Baffert Quartet Faces Shared Belief in Malibu

Bob Baffert will take four shots at champion Shared Belief in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (gr. I), the featured event as Santa Anita Park kicks off its 2014-15 winter/spring meet the day after Christmas.



Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's Shared Belief tasted defeat for the first time in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita and will be cutting back drastically in distance for Friday's Malibu. He heads a strong field of 10 sophomores in the seven-furlong test, one of three graded stakes for 3-year-olds on the opening day card. The Malibu is the eighth on a nine-race program with a tentative post time of 3:30 p.m. PST.



Baffert has last year's 2-year-old male champion badly outnumbered with a formidable quartet of entrants consisting of Chitu, Indianapolis, Pimpernel, and Midnight Hawk.



Shared Belief finished fourth as the favorite in the Classic after being victimized by a rough start. He will try to reinsert himself into Eclipse Award consideration for top 3-year-old and Horse of the Year honors after smashing wins earlier this season in the TVG Pacific Classic and Awesome Again Stakes (both gr. I).



Returned to his home base at Golden Gate Fields since the Breeders' Cup, Shared Belief has worked five times over the Tapeta surface in preparation for the Malibu; his most recent drill a six furlong move in 1:15 flat Dec. 16. Undefeated in seven starts prior to the Classic, his lone start at seven furlongs resulted in a rousing 7 3/4-length win in the Hollywood Preview Stakes (gr. III) in November 2013.



Owned in part by the Jim Rome's Jungle Racing, KMN Racing, and Hollendorfer, the dark bay gelding will break from post 8 with regular pilot Mike Smith. With seven wins from eight starts, Shared Belief has earnings of $1,852,200, by far the most in the Malibu field.



Hollendorfer, who is yet to win the Malibu during his Hall of Fame career, also entered Tamarando, who won the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) at seven furlongs in 2013. Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams' California homebred is looking to bounce back from a seventh in the Native Diver Stakes (gr. III) Nov. 29 at Del Mar.



Baffert, who has won two out of the past three Malibu runnings, including last year's with Shakin It Up  , holds a potent four-card hand, but Chitu appears to be the Hall of Fame conditioner's ace.



The chestnut colt by Henny Hughes comes off an authoritative 2 1/2-length win in the seven-furlong Damascus Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 31, his only start since finishing ninth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). He was an easy winner of the Sunland Derby (gr. III) three starts back and he'll again get the services of Joel Rosario, who was aboard for the Damascus score. 



With six rapid works for his return, Chitu, breaking from post 2, would appear primed for a big effort.



Midnight Hawk won the Sham Stakes (gr. III) last January, then reeled off graded stakes placings in the Robert B. Lewis (gr. II), San Felipe (gr. II), Sunland Derby, and Illinois Derby (gr. III) before going to the sidelines for 6 1/2 months. He was a disappointing third as the 6-5 favorite in a second condition allowance going six furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 30, and will race without blinkers in the Malibu.



After three wins to begin his career that included a nine-month layoff, Indianapolis took a giant step up in the Xpressbet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I), but never factored after a bad start and finished 10th. Gary Stevens takes the call on the son of Medaglia d'Oro   who worked four furlongs in :47 flat Dec. 21.



Juddmonte Farms' Pimpernel jumps up in class off a front-running win over an allowance/optional claiming field Oct. 29 at Santa Anita. He appears to be the wild card in his graded stakes debut for Baffert after defeating highly regarded stablemate Hoppertunity in that race by a half length.



Rprettyboyfloyd, Conquest Two Step, Diamond Bachelor, and Frensham complete a solid lineup.