Shared Belief Passes Awesome Test on Super Saturday

Shared Belief lived up to the hype in the Awesome Again. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Shared Belief had never been seriously challenged in six previous races entering the $300,000, Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on the Super Saturday card at Santa Anita Park.
Anyone who wondered how he would react to a real battle in the stretch got the answer in the Awesome Again as Shared Belief outlasted game runner-up Fed Biz by a neck in a thrilling run through the stretch.
After being forced wide throughout by several opponents in the 1 1/8-mile race, Shared Belief rallyed into contention with a sweeping bid on the far turn. When the 3-year-old gelding drew alongside 5-year-old Fed Biz, the older horse had plenty of fight left in him.
Fed Biz dug in determinedly and gave Shared Belief his first true test, but Shared Belief would not be denied in the final strides and edged past to keep his unbeaten record intact.
“They tried some tactics on him. Fortunately for us, it didn’t work,” winning jockey Mike Smith said. “Sometimes when you get a race like this with an extremely talented horse, it makes him even better.”
Shared Belief was caught very wide going into the first turn when Sky Kingdom drifted out and he was kept out in the middle of the track on the backstretch while Fed Biz set a pressured pace and saved ground. The tactics cost Shared Belief some extra real estate but not his unbeaten record.
Owned by a partnership that includes television and sports radio personality Jim Rome, Shared Belief completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.58 and boosted his career earnings to $1,552,200 with seven wins in as many starts. The Awesome Again Stakes was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” race for the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, but Shared Belief had already secured his spot with his 2 ¾-length win in the Pacific Classic takes on Aug. 24.
Fed Biz was 2 ¼ lengths clear of third-place finisher Footbridge.
Zenyatta Stakes
Champion Beholder looked like she was back in top form in winning the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes in her first start since a fourth-place finish in the Ogden Phipps Stakes on June 7.
BEHOLDER WON THE ZENYATTA STAKES FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

After tracking a solid and contested early pace, Beholder launched her winning bid on the turn under Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith and pulled away from pacesetter Tiz Midnight to open a clear advantage. Tiz Midnight fought back bravely but could not get past Beholder, who completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.29 to improve to 10 wins and three seconds from 15 career starts for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.
Beholder earned an automatic starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff via the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge series.  She won the Distaff a year ago en route to the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly and has won eight of nine career starts at Santa Anita Park, host of this year’s World Championships.
FrontRunner Stakes
American Pharoah stamped himself the probable favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with a dominant 3 1/4-length romp in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes.
The FrontRunner was the second straight Grade 1 victory for the Pioneerof the Nile ridgling, who won the Del Mar Futurity by 4 3/4 lengths on Sept. 3 for owner Zayat Stables and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He led from start to finish in the FrontRunner and completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.95, which was quicker than champion Beholder one race before the FrontRunner.
AMERICAN PHAROAH ROMPS IN THE FRONTRUNNER

Rodeo Drive Stakes
Emollient earned her first victory in more than 11 months and ended a six-race winless stretch with a powerful rally to win the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes.
Ridden by Rosie Napravnik, Emollient tracked from mid-pack in the 1 ¼-mile turf race and unleashed her winning rally from between horses on the turn. She flashed an explosive turn of foot in the stretch to seize command and return to the elite form that allowed her to record three previous Grade 1 wins for owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms.