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Jim Rome’s Shared Belief Should Be Horse Of The Year

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By @MWCompton

Shared Belief

Kelvin Kuo-USA Today Sports

With his gritty victory in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, Shared Belief once again demonstrated why he is the best horse in training and should be Horse of the Year over Kentucky Derby (G1) winner California Chrome.

Owned by sports talk radio and TV personality Jim Rome (Jungle Racing) in partnership with Alex Solis III, Jason Litt, KMN Racing and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, Shared Belief has lost just once in nine career starts, banking more than $2 million. The only blemish on his slate is a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), when the dark bay gelding lost his best chance at victory in the controversial 1.25-mile test, getting slammed at the start by eventual winner Bayern.

Despite the untimely contact, Shared Belief fought bravely the rest of the way and managed to hit the board in a game effort.

How much ground Shared Belief lost as a result of the early interference in the BC Classic is debatable, but it unquestionably cost him many more lengths than he lost the race by. Shared Belief’s regular pilot Mike Smith has remained steadfast in the belief that he was sitting atop the BC Classic winner if he hadn’t been robbed out of the gate.

Despite losing the first race of his career in the biggest race of his life due to unfortunate racing luck (or overly aggressive riding tactics), Shared Belief has done enough, including beating older horses by nearly three lengths in the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar and winning the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita, to secure a divisional championship as leading three-year-old and Horse of the Year.

Granted, California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1) before falling short of the Triple Crown, finishing a close fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1). Shared Belief was forced to bypass the classic races due to injury, but the upstart California-bred never beat older horses like Shared Belief did twice in his three-year-old campaign.

In winning the Malibu Stakes, the fourth Grade 1 victory of his career, Shared Belief showed just how he special and rare a racehorse he is. Cutting back in distance (from 1.25 miles) and defeating horses that excel at seven-eighths of a mile is no easy task, yet Shared Belief handled it like a champion.

Breaking from the outside in the Malibu, Shared Belief left the gate alertly and cleanly, securing a perfect stalking position just off of the early pacesetters. Tucked in behind the leaders turning for home, Shared Belief was angled out around runners at the top of the lane by Smith in order to be in the clear for his patented late charge.

Once set down for the drive, Shared Belief collared pacesetter Chitu in deep stretch and fended off a stern challenge from longshot Conquest Two Step to prevail narrowly at the finish, stopping the timer in a spirited 1:20.69.

The fast final clocking is yet another testament to Shared Belief’s versatility. Having the stamina to beat older horses in the Pacific Classic is remarkable and deserving of season-ending honors. Lamenting what could have been is common in any sport, and horse racing is no exception. While winning the Malibu can’t possibly erase the disappointment of not getting a fair shake in the BC Classic, the connections to Shared Belief have to be optimistic and excited about the future.

Whether or not the late-season Malibu score is enough to vault Shared Belief to the top of Horse of the Year ballots remains to be seen, but Shared Belief’s most recent victory, if a sign of things to come, should have racing fans everywhere on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what the best horse in training will accomplish next.

As for adding a BC Classic victory to an already impressive resume, there’s always next year.

Michael Compton is a Jacksonville Jaguars writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter at @MWCompton and connect with him on Google.

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