Unbeaten Shared Belief Leads Awesome Again Field

Shared Belief, who won the TVG Pacific Classic in his last start, looks to keep his undefeated record intact in the Awesome Again. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
The third running of the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes brings together a talented field of eight but only one of them, Shared Belief, is unbeaten and untested to date. A perfect six-for-six in his career and never headed in the last eighth of a mile, Shared Belief is using this race as a final prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Among those with aspirations of playing spoiler are multiple graded stakes winner Fed Biz, one of two from the potent barn of Bob Baffert, the other being Sky Kingdom. Fed Biz won the two-turn Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in July before settling for second behind a record setting performance by Goldencents last month when sprinting in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes. Imperative won the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic this past spring at the distance of the Awesome Again but most recently finished a well-beaten third behind Shared Belief in the TVG Pacific Classic. Majestic Harbor won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes in June before a disappointing sixth in the TVG Pacific Classic.
Shared Belief goes for his third straight graded stakes victory and seventh win in as many races in the Awesome Again and simply put, with a field high last race 109 Equibase Speed Figure, is the one to beat. His edge is based not only on how fast he has run, but in the manner he has earned those six wins to date. Shared Belief won the TVG Pacific Classic last month by two and three-quarter lengths, the narrowest margin in his career, with all his other wins by four lengths or more. Not only that but Shared Belief has led by multiple lengths at the top of the stretch with an eighth of a mile to go in every one of his races, showing the kind of acceleration on demand that makes it very difficult for any horse to keep up with him at that point of the race. With Mike Smith aboard for the third straight race and having improved his figures in each of his last three races (101-103-109), Shared Belief appears capable of winning easily once more.
Fed Biz was very impressive when winning the San Diego Handicap by five lengths in July at the distance of one mile and one-sixteenth, earning a career best tying 116 Equibase Speed Figure in the process. Following that win and cutting back to seven furlongs around one turn, Fed Biz was not disgraced a bit when finishing second in the Pat O'Brien Stakes to last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents. Back around two-turns for the Awesome Again, Fed Biz gets the ground saving rail and with his tactical speed may try to get the lead from the start and control the tempo as he did successfully in the San Diego, which might be an effective tactic and lead to a mild upset win.
FED BIZ AFTER WINNING THE SAN DIEGO HANDICAP

Majestic Harbor earned the biggest victory of his career at Santa Anita in June when posting the upset win in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (formerly the Hollywood Gold Cup) by six lengths. Earning a 109 Figure in the process, that big effort was followed by a non-threatening effort when sixth from start to finish against Shared Belief in the Pacific Classic. There is potential to excuse that effort as it was the first time Majestic Harbor ever raced on an all-weather surface. Back over the track of his biggest win and with his 109 figure as good as that put forth by Shared Belief in his most recent effort, Majestic Harbor also has a potential say in the outcome in the Awesome Again.
The rest of the field, with their best representative  Equibase Speed Figures: Bird E House (105), Footbridge (103), Imperative (122), Mystery Train (N/A), Sky Kingdom (109).
My Selections:
Shared Belief
Fed Biz
Majestic Harbor
$300,000 Awesome Again Stakes
Race 8, Saturday, Santa Anita, Post Time 7:00 PM E.T.
1 1/8 miles on dirt for 3-year-olds and upward 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Weight

Trainer

1

Fed Biz (KY)

Martin Garcia

119

Bob Baffert

2

Sky Kingdom (KY)

Victor Espinoza

119

Bob Baffert

3

Bird E House (KY)

Joseph Talamo

116

John Sadler

4

Shared Belief (KY)

Mike Smith

121

Jerry Hollendorfer

5

Footbridge (KY)

Rafael Bejarano

119

Eoin Harty

6

Majestic Harbor (KY)

Tyler Baze

124

Sean McCarthy

7

Mystery Train (ARG)

Brice Blanc

124

Darrell Vienna

8

Imperative (KY)

Kent Desormeaux

119

George Papaprodromou