By Hank Wesch

SHARED BELIEF TAKES CLASSIC ACCOLADES TO GOLDEN GATE HOME

Shared Belief departed Del Mar on Wednesday morning on a van to the Golden Gate Fields headquarters of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer while praise for the 3-year-old gelding’s TVG Pacific Classic-winning performance continued to echo throughout the country.

In New York, NBC Sports’ horse racing analyst Randy Moss moved the undefeated 3-year-old gelded son of Candy Ride to the No. 1 position in the latest “Randy’s Rankings” of the Top 10 Breeders’ Cup contenders for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run on Saturday, November 1 at Santa Anita Park.

With the $1 million Pacific Classic being a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Shared Belief is assured a position in the starting gate. And Moss moved  Shared Belief past Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome to the top of his chart. 

“Unbeaten and essentially untested, his 115 Beyer Speed Figure from the Pacific Classic is the highest recorded by a 3-year-old this year. He may or may not be superior to California Chrome, but he ascends to the No. 1 spot because he is one step ahead in the race to the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Moss said at breederscup.com.  “He has now beaten older horses at a strongly run 1¼ miles, overcame a bit of adversity from an awkward start, and did so in a running time usually fast enough to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

Shared Belief hit the side of the stall with his right hind quarter when the gate opened but, expertly ridden by Mike Smith, rallied from sixth in the 10-horse field after three-quarters of a mile to win by 2 ¾ lengths in 2:00.28 for 1 ¼ miles. It was the second-fastest Classic of the eight-year Polytrack era, behind only Dullahan’s 1:59.54.

News out of England, where Pacific Classic runner-up Toast of New York returned on Monday, was that Shared Belief had been dropped down to 6-1 in Eclipse Awards 2014 Horse of the Year future wager odds listed by legal bookmaker, the  William Hill agency. Shared Belief had been available at 16-1 in the days leading up to Del Mar’s marquee event.

California Chrome and Palace Malice remain Horse of the Year co-favorites at 5-2.

With Hollendorfer in Northern California, assistant Dan Ward said Wednesday that of the seven horses the stable sent out Sunday, producing three wins, Shared Belief was the only one to fully clean up his feed tub – a sign of vigor – and had the job done by 9 p.m., a few hours after the race.

Hollendorfer has said that  Shared Belief will likely have one race before the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but has kept open the possibility of training the 2013 Eclipse Juvenile champion up to the event. Considered the main race possibilities are the Pennsylvania Derby on September 20 at Parx Racing in Philadelphia and the Awesome Again on September 27 at Santa Anita.

“Jerry will talk it over with the owners. He’ll make the right decision,” Ward said.

SOLIS TO MAKE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RETURN HERE THIS WEEKEND

The Del Mar jockey colony will add a Hall of Fame rider this weekend when Alex Solis returns home to the West Coast after nearly five years being based in the east.

Solis, who became the 98th jockey inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month, has 4,992 career wins from 33,600 starts. His horses’ purse earnings are $235,699,608.

Solis, 50, is at  Del Mar but was still in the process of the coast-to-coast relocation Wednesday morning, his agent Brandon O’Bryan said. Solis was here Sunday for the Pacific Classic and was in the winner’s circle after Shared Belief – part-owned by his bloodstock agent son Alex Jr.  – won the $1 million event.

O’Bryan said the connection with Solis was initiated by a phone call from East Coast super agent Ron Anderson, who informed him that Solis desired to return to the West. Anderson is the agent for Joel Rosario.

“I gave Alex a call and we ended up meeting about a week later for lunch,” O’Bryan said. “This is home, where his family and his kids are, and I think that’s the main reason he wanted to come back and ride here.”

Solis is expected to be at the track Thursday or Friday morning to work horses and O’Bryan said he already had a couple of  mounts lined up for races over the Labor Day weekend.

O’Bryan, a third-generation jockey agent has had Danny Sorenson, Alonso Quinonez, David Flores and Kerwin John among past clients and started the meeting representing Saul Arias. He will now exclusively represent Solis.

Retired trainer Mel Stute, who gave Solis a major break putting him on Snow Chief for the 1986 Triple Crown campaign which produced a victory in the Preakness, remains a big Solis supporter.

“Alex, in my opinion, is going to do real well here, same as Desormeaux has,” Stute said. “I told Kent when he came back, ‘They talk about the jocks we have here now but don’t you worry. You old timers will give them all a lesson.’ Mike Smith and Kent are doing really well here and so will Alex. He has the right style and he thinks when he rides.”

Solis joins Smith and Desormeaux as the Hall of Fame members in the Del Mar jockey colony. Gary Stevens underwent knee replacement surgery this summer but has expressed intentions of making a comeback.

MILE, O’BRIEN MARQUEE HORSES EXIT IN GOOD SHAPE

Tom’s Tribute and Goldencents, winners of the $250,000 Grade II events leading up to the Pacific Classic on Sunday, showed no ill effects of the effort and are headed to Breeders’ Cup assignments.

Tom’s Tribute put a lock on “Grass Horse of the Meeting” honors with a Del Mar Mile victory to go with an earlier one in the Grade I  mile and one-eighth Eddie Read Stakes.

