Top three-year-olds Shared Belief and California Chrome will square off for the first time on Saturday in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The Classic, on the dirt track at Santa Anita racetrack northeast of Los Angeles, will cap the two-day, 13-race Breeders’ Cup slate worth some $25 million.
Shared Belief, unbeaten in seven starts, will break from the sixth post in the $5 million Classic with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard and was installed as the early 9-5 favorite at Monday’s draw.
California Chrome, the chestnut colt that electrified US racing with victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before falling in the Belmont Stakes, will break from the 13th post in the 14-horse field under Victor Espinoza and was priced at 4-1.
Shared Belief, a gelding trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, missed the Triple Crown campaign with a foot injury, but has been dominant in the latter part of the year, including victories over older horses in the Pacific Classic and Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in September.
Hollendorfer and Smith were both pleased with Shared Belief’s draw.
“There is a lot of speed all around us and I can just follow them to the turn and work out a trip,” said Smith, whose 20 Breeders’ Cup wins are the most of any jockey.
California Chrome, trained by Art Sherman, collected wins earlier this year in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby before claiming the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Owned by Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, California Chrome was fourth in the Belmont Stakes and sixth in the Pennsylvania Derby and will be seeking to re-establish his claim to Horse of the Year honors in the 1 1/4-mile Classic.
“If he gets a clean break, he can get a look at the horses inside of him,” Sherman said. “I’d like to see everybody in contention at the top of the stretch, and let the best horse win.”
Tonalist, the Belmont winner trained by US-based Frenchman Christophe Clement, drew the 11th post and was priced at 5-1.
Friday’s opening day of Breeders’ Cup racing will conclude with the $2 million, 1 1/8-mile Distaff.
A field of 11 fillies and mares has been drawn into the race which last year was won by two-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder.
The four-year-old, however, will not try for a repeat after a recent fever.
Also absent from the weekend is Wise Dan, two-time US Horse of the Year and winner of the last two Breeders’ Cup Miles, after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his right front leg.
With Beholder out of the picture, Untapable, trained by Steve Asmussen was made the early Distaff favorite at 5-2. The three-year-old filly will depart from post 10 with Rosie Napravnik in the irons. Top four-year-old Close Hatches was made the 3-1 second choice, breaking from the far outside post.
– Five 2013 winners return –
Four horses return to defend the 2013 titles they won at Santa Anita: Goldencents in the Dirt Mile, Magician in the Turf, Secret Circle in the Sprint and Dank in the Filly and Mare Turf.
Ria Antonia, winner of the Juvenile Fillies last year, graduates to the Distaff.
Magician, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, stormed past John Gosden-trained filly The Fugue to win the 1 1/2-mile Turf last year.
This year, O’Brien’s son Joseph is set to be in the saddle.
Flintshire, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up trained by Andre Fabre, is the early 7-2 favorite in the $3 million Turf.