a nuclear scan. Hopefully, nothing will be wrong.”

Shared Belief appeared to bobble coming out of the starting gate and was last going into the first of three turns in the Charles Town Classic. Smith pulled him entering the second turn.

“Mike thinks he tweaked himself coming out of the gate,” said Hollendorfer. “He was going OK after that, but when he switched to his right lead, Mike said he didn’t feel right.”

Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old of 2013, had won 10 of 11 starts entering the Charles Town Classic, a race in which he was made the 1-5 favorite.

Hollendorfer was hoping to run Shared Belief in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on June 7, but that would appear very much in doubt.

Hollendorfer said regardless of what the nuclear scan reveals, Shared Belief “might get some time off.”