Muth © Benoit Photo

JUAN HERNANDEZ (Muth, winner) – “I asked a lot of him today, but he responded really well. You know, I think all the credit is to Bob (Baffert) because they were putting a lot of work towards this horse. Today in the race this horse showed up. He is a different horse because when he started out in the first couple races he was very fast, he didn’t want to settle. The last couple races he has relaxed really well, you know, he rode very sharp today. He stayed behind the pace just like I asked of him. He is a very special horse.”

BOB BAFFERT (Muth, winner) – “He’s always been a really smart horse. You can place him wherever you want to. He had to move a little earlier because my other horse was breathing down his neck and they both ran pretty well. That was a really tough race. There were some good 3-year-olds. It was like a Grade two race. It’s good see him back off the long layoff. Now we can point for the California Crown.”

FRACTIONS:  :22.57  :45.84  1:10.00  1:22.66  1:35.64

The stakes win was the sixth of the meet for jockey Hernandez and his second (Mr. Fisk in a dead-heat last year) in the Shared Belief. He now has 50 stakes wins at Del Mar. 

The stakes win was the fifth of the meeting for trainer Baffert and his 12th in the Shared Belief. He now has a well-in-front 173 stakes wins at the shore oval. 

The winning owner is Amr Zedan, a Saudi Arabian businessman based in Lexington, KY.