Shared Belief targeting Big ‘Cap, ‘Chrome confirmed for Dubai World Cup

Shared Belief will return to Santa Anita for the Big ‘Cap… (Benoit Photos)

It was business as usual for Team Hollendorfer at Santa Anita Park on Sunday,
one day after
shedrow star Shared Belief (Candy Ride) recorded a most memorable 1 1/2-length triumph in the San Antonio
S. (G2) over Horse of the Year California Chrome
(Lucky Pulpit) in a race that will be indelibly ensconced in the minds of the 21,522 fans who
ignored intermittent light rain at The Great Race Place, in addition to legions
who watched on TV and online.

“Jerry got to the barn at 2:40 (a.m. [PST]) this morning and I was
already there,” said Hollendorfer’s trusted assistant, Dan Ward. “He said, ‘I
thought I’d beat you here this morning.’

“Shared Belief was excellent this morning,” Ward added. “He
ate all his feed. What happened in the past is not important. The only thing is
the future, and that would include the ($1 million) Santa Anita H. ([G1] going 1
1/4 miles on March 7).

“(Shared Belief will) go back to Golden Gate tomorrow, train up there,
probably come back the Wednesday before the (Big ‘Cap), keeping the same
schedule as in the past.”

Ward, who spent 22 years with the late Bobby Frankel before
joining Hollendorfer for the past eight, is a behind-the-scenes guy reluctant to
pat himself on the back, but an integral member of the vastly successful team.

…while California Chrome is shipping to Dubai for the lucrative World Cup (Benoit Photos)

California Chrome, meanwhile, took the first stage out of
Dodge, leaving early Saturday evening for his Los Alamitos headquarters where he
will prepare for the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on March 28.

Whether the two champions meet again on the race track
remains to be seen, but for the immediate future, that won’t happen. Shared
Belief is headed for the Santa Anita H., while California Chrome will embark for
the Middle East.

“He’s going to Dubai,” Sherman said by phone from his Los Alamitos base Sunday morning.
“We’re preparing for that. The horse came out the race well and ate up good.”

“It was a good race for the fans,” said Mike Smith, who
once again authored a Hall of Fame ride aboard Shared Belief. “It’s going to be
a great rivalry. It’s great for racing and hopefully they’ll get a chance to
meet a few more times.

“Shared Belief is already a great horse. He’s young and has time to get
better and do more great things.”

While Sherman expressed dissatisfaction with Chrome’s final
pre-race breeze as being “too slow,” he did not use that as an excuse for
getting beat.

“He tried hard,” Sherman shrugged. “We’ll hook up again.”

In an interesting sidenote, Raul Rodriguez, groom for California Chrome, is
the uncle of Armando Rodriguez, the groom of Shared Belief.

Saturday’s San Antonio was a smash hit
with the fans, but also in regards to Santa Anita’s bottom line as attendance and handle figures dwarfed those
from a year ago.