Shared Belief works for Awesome Again Stakes

Shared Belief, in his first work since capturing the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 24, went a half-mile in 50.20 seconds Thursday at Golden Gate Fields.

Jerry Hollendorfer, the trainer and co-owner of Shared Belief, said the horse went “real good” and was on course for the Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, a race that Hollendorfer intends to use as a final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

Hollendorfer called the Awesome Again “a legitimate spot to run the horse.”

Hollendorfer said Shared Belief would do all his serious training at Golden Gate, mirroring the schedule he had prior to the Los Alamitos Derby and Pacific Classic. Shared Belief has never run at Santa Anita. His only previous race on dirt was the Los Alamitos Derby.

Shared Belief has won all six of his starts – three at age 2 and three this year. His victories last year included the CashCall Futurity, which helped him earn the Eclipse Award as champion male 2-year-old of 2013.

Shared Belief is making a late-season bid for titles this year as champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year, but he has to overtake California Chrome, who has built a sizeable lead with victories in the Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby, and Preakness. That gives California Chrome three Grade 1 wins this year to one for Shared Belief.

But if Shared Belief can win both the Awesome Again and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, that would give him three Grade 1 wins, the same as California Chrome, and all of his would be against older horses, whereas California Chrome’s wins have all been against 3-year-olds.

The dream matchup, of course, would be both meeting in the BC Classic. California Chrome is scheduled to make his next start in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 20.