Shared Belief completes preparation for Charles Town Classic

Shared Belief had a final breeze at Golden Gate Fields on Tuesday prior to his Saturday start in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic. Shared Belief breezed a half-mile over the Tapeta main track in 51.80 seconds with Russell Baze aboard.

“We just gave him an easy half,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “Russell was very happy with the work.”

Shared Belief, the top-ranked horse in North America, is scheduled to ship from the Bay Area to West Virginia on Wednesday, according to Hollendorfer. Shared Belief will fly from Oakland to Newark, N.J., and then van 250 miles to Charles Town.

The Charles Town Classic card will be drawn Wednesday. As of Tuesday, a field of eight was expected.

In addition to Shared Belief, the probable starters are $2 million earner Moreno; two-time Grade 2 winner Vyjack; last year’s Charles Town Classic winner, Imperative; General a Rod, who won a Tampa Bay Downs stakes in his debut for Todd Pletcher; Street Babe, the winner of the Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds last time out while making his third career start; Page McKenney, who has won two consecutive stakes at Laurel Park; and Looking Cool, who was claimed for $62,000 by Peter Walder at Gulfstream Park in his last race.

The Saturday card at Charles Town also will include six undercard stakes, topped by the $150,000 Sugar Maple, a seven-furlong race for fillies and mares. The other stakes are the $100,000 Robert Hilton Memorial, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds, and four $50,000 stakes for West Virginia-breds.