Stars und Sternchen! » appreciate how a horse got to the finish

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Sometimes the best effort isnt always the one that results in the most lopsided finish in thoroughbred horse racing. Looking past the actual race will many times offer reasons to appreciate how a horse got to the finish line first, even if said horse only won by a narrow margin. On Friday at Santa Anita, Shared Belief came back to the races in his first start since getting fourth in the Breeders Cup Classic eight weeks earlier. By now we all know about the running of the 1 1/4-mile Classic at Santa Anita and how eventual winner Bayern broke to the left at the start and impeded 5-2 favorite Shared Belief momentarily. We put all that behind us, Shared Beliefs trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer said Saturday. Theres nothing we can do about what happened and so we forget about it and just remember that hes a good horse and we came back and won, so I feel like he really justified himself today. Shared Belief, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, did come back with a gut-wrenching performance to win the Malibu Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old gelding stalked the pace and had to swing wide around the final turn and into the stretch before fighting two other contenders and registering a neck victory. He was sitting in a good spot, Hollendorfer noted, and he was in between horses, but really, I was watching and never had any doubts that he would get out and come running down the lane. It was the kind of effort that showed Shared Belief knows where the wire is and does what has to be done to win. I dont know if people really understand how difficult it is to go from a mile and a quarter back to seven-eighths, Mike Smith said. Its really hard to do. It takes a special kind of horse; hes that, and maybe more. This race proved what a great horse he is, just by doing what he did. To run route races, then to come back to seven-eighths against top sprinters ... To me, that puts a big feather in his cap and puts him in front for Horse of the Year. I think this put him ahead of the rest. Being recognized as Horse of the Year is the ultimate honor in thoroughbred racing. For 2014, the three finalists may well end up being a trio of 3-year- olds, Bayern, California Chrome and Shared Belief. I dont vote on Horse of the Year, but all the other folks can take a look and see what they think, Hollendorfer said. Shared Belief was the 2013 Eclipse Award champion as a 2-year-old and has raised even more questions about who should be 2014 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old. Sometimes people are disappointed because he didnt win by open lengths and think, Whats the matter? Maybe hes not all that (good), co-owner Jim Rome said after the race. The horse just won a Grade I cutting way back (in distance) and did it with a lot of grit and a lot of moxie and I could not be more proud of Shared Belief. I love this horse. Next up for Shared Belief is an expected rematch with Bayern and California Chrome in the $500,000 San Antonio on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita. That will offer the newly turned 4-year-olds a 1 1/8-mile battle. Hell go back to Golden Gate ... to train as usual, but well look at the San Antonio, for sure. Well look at it pretty hard, Hollendorfer said. By winning last weeks seven-furlong Malibu, maybe Shared Belief can at least be voted 2014 champion male sprinter? Nike Air Zoom Australia . Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. Nike Zoom Australia . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. http://www.cheapnikezoomaustralia.com/. THE MICHAEL JORDAN FLU GAME First this famous basketball moment. The story goes like this. “Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordans most memorable. Nike Zoom Clearance . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Cheap Nike Zoom Australia . Three days after falling to Hamilton, Abbotsford scored three goals in 53 seconds en route to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bulldogs Saturday in American Hockey League play.Martin Brodeur appears to be ready to leave the Devils behind, should it come to that. Speaking to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Friday, Brodeur said "Ive come to the conclusion that Im definitely going to be available July 1." The NHLs all-time wins leader added: "I want to play one more season and I want to see whats out there." The 42-year-old netminder appeared in just 39 games for the Devils in 2013-14, sharing starters duties for the first time since taking over the New Jersey crease full-time in 1993-94. He is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. "Ive had a lot of good conversations with the Devils, but Im not inclined at going back at this point," Brodeur told LeBrun. "I just feel that with Schneids (Cory Schneider), the organization has to move on. Me being around might be tough a little bit for them. I dont completely put [a return] out of the question, but I dont want to mess up the cards for the Devils.” The Devils traded for goaltender Cory Schneider at the 2013 NHL Draft and the 28-year-old goalie played 45 games for the Devils this past season.dddddddddddd. The Devils are reportedly trying to lock Schneider up to an extension but the American netminder is reportedly seeking assurances that he will be the teams undisputed number one. "At the end of the day, it doesnt matter where I go next, Im always going to be a Devil. Im always going to come back to the organization. But I want to play one more year. So Ill see whats out there." Brodeur doesnt yet know what the options are out there for him, but hes ready to explore. "Ive got to see what the opportunities are. Im not going to go somewhere where I dont feel comfortable," he said. "If I go somewhere as a No. 2 goalie, its going to be a team that has a really good chance to win a Stanley Cup. If I go for a No. 1 job, its going to depend on the situation. I think there are teams that can use me." ' ' '