Shared Belief will attempt to stake his claim as the best three-year-old in the United States in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday night at the Santa Anita track in California.
The Awesome Again Stakes is one of nine “win and you’re in” races in the US this weekend for the Breeders’ Cup meet on October 31 and November 1. Five of the races are at Santa Anita and four at New York’s Belmont Park.
Should Shared Belief prevail over his seven rivals, who include Godolphin’s Footbridge, the unbeaten colt would be the overwhelming favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic following California Chrome’s defeat last week.
Shared Belief will be ridden by Mike Smith, who was also aboard when the gelding denied UAE Derby winner Toast Of New York in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar last month and in the Los Alamitos Derby in July.
Jimmy Jerkens, the US trainer who will saddle Wicked Strong and VE Day in the Jockey Gold Cup Invitational at Belmont Park tonight, said Shared Belief is the horse to beat across America.
“You would have to say Shared Belief is the top three-year-old,” he said. “Even though he hasn’t left California, when you win like he does, and you’ve beaten all the horses, you’d certainly have to give him the nod.”
Wicked Strong and VE Day have a strong field to beat in New York with Tonalist, the Belmont Stakes winner, Chad Brown’s Zivo and the two leading older horses in the US, Moreno and Big Casanova, in the 12-runner field.
Jerkens is confident, however.
“I’m really happy with how they’re both going into the race,” he said of Wicked Strong and VE Day. “They’re just two very classy horses that have really made my year.”
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