After missing a recently scheduled workout with a slight quarter crack, champion Shared Belief is to have his next timed work Friday, Jan. 24, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said.
The gelded son of Candy Ride has been tentatively pointed for the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita Park Feb. 8. Hollendorfer said Jan. 22 that a decision on that race would be made following the next workout.
A leading candidate for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Shared Belief was crowned with an Eclipse Award Jan. 18 as outstanding 2-year-old male in 2013.
The Hall of Fame trainer was clearly miffed about speculation that Shared Belief would not be able to make the Lewis because of the injury and might instead run in the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) March 8 at Santa Anita.
"He's been working every day for the past two weeks. But that doesn't seem to matter. They just make this stuff up," Hollendorfer said.
"I haven't made my mind up (about Shared Belief's next start)," he added. "That's coming from me."
Hollendorfer's assistant, Dan Ward, described the injury as minor. "If it was any other horse, we wouldn't even be talking about it," he said.
Shared Belief won his three races as a 2-year-old by a combined margin of more than 20 lengths. That included a 5 3/4-length triumph in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Betfair Hollywood Park Dec. 14. He would be making his first start on dirt in the Lewis or the San Felipe.
His last published workout was Jan. 3 at Santa Anita when he went five furlongs in 1:00 2/5.
Owned by Jim Rome's Jungle Racing, KMN Racing, Hollendorfer, and others, the dark bay banked $451,200 as a 2-year-old.
Shared Belief
Benoit Photo