Flashback: Shared Belief 'a special kind' of Malibu winner

When Shared Belief traveled to the Santa Anita starting gate for the 2014 Malibu Stakes (G1), memories of a frustrating defeat still lingered in the air. No longer did the gelding carry “unbeaten” status with his race record.

After showcasing speed, stamina, and determination to win his first seven starts — including the 1 ¼-mile Pacific Classic (G1) and the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again Stakes (G1) — Shared Belief had suffered his first defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, coming home fourth against a high-class field.

The loss could hardly be blamed on Shared Belief. By no means an imposing horse, he’d been forced to play bumper cars with his rivals during the race’s opening stages, and Shared Belief took the worst of the rough go. He was smashed at the start when eventual winner Bayern ducked in leaving the gate. He was cut off and steadied behind future runner-up Toast of New York shortly thereafter. He was taken up sharply when third-place finisher California Chrome drifted in and took his lane.

It was a chaotic race, and Shared Belief fought back surprisingly well to finish less than four lengths behind the top three. But a loss is a loss, and Shared Belief’s unblemished record evaporated on that controversial day at Santa Anita.

Eight weeks later, Shared Belief returned to action for the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes. He needed to shake off the struggles of the Breeders’ Cup and regain his winning form. He needed to show that he suffered no lingering effects from being bounced around in traffic.

And he needed to achieve all of this while cutting back to seven furlongs and facing a classy field of sprinters. It was a challenging task, one that would trip up many talented horses. But though the stakes were high, Shared Belief was ready to roll.

With regular rider Mike Smith in the saddle, Shared Belief caught a break at the start, which unfolded without incident. Unlike in the Classic, Shared Belief left smoothly and put himself right in the thick of things early on, settling behind the pacesetters while racing between horses.

Oddly for a seven-furlong Grade 1 sprint, the early pace was slow, with Chitu and Indianapolis — both from the high-profile barn of Bob Baffert — carving out an opening quarter-mile in :23.13 seconds. The result was a tightly-packed field with barely more than two lengths separating the first seven runners.

“[Shared Belief] didn’t go real quick the first quarter mile but we really picked it up from then on; it was a horse race,” Smith said.

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The pace accelerated sharply during the second quarter-mile, which blazed by in :22.11 for a half-mile in :45.24. All the while Shared Belief was tracking the leaders, waiting for an opportunity to rally. But with the pace setters still going strong and Frensham looming up on the outside, the little black gelding had nowhere to run.

Bettors who sent Shared Belief away at odds of 1-2 were surely holding their collective breath. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, however, was unconcerned.

“He was sitting in a good spot, and he was in between horses, but really, I was watching and never had any doubts that he would get out and come running down the lane,” Hollendorfer said.

The opportunity came on the final turn. As Frensham began to weaken, a small opening appeared outside of the pacesetters. Smith quickly gunned Shared Belief for the gap, and the favorite responded by shifting out and lengthening his stride.

The race still wasn’t over. Chitu had something left on the lead, while 72-1 longshot Conquest Two Step was slicing his way through, threatening to post a stunning upset.

But Smith was riding confidently, trusting Shared Belief’s competitive spirit to snatch victory in a driving finish. The sprinters were pushing the limits of their stamina, straining to stay another furlong after blazing three-quarters of a mile in 1:08.59. Shared Belief, his strides coming strongly on the far outside, was just getting started.

Through the final sixteenth of a mile, Smith merely waved his whip at Shared Belief, keeping his mount focused on the task at hand while allowing the gelding’s abundant stamina to do the rest.

Conquest Two Step tried to match strides, and Chitu fought on gamely, but they were always waging a losing battle. The bare results will tell you Shared Belief won by a neck in 1:20.69 seconds. Watch the race, and you can believe Shared Belief always had his opponents measured.

With his triumph in the Malibu, Shared Belief capped a memorable season that saw him win Grade 1 races over seven furlongs, 1 1/8 miles, and 1 ¼ miles. Such versatility is rare for even the best of Thoroughbreds.

“I don’t know if people really understand how difficult it is to go from a mile and a quarter back to seven-eighths,” Smith marveled. “It’s really hard to do. It takes a special kind of horse; he’s that, and maybe more.”

Definitely more.

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.