Jim Rome's Shared Belief Huge Favorite in Big 'Cap

The Clones will be chalk players on Saturday, as Shared Belief, the top older horse in the U.S., takes on 12 overmatched foes in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita.

Sports personality Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing along with Jason Litt, Alex Solis II, George Todaro, KMN Racing and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer own the talented four-year-old gelding, who has won nine of his 10 career starts and earned $2,332,000 in purses.

The lone loss came in a fourth-place finish in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) where the gelding was sent off as the favorite but was interfered with coming out of the starting gate by eventual winner Bayern, who veered in at the break.

The gelding came back to finish off his outstanding 2014 campaign by winning the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 and was nominated for Eclipse Awards for top three-year-old and Horse of the Year but came up short in the voting to Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome.

He got some revenge when they met up in the San Antonio Invitational (G2) on Feb. 7 where the gelding tracked the early pace and drew away late to beat the Horse of the Year by 1 ½ lengths.  California Chrome will make his next start in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1) on March 28. That race will be part of the Jockey Club Tour on Fox series.

The Big ‘Cap is one of the most prestigious races of the year for older horses and has been won by all-time greats including Seabiscuit, John Henry, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid. The winner of the race in three of last four years was Game on Dude, who retired last fall. The gelding is the only three-time winner of the race.

Game On Dude is enjoying his retirement at Old Friends, a Kentucky farm for retired racehorses.

Hollendorfer will be looking for his second Big ‘Cap score, winning his first with Heatseeker in 2008. If Shared Belief runs his race, it will be very tough to deny Hollendorfer his second Big ‘Cap win.

There are numbers, as a dozen signed up to take on Shared Belief, but among them there is only one who has won a Grade 1 race.

Moreno won the Whitney Handicap (G1) last year, his lone win in eight starts. The speedy gelding was expected to be the pacesetter in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but was slammed coming out of the gate, was stuck behind horses and never got to the lead. He checked in 14th and was beaten by 36 lengths.

Moreno is expected to set the pace but is making his first start off a four-month layoff and trainer Eric Guillot admits beating the favorite is going to be tough.

"I'm not looking to beat Shared Belief as much as I'm looking for a good performance off a layoff," Guillot told Jeremy Balan of Bloodhorse. "The whole deal is to get a good race. That's the focus more than anything else."

Moreno had arthroscopic surgery three days after the Breeders’ Cup Classic to remove ankle chips, and Guillot appears to be using this race as a prep for the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic (G2). The gelding is the 6-1 second choice on the morning line for the Big ‘Cap.

Sr. Quisqueyano (10-1) rates an upset chance if he can run back to his last outing. The Peter Walder barn claimed the five-year-old on Dec. 21 for $62,500 out of a runner-up finish against optional claimers and turned him around and won the Sunshine Millions Classic in an upset at odds of 20-1 in his last start.

The Neil Drysdale-trained Bronzo (10-1) has made two starts in the U.S. since landing here from Chile. The gelding was sixth in the San Pasqual (G2) in his U.S. debut and then ran fourth, beaten eight lengths in the San Antonio.

Shared Belief carries 125 pounds, spotting his rivals from four to 11 pounds, but it is tough to find a formidable foe in the race who can pull off the upset.

The Clones will have to settle for a short price. Rack it.

Road to Derby Heating Up

In addition to the Big ‘Cap, there are three Derby points races on Saturday. The $400,000 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs and the $400,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita will offer up 50-20-10-5 points to the top four finishers as Road to the Derby points races.

Among the top Derby contenders in action on Saturday is the undefeated Dortmund, who is the 12-1 co-second choice in early Kentucky Derby betting in odds released this week at Odds Shark.

The Bob Baffert trainee takes on nine foes in the San Felipe including undefeated Ocho Ocho Ocho, who makes his first start since winning the Delta Jackpot (G3) on Nov. 23. The colt is 25-1 in early Kentucky Derby betting.

Follow Michael Dempsey on Twitter @turfnsport

Morning line odds provided by Santa Anita