Champion Shared Belief Unlikely to Make Lewis
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Unbeaten Triple Crown contender Shared Belief seems unlikely to make his 3-year-old debut in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) in two weeks after he missed a workout slated for Jan. 24 at Santa Anita Park.
There was no immediate word from trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's camp on the status of Shared Belief, who has been dealing with an abscess to his right front foot that caused him to miss a workout Jan. 12. Hollendorfer told bloodhorse.com Jan. 22 that the 2013 Eclipse Award winner as male 2-year-old champion would instead work Friday.
He last had a published workout Jan. 3 at Santa Anita when he went five furlongs in 1:00 2/5.
Asked Friday morning for an update on the Candy Ride gelding’s status, Hollendorfer told the Santa Anita publicity office, "There is no update." When approached again later, the Hall of Fame trainer said, "I don’t have any news for the next 15 days."
Hollendorfer's assistant, Dan Ward, did not return a phone call seeking clarification.
Shared Belief was brilliant in winning the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) at Betfair Hollywood Park Dec. 14 and heads into the 2014 season as one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Assuming he misses the Feb. 8 Lewis, he could next point for the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) March 8.
Owned by Jim Rome's Jungle Racing, KMN Racing, Hollendorfer, Jason Litt, Alex Solis II, and George Todaro, the dark bay banked $451,200 as a 2-year-old. He won all three of his starts by a combined margin of more than 20 lengths.