Shared Belief likely to run before BC Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. – Jerry Hollendorfer’s work day on Monday included breezing runners at Barretts Sales and Racing in Pomona and then flying home to the Bay Area, but before all of that the Racing Hall of Fame trainer stopped by his Del Mar barn very early Monday morning to check in on Pacific Classic winner Shared Belief, who ran his record to 6 for 6 with his thrilling victory on Sunday.

“He came out of the race very well,” Hollendorfer said, emphasizing the word “very.”

“We couldn’t ask for him to be doing any better,” Hollendorfer added.

Shared Belief overcame an awkward start and nine rivals, eight of them older horses, while recording the highest Beyer Speed Figure of his career, a 115, in his first start at 1 1/4 miles. Shared Belief, last year’s champion male 2-year-old, also put himself in position to make a late-season bid for both Horse of the Year and champion male 3-year-old honors.

California Chrome has the far better r é sum é this year, with three Grade 1 wins, including two legs of the Triple Crown. A potential showdown looms in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, for which Shared Belief earned a fees-paid berth from the Pacific Classic through the Win and You’re In program.

Hollendorfer said he likely would run Shared Belief one time prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. The obvious spot would be the Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, but Hollendorfer wanted to assess all options before committing to anything. He also said he “was going to consider” training straight up to the Breeders’ Cup, but said it was more likely Shared Belief would have a prep.

“I could foresee a race in between,” he said.

Hollendorfer said Shared Belief would remain at Del Mar for a few more days before returning to Golden Gate Fields, where he has trained since bruising a foot, and then developing a quarter crack, earlier this year.

“We’ll keep with that program,” Hollendorfer said. “We don’t want to change something that’s working.”

Shared Belief was farther back in the Pacific Classic than he had been in any of his prior races. He brushed the side of the gate at the start, and trailed by seven lengths after a half-mile.

“We always had the confidence he could stalk,” said his jockey, Mike Smith, who won four races on Sunday, including two stakes. “Now we know we can wait and he’ll still have that turn of foot.”

Toast of New York, who finished second in the Pacific Classic, left Del Mar Monday morning and was to be flown Monday afternoon back to his home base in Great Britain. He and Shared Belief completed a one-two finish in the Pacific Classic as the only 3-year-olds in the race.

Game On Dude, who finished fourth after being pressed through a torrid pace of 22.49 seconds, 45.75, and 1:10.08 for the first six furlongs, also was in good condition Monday, according to his trainer, Bob Baffert. Mystery Train, the import from Argentina who tried to go with Game On Dude early, would up ninth in the field of 10, 37 lengths behind Game On Dude.

“If that horse doesn’t go with him, it would have been a great finish,” Baffert said. “But, hey, it’s horse racing. We live and die by the sword. I felt so bad for Dude down the backside. That was probably one of Dude’s best races. It’s frustrating. He was doing so well. Dude is such a noble horse. But that Shared Belief, he was pretty impressive.”

Baffert joked that he “should have run him in the Pat O’Brien,” since the opening quarter-mile of the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic was faster than that of the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien.

Baffert said it was too soon to know what was next for Game On Dude. Last year, after Game On Dude won the Pacific Classic, he trained straight into the Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which he finished ninth.