Pacific Classic brings together Shared Belief, Game On Dude

Shared Belief versus Game On Dude. That's the main storyline behind Sunday's

Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic, the signature event of the

Del Mar summer meeting.

It's a match-up between a young, rising star and the seasoned veteran who is

being forced to prove that he still belongs at the highest level.

Shared Belief missed the Triple Crown season due to an injury,

but the unbeaten two-year-old champion came back to the races with a gusto,

recording an impressive allowance victory at Golden Gate Fields before a

scintillating display of superiority in the July 5 Los Alamitos Derby. Mike Smith has

opted to ride the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained gelding over Game On Dude.

An earner of more than $6.4 million, Game On Dude remains very dangerous in a title defense. The seven-year-old

gelding posted a superb victory in the Santa Anita H. earlier this season and

will be seeking a measure of redemption following a subpar fourth in the June 28

Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Martin Garcia, who substituted for last year's 8

1/2-length romp in the Pacific Classic, regains the mount for Bob Baffert.

Eleven horses were entered for the 1 1/4-mile event on Polytrack, but any

result that doesn't feature either Shared Belief or Game On Dude in the winner's

circle will be considered an upset.

Shared Belief opened his racing career with a seven-length romp on Golden

Gate's Tapeta last October. He was sold and transferred to Hollendorfer

afterward and promptly rewarded his new connections with a 7 3/4-length

thrashing in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue in mid-November. He concluded his

juvenile campaign with another dominant performance, rolling to a 5 3/4-length

score in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity on December 14, and was named champion at

the Eclipse Award ceremonies a month later.

Pegged as the winter-book Kentucky Derby favorite, Shared Belief sustained a

foot injury training at Santa Anita in January and was sidelined for more than

six months before returning in late May. He showed his versatility

capturing the Los Alamitos Derby on dirt in his second start back, but the son

of Candy Ride should appreciate the switch to Polytrack given that he captured

his first four outings on synthetic tracks.

Shared Belief registered a career-best 105 BRIS Speed rating last time and

can assert himself as a serious contender for both Horse of the Year and

champion three-year-old male with a victory over elders Sunday. He's been

installed as the 5-2 favorite on the morning line and will break from the far

outside post.

Game On Dude capped a six-race winning streak in last year's Pacific Classic,

making amends for a close second in the 2012 edition, but he won't bring the

same credentials into this year's running. He defeated a top-class field in the

aforementioned Big 'Cap in March, but the son of Awesome Again has dropped his

other three starts this year, including a pair of unplaced finishes.

Baffert believes Game On Dude still has something to offer -- the classy

gelding shows a nice series of six works on Del Mar's Polytrack -- and the

front-runner's speed makes him extremely dangerous, especially if Game On Dude

can get away with an uncontested advantage during the early stages. Listed as

the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, he breaks from post No. 5.

Majestic Harbor, a 6 1/4-length upset winner of the Gold Cup, is pegged as

the 9-2 third favorite. The well-traveled son of Rockport Harbor was a

non-descript performer last year for Paul McGee, recording unplaced finishes in

his lone stakes attempts, the New Orleans H. and Texas Mile, before being

transferred back to Sean McCarthy this season. He earned his first stakes

victory in the Tokyo City in late March, scoring by three lengths at 1 1/2

miles, and followed with a close third in the May 31 Californian.

The six-year-old romped at 14-1 last time and will keep Tyler Baze in the

saddle.

Irish Surf, who earned his first stakes success with an 8 1/2-length

thrashing in the July 25 Cougar II at Del Mar, comes next on the morning line at

8-1 along with multiple Grade 2 hero Clubhouse Ride. The front-running Irish

Surf is cross-entered to Saturday's Del Mar H. on turf and Elvis Trujillo will

be up if he runs in the Pacific Classic. Clubhouse Ride exits a second in the

Gold Cup and retains the services of Joe Talamo.

Toast of New York, a convincing winner of this year's U.A.E. Derby over a

synthetic track, will make his second start stateside for trainer Jamie Osbourne

following a sixth in the deep Belmont Derby on turf. Victor Espinoza picks up

the assignment.

Rounding out the field are Grade 2 winner Frac Daddy, fourth as the favorite

in the July 26 San Diego; San Diego third-placer You Know I Know, who also

finished third in last year's Pacific Classic; Grade 2 victor Imperative;

Mystery Train, a multiple Group 1 winner from Argentina who will be making his

U.S. debut; and Cougar third-placer Ice Cream Truck, who is cross-entered to the

Del Mar H.

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