Shared Belief remains perfect with Pacific Classic tour de force

Shared Belief recorded his sixth victory from as many career starts while

facing his sternest test to date -- Sunday's Grade 1, $1,001,250

Pacific Classic going 1 1/4 miles against older, more experienced runners.

That didn't stop the Candy Ride gelding from romping home by 2 3/4 lengths

under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. The reinsman actually chose the Jerry

Hollendorfer sophomore over defending Pacific Classic champion Game On Dude, and

the move paid dividends as Shared Belief completed 10 furlongs over

Del Mar's Polytrack in 2:00

1/5.

"When you have horses run in these big races, everybody wants to dissect them

and be critical," Hollendorfer remarked. "What people were wondering was could

he come down to Del Mar and handle the mile and a quarter? He answered that

question. There'll be other horses and other races in the future and we'll all

be under the microscope again."

"The whole thing is so surreal to me," co-owner Jim Rome said. "I keep

getting the question, 'This is easy, right?' We all know it's the hardest thing

in the world. Janet and I got started in the game back in 2007 and we didn't

have a lot of success early on.

Shared Belief, meanwhile, was in no hurry. Smith kept the dark bay out of

trouble, letting him settle in midpack outside of Majestic Harbor heading into

the backstretch. They dropped back a bit more to run in between horses, about 6

1/2 lengths behind Game On Dude who kept motoring on the front end through

splits of 1:10 and 1:35.

Toast of New York was the first to begin his run and headed after the

longtime leader entering the turn. He soon found company, though, as Shared

Belief hit the gas and appeared on the outside. The three-year-olds collared

Game On Dude on the final turn, and there was a brief moment when Shared Belief

came in a bit. Toast of New York took up even though there was still running

room between his rivals and swung outside of Shared Belief.

The duo easily passed Game On Dude and powered home, with Shared Belief

proving best to remain unbeaten and improve his lifetime earnings to $1,372,200.

"The first part I was farther back than I anticipated being. Leaving the gate

his right hind end bounced off it which was not good. But two jumps later I saw

that the 10 (Mystery Train) was going to put the pressure on Game On Dude, so I

saw my chance to make up for it by saving all the ground I could," Smith

explained.

"I tried to follow the horses that I thought I needed to

follow. I got behind the other three-year-old (Toast of New York) that I knew was

good on Polytrack. I felt confident that I was going to get the trip from that

point on.

"When he can spot them four or five lengths leaving the gate the way he did

and run the way he did, that's incredibly impressive."

"He just ran a terrific race. He's a

special horse. I heard someone say this might be the coming out of a super star.

I think now this horse deserves that accolade. I'll tell you what: he's as good

a young horse as I've sat on in a while."

U.A.E. Derby hero Toast of New York took

second by 2 1/4 lengths over Imperative.

"His people

told me I'd have to stay after him at the end; to encourage him," explained

Toast of New York's rider, Victor Espinoza. "He's a

one-paced horse and he needs some help late.

"Mike's horse (Shared Belief) did

come over on us and I had to take a hold. Maybe it's different if I don't," the

jockey added. "But

he ran good. He's a nice horse and this was a big effort for him."

"He ran a

great race, the race of his life. No hard feelings," trainer Jamie Osborne

remarked about his charge Toast of New York. "The first two horses were

the best. The winner may be the best three-year-old anywhere. My horse stepped up

quite a bit from his win in the U.A.E. Derby."

Shared Belief joins a select group of three-year-olds to have won the Pacific

Classic. Thirteen sophomores had been sent postward in 23 prior runnings of the

race, with four of them proving victorious: Best Pal (in the inaugural 1991

event), General Challenge (1999), Came Home (2002) and Dullahan (2012).

Shared Belief adds the Pacific Classic to a resume that already includes the

Hollywood Prevue, CashCall Futurity and Los Alamitos Derby. He made a name for

himself in California last year, breaking his maiden by seven lengths for

trainer J.B. Josephson before being purchased privately and transferred to

Hollendorfer. A month later he made his stakes debut in the Hollywood Prevue and

once again encountered no threat when pulling away to a 7 3/4-length score.

The dark bay gelding closed out his juvenile campaign with a 5 3/4-length win

in the CashCall Futurity while stretching out to 1 1/16 miles, and just a month

later found himself honored as the champion two-year-old male of 2013 at the

Eclipse Award ceremony.

The Kentucky-bred was scheduled to return in the Robert B. Lewis in early

February at Santa Anita

Park, but foot problems plagued the young champion and he was eventually

sidelined. Off since since his CashCall Futurity score, he returned to the

worktab on April 15 at

Golden Gate Fields,

covering three furlongs in :38 2/5.

Shared Belief continued to work regularly over the Tapeta before finally

entering the starting gate for the first time since December in a May 26

allowance at Golden Gate Fields. He wired that six-furlong contest and stretched

out to 1 1/8 miles for the

Los Alamitos Derby last out. That proved an easy obstacle to overcome as he

pulled off for a 4 1/4-length score.