Del Mar 2024: Muth makes his comeback in Shared Belief
It will be hard to match last year’s thrilling climax to the Shared Belief Stakes when Mr. Fisk and Tahoe Sunrise hit the wire together in a too-close-to-call photo finish. It Turned out the judges couldn’t separate the two Bob Baffert trainees, and they declared the finish a dead heat.
It was Baffert’s fourth victory in the past five runnings of the Shared Belief, a two-turn, main-track mile that for a long time was known as the El Cajon Stakes. Baffert is back again Sunday and leaving little to chance, bringing three runners to the race.
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It will mark the return of Muth, a dazzling 3-year old colt by Good Magic who was purchased by Zedan Racing Stables for $2 million in March of last year. He broke his maiden at Santa Anita by 8 1/2 lengths in June 2023 followed by a runner-up finish to stablemate Prince of Monaco in the Grade 3 Best Pal at Del Mar. Muth would win the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita, and that led to his runner-up finish to Fierceness in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
In 2024, the colt has been perfect, winning the San Vicente (G2) in January and then scoring in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in April. He shipped back to Maryland, but before he could make it to the Preakness, he got sick.
“He had a 104 temperature,” Baffert said. “He was really sick. If they’re getting sick, and you ship, it makes it worse. In all my years I always worry about that. I have been so lucky that my good horses never got sick. It was a shame, because he was going to be the heavy favorite.”
Once all his bloodwork was back to normal, and he was feeling better, they got Muth back home to Southern California. Baffert took his time bringing the colt back. Now 3 1/2 months later, Muth is set to go in the Shared Belief.
“He’s doing well,” Baffert said. “I was debating running him a mile-and-a-quarter in (Saturday’s Pacific) Classic (G1). Some horses you can train into it, but he’s not one of them. This race will set him up (next month) for either the Penn Derby (G1) or the California Crown (G1).”
Del Mar's leading jockey Juan Hernández has the ride as usual on Muth, the 3-5 morning-line favorite who drew post 3 in the field of seven 3-year-olds.
The other Baffert horses in the Shared Belief bring impressive credentials. Imagination has been running with the best 3-year-olds in the country in such races as the Woody Stephens (G1), the Preakness Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby (G1), where he missed by a neck to Stronghold. Baffert also brings Wynstock, the winner of the Los Alamitos Derby in June.
John Sadler also has a pair of colts running in the Shared Belief. Pony Express is by Gun Runner. He broke his maiden at Santa Anita by nine lengths in June and then shipped back to New York for the Jim Dandy (G2) and ran last.
“The travel was less than ideal,” Sadler said, “so he was a little flat. We think it was just having to go that far. But he’s come back and trained really well for the Shared Belief. I think you’re going to see more of the true Pony Express in there.”
Sadler’s other horse is Indispensable, a son of Constitution who is taking the leap from maiden winner July 25 to stakes race.
“We like this horse a lot, and he got a big rating when he broke his maiden here the other day,” Sadler said. “He’s a horse that is really coming on strong now, so we’re not afraid to get him in there.”
The 50th running of the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes is named after the 2014 Pacific Classic winner and is the seventh of 10 races. It is scheduled for 7:32 p.m. EDT. The first post is at 4:30 p.m.