Per Claire Novak of Blood-Horse, Shared Belief is not running in the Blue Grass, and is off the Kentucky Derby trail.

Is this a huge surprise?  No.  I still had a tiny ray of hope when I saw his name on the Blue Grass nominations list, and I’m not sure how much I buy Hollendorfer’s statement that “[h]e’s been off the Derby trail for two months” having seen his name on that list.  Someone had to have put him on there.  However, since he has been off the worktab since January 3, this was becoming more of a certainty every day.

What does this mean for my fantasy stable?  Instead of considering whether to do a claim for him at the end of the month or not, it means I’m redoubling my efforts to find a great claim going into next month.

It’s a disappointment for my fantasy stable, obviously, but just as obviously it’s the best thing for Shared Belief to do.  I’m glad they’re taking him off the trail if he’s not 100% healthy to be running, and I’m looking forward to seeing him run again when and if he is healthy enough to do so.  He is a special horse, and the best we can hope is that he heals and runs well in the future.