Shared Belief Wins San Antonio Stakes

The Dynamics Of Racing:

An In-Depth Post Race Analysis Of The San Antonio Stakes

By: Claudia Lorena

The conclusion of the San Antonio Stakes was not surprising by any means. While California Chrome had a better speed rating on dirt, Shared Belief had overcome some very difficult trips in 2014 and his brilliance was evident in the Awesome Again. On February 7th, the gelding put on a spectacular performance under the guidance of hall of fame jockey Mike Smith. Outrunning California Chrome on the stretch, Shared Belief was simply the better horse that day.

With that said, lets use the San Antonio to take an in-depth look at how pace and positioning affects a race; how body weight and movement are used to an advantage, and; how the slightest disruption in impulsion can cost a horse the race.

Pace and Positioning

California Chrome and Shared Belief both broke beautifully from the gate. Victor Espinoza let the colt cross in front of Shared Belief, who broke from the five hole and was then sent up along the outside of the Kentucky Derby winner, giving Mike Smith a major advantage. This was precisely what I was afraid would happen. Smith comes up on Espinoza’s outside, forcing him to speed up and send Chrome up with the leader, Alfa Bird, or run the risk of losing his position. A mind game in itself, Smith dangled the bait and Espinoza bit down. Now Chrome is locked onto stalking the pace, on a long rein, and working a tad more than preferred.

My main issue with this race is not so much the pace of the opening four furlongs, which was a modest 47.87, as much as what occurred on approach to the final turn. Shared Belief does not run turns very well, so it would have been more logical for Espinoza to send Chrome forward in the middle of the turn as opposed to the start. Instead, he jumps the gun and begins to pick up the pace half way up the backstretch. Hoppertunity and Shared Belief are now forced to follow suit to close the gap between themselves and Chrome. Shared Belief now has another advantage—he is able to get rolling while still traveling straight. On approach, before they even enter the turn, Chrome is let loose, causing Hoppertunity and Shared Belief to dig just as deep or run the risk of falling behind.

The early move makes Hoppertunity surge on the turn. The physics of stabilizing his body weight on a bend are far more physically demanding than traveling on a straight line; Newton’s Law takes pity on no one. By the time Hoppertunity hits the top of the stretch he doesn’t have the power to catch the favorites down the lane and he loses his second place position to Shared Belief, who also struggles to gain traction coming out of the turn, but the gelding has more grit and manages to kick past him. Shared Belief’s weakest and most vulnerable point in the race was midway through the turn and it is exactly where California Chrome should have waited to make his move. Had he done so, Shared Belief would have had to work twice as hard to gain momentum, giving Chrome the upper hand.

Use of Body Weight and Movement

In show-jumping, when a rider lands the final jump in a speed round they will often fold their upper body over the horse and stretch their hands out in front, giving the horse a loose rein and driving them forward with the use of body weight and movement. In response, the horse will elongate it’s body, galloping out faster and more efficiently.

If a horse is approaching a five foot jump and the rider’s movement is not following along, body weight is off balance and the outcome can be extremely dangerous. The horse will either stop, crash through the jump or take off from the wrong distance—and the latter is never much fun.

Yes, show-jumping and racing are very different in style; show-jumpers sit in the saddle and ride with much longer stirrups, whereas jockeys do not sit in the saddle and use short stirrups. Completely opposing to eachother, the same principles still apply to both types of riding. Proper use of body weight and movement can either make or break a performance. A rider must be able to control their body to bring forth their four-legged partner’s full potential.

Disrupting Impulsion: California Chrome vs. Shared Belief

While the use of a whip is sometimes necessary with certain horses, disrupting the forward flow by tossing a hand backwards to strike can cause the rider to slightly pull back the hand that is left holding the reins. Not only does this distract the horse, it also throws off balance and slows impulsion. The rider just lost valuable time that could have been used to get ahead.

Pay close attention to Espinoza’s hands as California Chrome rounds the top of the stretch. There is movement, but not very much. When he straightens out on the stretch his hands are still on Chrome’s neck, but now he loosens his shoulders and begins to drive the colt forward. By moving his upper body in unison with his horse and putting more emphasis on the forward movement of his hands, he encourages him to lengthen his stride, level out his top-line and use his body to gallop more efficiently. In response, Chrome breaks away with ease. However, the instant Espinoza switches his whip from his inside to outside hand, he shifts his body weight and disrupts their synchronized impulsion. Then, he throws back his outside hand and strikes the colt on the hind quarters. This is when Chrome seemingly hits an imaginary wall. He is half way down the stretch, but his focus is no longer on the wire—it’s on his jock flailing atop his back. His guard is down and his foe is about to fly past him. His race is over.

Now, watch the replay again, but this time focus on how Mike Smith rides Shared Belief. He drives him forward with his hands as he moves around the turn. When he reaches the top of the stretch, Smith uses his whip four times with each strike just milliseconds apart from the last. Showing Shared Belief the whip, he brings his body down as low as possible and pumps his hands forward on the geldings neck. Not only does this tell Shared Belief to open his stride, it also encourages him to keep his focus ahead on the finish line. These two make the perfect horse and jockey team in thoroughbred racing.

Post Race Observation: Is It Time For Chrome To Ditch His Blinkers?

I am a fan of blinkers on horses that are young, inexperienced and overly anxious, but there comes a time when those types of horses grow up and no longer require their use.

Right as California Chrome’s attention falters midway down the stretch, Shared Belief begins to surge. But Chrome has blinkers on and can’t see how quickly his foe is moving up along side. The second Shared Belief inches in front of him a photograph captures the colt tilting his head towards Shared belief, surprised and as if saying, “where did you come from?”

Shared Belief charges past a surprised California Chrome.

I’ve watched the replay of the race nearly fifty times and not once does California Chrome give off the impression that he is tired running down the lane. His stride is long and he is going easy. The only noticeable difference in his movement is that he seems to be raising his forehand quite high off the ground. Perhaps this has something to do with having run his last race on turf and he is simply readjusting to the surface while in a competitive environment. If anything, he looks as if he is not completely present in the moment; like he’s off in la-la land on purple and green clouds, breezing with his little opossum friend. He was just not his usual self.

That in mind, this race was more of a prep and not one he needed to win. Chrome’s sights are set on larger and richer races. Regardless, I’d be willing to bet this colt is ready to run sans blinkers.