“You do the best you can and hope for the best,” trainer Jim Cassidy said. “I couldn’t be happier. The whole thing is fantastic, We’ll see what happens at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Obviously, the two-time defending Mile champion, had his chances  compromised by a slow start and finished fourth beaten 2 ¼ lengths as the 2-5 favorite. But the Phil D’Amato trainee came out of the race fine and will be trained up to a  Breeders’ Cup Mile assignment for the third year in a row. D’Amato trained Big John B to win Saturday’s Del Mar Handicap, a “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In winning Sunday’s Pat O’Brien Stakes, Doug O’Neill-trained Goldencents earned an expenses-paid entry to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, the event he won last year.

“Came out of it super,” O’Neill said.

Trainer Bob Baffert reported that Fed Biz (2nd, Mile) and Game On Dude (4th, Classic) were also fine and will be pointed for yet-to-be determined races.

“Dude’s still mad,” Baffert said. “He ran a huge race, but it  turned out to be a wasted effort. That’s horse racing.

BIG DAY FOR HOLLENDORFER, SMITH IMPACTS RACES

Jerry Hollendorfer opened up a four-win lead over Peter Miller in the trainer standings with three wins on Sunday and Mike Smith’s four-win day moved him within two of leader Rafael Bejarano (26-24) in the jockey standings.

With seven racing days remaining, Hollendorfer, who has long dominated racing in Northern California, is clearly the one to beat in search of his first outright training title on the Southern California circuit. Smith, with his victory aboard Shared Belief, shouldn’t be topped in the win percentage (he’s at 26) and money earnings (nearly $2.5 million) categories. And, given his recent hot hand, he can’t be counted out for total wins despite riding considerably fewer mounts than leader Bejarano (26-147) or the riders with whom Smith is tied for second, Kent Desormeaux (24/126) and Elvis Trujillo (24/156).

FAVORITE’S SCRATCH SETS UP REMATCH IN GENEROUS PORTION

With the scratch of 3-1 morning line favorite Desert Steel, as well as 12-1 Do the Danse Wednesday morning, a rematch of My Fiona and Lost Bus, the 1-2 finishers in the CTBA Stakes on July 18, looms likely in the featured $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes for California bred 2-year-old fillies.

My Fiona, a daughter of Ghostzapper trained by Walther Solis, kept favored Lost Bus at bay in the stretch for a neck victory in the CTBA. The scratches reduce the field for the Generous Portion to eight.

WHAT’S IN A NAME -- The Generous Portion Stakes is named for 1970  Del Mar Debutante winner Generous Portion who was owned and bred by the Old English Rancho of Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Johnston. Inaugurated in 1991, it has been run annually since 1996.

NINE ENTERED FOR DEBUTANTE

Nine 2-year-old fillies were entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante.

The field, from the rail out: Sevuire (Elvis Trujillo), Manahatta (Rafael Bejarano), Starlet O’Hara (Martin Garcia), Dad’s Princess (Mike Smith), Sunset Glow (Victor Espinoza), Her Emmynency (Joe Talamo), Stealth Drone (Tyler Baze), Conquest Eclipse (Corey Nakatani) and Windy Forecast (Kent Desormeaux). 

TRAKUS FACTS FROM SUNDAY

Pacific Classic winner Shared Belief and third place finisher Imperative ran the same final quarter, timed in 24.84 seconds.

The early pace set by Obviously took its toll in the final quarter. The heavily-backed favorite finished fourth and ran his final two furlongs in 24.70 seconds.

Winner Tom’s Tribute came home in 23.86 seconds while second placer Rock Me Baby was home fastest in 23.69 seconds. Fifth place finisher Tigah had the fastest final furlong in 11.86 seconds.

First time starter Conquest Panthera rallied from off a slow pace and won easily, running the final quarter in 23.52 seconds and a final eighth in 11.91 seconds.

CLOSERS –  Ship And Win eligible horses on Wednesday’s card are: Luvly Rita (3rd, Patrick Biancone, trainer), Imperial Badger (4th, Vladimir Cerin), Scatchmeifyoucan (Vladimir Cerin), Shezapiranha (6th, Gary Sherluck) … Selected workouts from 269  timed over the past three days: Monday – Candy Boy (5f, :59.40), Wishing Gate (5f, 1:02.00), Jojo Warrior (6f, 1:13.40), Secret Circle (6f, 1:11.40), Beholder (7f, 1:24.00); Tuesday – Moulin de Mougin (4f, :51.80), Old Time Hockey (4f, :49.80) Setsuko (4f, :48.60), Stormy Lucy (5f, 1:01.40), Rue de Lune (7f, 1:26.60); Wednesday: Educating ((4f, :49.00), Henry’s Holiday (5f, :1:03.00),

DEL MAR STATISTICS

 Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 24, 2014 Inclusive)

 Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 24, 2014 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Sunday, August 24, 2014 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 73 out of 258 -- 28.29%

 Winning favorites on Polytrack -- 58 out of 202 -- 28.71%

 Winning favorites on turf -- 15 out of 56 -- 26.79%

 Winning odds-on favorites -- 7 out of 16 -- 43.75%

 In-the-Money favorites -- 159 out of 258 -- 61.63%

 In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 11 out of 16 -- 68.75%

Wednesday, August 27, 2014 Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793