Shared Belief seeks perfect seven in Awesome Again; Beholder, Iotapa face off

Shared Belief brings a unbeaten record into the Awesome Again (Benoit Photos)

Santa Anita Park has
played host to the last two
Breeders’ Cup World Championships and was awarded the event for a third
straight year in 2014. On Saturday, the Great Race Place will put on its
Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day featuring five Grade 1s which will reward the
winners with automatic berths into the corresponding division races on October
31-November 1.

Champion Shared Belief is the top draw in the Grade 1, $300,000

Awesome Again, his final major prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The dark
bay son of Candy Ride already owns a guaranteed spot in the Classic starting
gate via a 2 3/4-length victory in the Pacific Classic at
Del Mar last out on August 24,
and will put his unbeaten six-for-six mark on the line in Saturday’s
nine-furlong contest.

Shared Belief skipped the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year after taking his
maiden debut by seven lengths while running for
conditioner J. B. Josephson at
Golden Gate Fields.
That stellar run prompted a private sale to a partnership including Jim
Rome’s Jungle Racing and Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and the
gelding would go on to romp in both the Hollywood Prevue and CashCall Futurity
in his other two starts as a juvenile.

Majestic Harbor is looking to add a second Grade 1 win to his resume (Benoit Photos)

The two top weights in the Awesome Again at 124 pounds are Majestic Harbor
and Mystery Trainer. The former captured the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup at Santa Anita
by 6 1/4 lengths in late June, but could only manage sixth behind Shared Belief
in the Pacific Classic last out. The Rockport Harbor five-year-old will probably
relish this return to dirt after running on the Polytrack and keeps regular
rider Tyler Baze aboard.

The Argentinean-bred Mystery Train finished a well-beaten ninth while making
his U.S. debut in the Pacific Classic, but is a multiple Group 1 winner in his
own country. The four-year-old son of Not For Sale drew post 7, just outside of
Majestic Harbor, and will have Brice Blanc in the irons.

Fed Biz drew the rail for trainer Bob Baffert, and the Giant’s Causeway
five-year-old will be trying nine furlongs for just the third time in his 17-race
career. A three-time Grade 2 winner, Fed Biz captured the 1 1/16-mile San Diego
Handicap by 5 1/4 front-running lengths prior to a runner-up effort in the
seven-furlong Pat O’Brien in his past two at Del Mar. Martin Garcia was aboard
for both of those and retains the mount.

Imperative could offer a price in the top three based on current form (Charles Town/Coady Photography)

Imperative upset the

Charles Town Classic earlier this year at 26-1 and was third last out in the
Pacific Classic at 37-1. Trained by George Papaprodromou, the Bernardini gelding
might surprise in the top three again at a good price while breaking from the
far outside 8 post under Kent Desormeaux.

Completing the Awesome Again field are San Diego second Footbridge and stakes
debuter Bird E House.

Another champion will take center stage earlier on Saturday in the Grade 1,
$300,000

Zenyatta. Beholder earned Eclipse Awards as champion two-year-old filly and
champion three-year-old filly after taking the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Fillies and 2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Beholder seeks a second straight win in the Zenyatta (Benoit Photos)

Smith will be just the third jockey to pilot Beholder when he takes the reins
Saturday.

Iotapa is the 124-pound top weight in the Zenyatta and will exit the gate two
stalls inside of Beholder in the 2 post. The John Sadler-trained four-year-old
captured her initial pair of starts before finishing second to Beholder in the
Santa Anita Oaks, but the duo have not met up since. Iotapa would go on to win
the 2013 Railbird and this year’s Clement L. Hirsch, Vanity and Santa Maria
while placing in four other black-type events.

Joe Talamo has been aboard for eight of Iotapa’s 12 lifetime starts,
including her last two Grade 1 scores, and has the call in this spot.