Shared Belief winning the Santa Anita Handicap. (Photo by Benoit & Associates)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Tuesday, March 10, 2015) – In light of his breathtakingly easy victory in Saturday’s $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (G1), one of the country’s most prestigious and historic races, it should come as little surprise that Shared Belief has been unanimously voted the nation’s leading Thoroughbred in this year’s first National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer indicated earlier this week that the 4-year-old gelding owned by Jungle Racing, a partnership led by sports broadcaster Jim Rome, would likely make his next start in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) on April 11 in Hot Springs, Ark.
Shared Belief received all 47 first-place votes in the poll of racing media, good for 470 points total. Eligible media cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The NTRA Top Thoroughbred and Top 3-Year-Old polls are conducted weekly through the Monday following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
The top three older horses were rounded out by 2014 Champion Older Horse and Champion Turf Horse Main Sequence (352 points), who kicked off his 6-year-old campaign with a win in the Feb. 21, $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park, and 2014 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old California Chrome (336), who finished a clear second to Shared Belief in the Feb. 7, $500,000 San Antonio Handicap (G2) at Santa Anita.
In the Top 3-Year-Old Poll, voters tabbed undefeated Dortmund as the leading sophomore on the Triple Crown trail following his latest win in Saturday’s $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. Dortmund tallied 446 points, followed by $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Carpe Diem (359 points) and $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) second Upstart, who was first under the wire in his major Florida Derby prep but was disqualified for interference.
The full results for both NTRA weekly Thoroughbred polls can be found on the NTRA website at: www.ntra.com/en/news-media/press-releases/2015/3/9/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-march-9-2015